Behavior Goal Setting

It’s essential for all adults who work with a difficult child to consult and plan together for best results.

1- Hold a mutual goal setting meeting to determine the type of goal setting strategy and what targets will be your first priority. ( Gene has several ideas in his new book Discipline Strategies and Solutions)

Kite Goal Setting- Bag of Choices- Paper Chain Goals- Primary Goal Setting

2- Limit your goals to no more than 2 behavior goals per agreement. (Follow direction the 1st time given, work quietly during independent work period.)

3- If you are working as a team agree on a basic approach. (How you present yourself and your messages.) Remember, language is the mediator of behavior.

4- Invite the child to verbalize the agreement you make. (Verbalization leads to conceptualization.)

5- Calculate the number of positive-appropriate behaviors the child demonstrates on a needed basis. (The younger the child the more frequent the monitoring.)

6- Keep conferences with the child to a minimum and hold brief observations to validate responsibility. (Keep statements specific and brief so that you don’t risk over-talking your message and weakening your effectiveness.)

– Gene Bedley