Use praise
Praise should be specific and immediate to highlight and reward behaviours you would like to encourage.
Pay attention
Make good eye contact with the child, listen attentively, and respond in a caring manner.
Spend focused time together
Choose an activity that your child is interested in and get involved, free of direction or negativity.
Use effective commands
Use commands only when necessary and keep them simple and clear. It is important that the child is paying attention and it can be helpful to allow some time for the child to comply. Praise for listening and following through can help to reinforce positive behaviours.
Find a quiet space for the child to work in
At school, find a space that is free from distraction, away from the door (where people come and go), away from the window (and distractions outside) and near the front of the classroom, facing the teacher and the whiteboard. Sit them with a ‘buddy’ who is a good role model, who can help reinforce instructions and expectations. At home, find a quiet space to do homework and make sure it is free from clutter, toys, electronic media, and other distractions.
Break tasks down into smaller chunks
Smaller tasks are easier to complete, easier to organise and are less overwhelming.
Include breaks in activities and tasks
Breaks after work is completed can help a child to refocus on the next task.
Help the child stay organised
Depending on the age of the child, use schedules and reminders to help your child develop skills to organise themselves. A list of routine activities on the fridge or bedroom door can be helpful.
Use incentive systems
Incentive systems are a way of providing concrete, immediate rewards for positive behaviours. Target behaviours should be clearly defined and the reward chosen should be meaningful to the child; younger children might receive a small treat such as a sticker or favourite activity, while older children may like to collect points for a larger reward.
Use problem-solving
Effective problem-solving includes agreeing on what the problem is, brainstorming solutions, agreeing on a solution, trying it out, and checking on the outcome. Simplify this process for use with young children.
Use planned ignoring
Ignoring mild problem-behaviours can help to decrease their frequency over time. Planned ignoring needs to be consistent and done in a calm manner. It is important not to ignore the child, only the behaviour, and to attend to your child’s needs in a caring manner. Aggressive, harmful, or destructive behaviour should not be ignored, but addressed immediately.
Use time-out consistently, but only occasionally
Time-outs should usually only be used if the above techniques have not been successful. They can allow the child to ‘cool-down’, and allow time away from reinforcement of problem behaviour (such as making other children laugh).