october-louisiana-spirits-31.html
1016 OCTOBER
32 / 104
b efore they took him to
behavioral
therapy, five-year-old jacob?s parents had been having a hard time
get
ting him to do basic tasks like brush his teeth, take a bath, go to bed, or come to the dinner table. ?it was always a matter of, for lack of a better term, pitching a fit,? says dana vicellio, a licensed professional counselor supervisor who works in private practice in zachary. vicellio met with jacob and his parents and helped them choose a few key behaviors to focus on. to
get
her, they created a sticker
chart
. jacob drew pictures on the
chart
to represent himself doing each of the desired behaviors. ?i?ve had a lot of success with sticker
chart
s,? vicellio says. ?it doesn?t have to be anything expensive or fancy, just a simple color
chart
that the child can participate in making. i try to make it in very simple terms, something the child can understand? something that will put a smile on their face.? each time jacob did what he was supposed to do?without pitching a fit?he would
get
a lot of praise from his parents, and he would
get
to place a sticker on the
chart
. jacob would draw a smiley face on the sticker as he placed it next to his drawing. after three consecutive days of good behavior, he would
get
a small reward? something that was fun for him but not extravagant, such as playing a board game with mom, baking cookies with dad, or a picnic in the park with grandma. ?he was able to achieve a sense of accomplishment and feel very proud of himself, and once he completed his full page
chart
, he brought it in to show me, and we celebrated his success,? says vicellio. ?ultimately, these good behaviors became a habit?second nature and just part of his routine? because he was
get
ting positive reinforcement from his parents and, really, from himself.? signs to look for
behavioral
therapy can be a great resource for families who have a child of any age who is persistently engaging in problematic behaviors, including the following: ? hitting, biting, or otherwise physically acting out against adults or other children ? repeatedly
get
ting into trouble at school ? bullying other children, or being bullied by other children ? fussing, crying, or ?pitching a fit? when asked to do basic, everyday tasks like
get
up in the morning,
get
ready for school, brush teeth, go to bed, etc ? school phobia, attachment or adjustment issues?being afraid to go to school or to let go of parents when dropped off at school or daycare ? poor social skills?failure to
get
along with others in a group setting ? changes in sleep?persistently not
get
ting a full night?s rest ? changes in appetite?regularly not wanting to eat, or overeating ? physical symptoms, such as frequent headaches or stomach aches ?
behavioral
issues associated with adhd and other
behavioral
disorders ? changes in attitude, such as generally becoming sullen, withdrawn, or angry vicellio stresses that no child should be expected to be perfect?it?s when a problematic behavior is repetitive or persistent that
behavioral
therapy is warranted. she adds that in the case of by rebecca connor when to call the child
behavioral
therapist 2015-16 cover kid: emerson c. 32 brparents.com | october 2016
child-behavioral-family-33.html