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Behavior is everything people do and say, such as asking for help, eating an unfamiliar food, going to school, or playing a game with a peer. Behavior analysis is a science focused on the behavior of people that attempts to understand and predict behavior. Through decades of research, the field of behavior analysis has developed many techniques for increasing helpful behaviors and reducing behaviors that cause harm or interfere with learning or with living a fulfilling life. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is the use of these techniques and principles to create meaningful and positive changes in behavior. These changes may include increasing communication, handling of uncertainty, or adaptive behavior, such as eating and toileting, and decreasing interfering behavior, such as tantrums and rigid behaviors. Contrary to many people's understanding of ABA, it is not exclusively relevant to children with autism but rather is a dynamic and comprehensive science that provides evidence-based interventions for a wide variety of challenges and opportunities for growth that are common across the lifespan.
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Acceptance and Commitment Training (ACT) combines mindful paying attention strategies with techniques to help people change their behavior. It is designed to help individuals, including children, develop flexibility in the face of uncomfortable thoughts, feelings and sensations.
ACT with children aims to help them develop valuable skills for navigating challenges they may face while living vital and effective lives. Children are taught that it is normal to have a range of emotions and thoughts and that they don't have to be pushed away or avoided. They learn to track whether their ideas and their actions are working for them or not working for them. Children are supported to explore what’s truly important to them and how their thoughts, emotions, and behaviors relate to what matters. This helps children make choices to do hard things and take action in line with their values, even when it is difficult or uncomfortable, fostering a sense of well-being and vitality. When working with children, ACT is adapted to their developmental level and incorporates age-appropriate language, creative activities, and playfulness. ACT with children has shown promise in addressing various childhood challenges, including anxiety and OCD, depression, behavioral difficulties, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and emotional regulation concerns. By equipping children with mindfulness, acceptance, and values-based skills, ACT empowers them to manage difficult emotions, develop resilience, and make choices aligned with their values as they grow and navigate life's challenges. |
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Supportive Parenting for Anxious Childhood Emotions (SPACE), is a program designed by Dr. Eli Lebowitz at the Yale Child Study Center to help children and teenagers dealing with anxiety, OCD, and similar concerns. Through SPACE, parents are empowered to play a crucial role in their child's improvement. While the focus is on the parents, the ultimate beneficiaries are the children, as aims to reduce children’s anxiety and improve their functioning.
SPACE targets a range of anxiety-related challenges, including separation anxiety, social anxiety, generalized anxiety, specific fears, selective mutism, and OCD symptoms. In this approach, parents are the primary participants, attending sessions to learn strategies and techniques for supporting their child's emotional well-being. SPACE places the emphasis on parents’ own behaviors. The core elements of SPACE involve teaching parents how to respond to their child's anxiety in a supportive manner and gradually reduce the accommodations they've been making for their child's symptoms. By empowering parents with these skills, SPACE aims to reduce the child's anxiety, build the child’s confidence that they can handle their difficult feelings, and improve overall family functioning. |
