t.l.b.c

Sara is another of our experienced and highly skilled BCBAs - AND she’s a certified sleep coach! Stay tuned this week for more information on sleep training that Sara will share with us!

It’s no secret that Jack loves lions - and no accident either! Jack’s parents exposed him to a variety of toy animals and when he began to show interest in the lion, they used it as an opportunity to teach and encourage lots of social and verbal play while also incorporating his interests!

If your child is showing particular interest in an object - whether it be a stuffed animal, a toy car, a princess character, a love for music, etc. - use it to your advantage! The possibilities to language building are endless if you just know where to look!

Swipe to see some examples of all the things we say to Jack on a daily basis that incorporate his love of lions and teach him skills in his own natural environment.

What are some of your favorite Natural Environment Teaching activities?

We get a lot of questions from parents about how to build intrinsic motivation in a child when we are often reinforcing their behavior with extrinsic rewards. It may seem counterintuitive but external rewards are actually used as a tool to teach intrinsic motivation 🤯
And no matter how strong an intrinsic reward may be, we all still need external rewards to keep us going, especially when the response effort gets high!

Next time you worry if your child is too extrinsically motivated - ask yourself if you would do your job for free (no matter how much you love it!), or if you’re looking forward to a vacation. Kids need the same little pushes we do to get through challenges - it’s all about balance!

What are some of your go-to extrinsic and intrinsic rewards?