Mad River Behavioral Health

Rule #1 Believe that “children do well if they can.”  If they aren’t doing well, wonder why that is - what is interfering.  Establish realistic expectations that the child is, in reality, capable of achieving.  Expecting something more than what the child can actually achieve is highly likely to result in failure, increased behavioral difficulties, and to foster a sense of ineffectiveness, helplessness, and worthlessness. Implementation Dip.  When you begin a new intervention .. expect things to get worse first.   It all works best if the process is entered into collaboratively -- with parent and child / teacher and child in agreement.  Let child know what is changing before beginning If you change your approach / style and they don't know why, it can make kids anxious and defensive.  Visualize Success.  What will success look like?   What are you trying to accomplish? What is your purpose? What are your short, mid-r...

A Guide to Behavioral Intervention Assess intellectual, instructional, learning, and situational factors and how they affect / contribute to the behavior problem. Develop and utilize a decision-making tree. Identify specific problem behaviors and their source / function. Conceptualize positive alternative behaviors. Progressively teach, coach, and support the student in developing and utilizing the positive alternatives: healthy, value-system-based behavioral and coping strategies in support of school / community / family success. Encourage the practice and progressive growth of positive alternative behaviors with coaching and positive, proactive behavioral planning. Scaffold: provide more support, encouragement, and behavioral skill instruction until the child begins to show some sense of competence, then wean and monitor.   Alter academic / instructional components as needed in accordance with assessment data and educational best practices. Establish realistic exp...

 All rights reserved by  Alex-de-Haas Flip negative behaviors into their positive opposites; maladaptive behaviors into their adaptive opposites. Example: "tantrum" is flipped into "using words".  Children at times use tantrums to get needs met.  This is a negative, maladaptive skill. The positive, adaptive opposite skill is to use words to get needs met. As we move forward we will begin to focus our attention on enhancing skills and abilities, the capacity to manage in and navigate a complex world. Whenever we encounter a problem or concern we will begin the work of "flipping" the negative behavior into its positive opposite behavior or skill. From here, we will teach, coach, and encourage the use of the positive behavior or skill in the difficult situation. Difficult situations require adaptive skills in order to navigate successfully. Skills require a lot of practice to master.  Please keep in mind that all children ... will learn th...