Episode 25: The Urge to Punish
In this week’s episode, Drs. Berney and Richard review a common question asked by parents of young children, “What is the right punishment for my child?”
To deal with this issue, Drs. Berney and Richard talk about the difference between “can’t do” and “won’t do” situations. When the problem is a “can’t do” issue, we need to deal with it as a teaching opportunity and consider three things:
1. Your Understanding vs. Their Understanding
2. Their Ability vs. Their Availability
3. Your Timeline vs. Their Timeline
If it is a “won’t do” issue, then we need to deal with consequences and consider:
1. Naturally Occurring Consequences
2. Immediacy of the Consequences
3. Avoiding Socially/Physically/Emotionally Aversive Consequences
Finally, they discuss the importance of dealing with antecedents, as opposed to waiting on the need for consequences.
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