What Do You Do on a Day Off?

There is tremendous value in actually seeing what other people are doing. Sure, it is great to read the latest research and go to conference presentations. But there is no substitute for actually seeing what’s happening. You learn things from seeing a program or a procedure that you simply can’t pick up from reading or listening to presentations.

At the beginning of my professional life, I did whatever I could to go visit programs that were supposed to be of very high quality. That’s a lot of work to set up and arrange the visits. I cold-called the directors of the programs, and they were very accommodating. Some of them even spent hours with me showing me around and teaching me about their programs.

During my first year in a real / non-internship type job, I took at least four vacation days to visit programs that were supposed to be of the highest quality in my area. In later years, I continued this practice and had the opportunity to visit many, many different types of programs over the years, which was a fantastic learning experience. On a few occasions, I even took trips by plane to go visit programs. I met a lot of people this way and it was an excellent way to learn things that probably wouldn’t have been possible in any other way.

There was a lot less interest in behavior analysis back when I was starting my career. I expect if someone today attempted to replicate my procedures, program directors in 2021 are not likely to be so accommodating. This is even more true after COVID-19.

On the other hand, maybe it isn’t nearly as necessary as it was 25 years ago. Today we have something that we didn’t have 25 years ago–online video platforms. On various platforms, you can view videos of people working with children with autism. Like Eddie Murphy warned, you are likely to see some stuff that sucks, but you will see some great stuff too. Regardless of how you do it, find a way to go see what other people are doing. If you don’t, you won’t Poogi nearly as much as you could.

 

Behavior analytic services should only be delivered in the context of a professional relationship. Nothing written in this blog should be considered advice for any specific individual. The purpose of the blog is to share my experience, not to provide treatment. Please get advice from a professional before making changes to behavior analytic services being delivered. Nothing in this blog including comments or correspondence should be considered an agreement for Dr. Barry D. Morgenstern to provide services or establish a professional relationship outside of a formal agreement to do so. I attempt to write this blog in “plain English” and avoid technical jargon whenever possible. But all statements are meant to be consistent with behavior analytic literature, practice, and the professional code of ethics. If, for whatever reason, you think I’ve failed in the endeavor, let me know and I’ll consider your comments and make revisions, if appropriate. Feedback is always appreciated as I’m always trying to POOGI.

“Please Don’t Squeeze the Charmin™”

In the 1960s through the 1980s there was a series of commercials where Mr. Whipple would try to stop people in the grocery store from squeezing the Charmin™ bathroom tissue. Now, it was never terribly clear why people in the store weren’t allowed to squeeze the Charmin, but lots of people sure loved to squeeze it, and it was against the rules. Even Mr. Whipple liked to squeeze the Charmin himself. Rules are rules. But this rule was annoying to lots of people.

This happens all the time when we work with children with significant behavior problems. One of the most important things we can do is create a fun environment for them to learn new skills. Too often, adults mess this up with rules that are about as important as “Please don’t squeeze the Charmin.”

  • Don’t mix the play-doh colors
  • Please keep all the toys in the play area
  • Color in the lines
  • Don’t sit so close to the TV
  • No rice outside the box
  • Don’t hold the tablet so close to your face
  • That toy is too loud.

I understand this can be difficult. Letting kids play the way they want to play can make a huge mess. It can be annoying for the adults (Who would want to do an awful thing like mix play-doh colors?) I once worked in a rented space that had an office next door. The people in the office complained because this toy was playing so frequently throughout the day. The wrong thing to do would be to tell the child he can’t play with the toy. We moved the child to another space and had a child who was quieter in the room that overlapped with the office.

But focusing on the little stuff is a serious error at the start of treatment. It ruins rapport; it makes the environment much less fun, and it sets up a situation where kids don’t want to be cooperative. I find that we often underestimate the importance of this step. In many cases, it is the difference between success and failure. I’d say making up rules like “Don’t squeeze the Charmin” is one of the most common reasons for failure in public schools.

Of course, this doesn’t mean a free-for-all. You can take this advice too far. Setting reasonable limits is fine. Just don’t be a killer of fun like Mr. Whipple.

 

Behavior analytic services should only be delivered in the context of a professional relationship. Nothing written in this blog should be considered advice for any specific individual. The purpose of the blog is to share my experience, not to provide treatment. Please get advice from a professional before making changes to behavior analytic services being delivered. Nothing in this blog including comments or correspondence should be considered an agreement for Dr. Barry D. Morgenstern to provide services or establish a professional relationship outside of a formal agreement to do so. I attempt to write this blog in “plain English” and avoid technical jargon whenever possible. But all statements are meant to be consistent with behavior analytic literature, practice, and the professional code of ethics. If, for whatever reason, you think I’ve failed in the endeavor, let me know and I’ll consider your comments and make revisions, if appropriate. Feedback is always appreciated as I’m always trying to Poogi.

A Staff Performance Measure You Should Be Collecting

In this blog, I’ve frequently warned you about all the things that can go wrong when managers start measuring staff performance and explained what you shouldn’t do. That’s not great teaching. In behavior analysis, we know it is not sufficient to tell people what not to do. We need to tell people what to do instead. So, today, I’d like to focus on one positive suggestion of something I think that managers should measure. Although I think this measurement could apply to many jobs, it is especially relevant for RBTs (Registered Behavior Technicians) or other staff working with children with autism or other developmental disabilities.

Suggested Measurement: The frequency of suggestions for improvement in processes, or any series of steps needed to accomplish a result.

Why this is a strong measurement:

  1. Staff needs to clearly understand the current processes to make suggestions for improvement.
  2. Staff is more likely to follow the current processes if their attention is focused on the processes.
  3. Your staff is most likely to be able to recognize weak processes and suggest improvements.
  4. It highlights poorly managed systems where there aren’t sufficient processes in place.
  5. It is often reinforcing to staff to have their suggestions implemented.
  6. This is the main thing that programs need to be on a Poogi.

Of course, you must be careful and have a process in place so that you don’t implement bad suggestions that staff might make. That is a bit tricky, especially if they don’t think you know what you are doing. Staff still need to feel safe so they are not afraid to tell the truth. I’ve previously made suggestions on how to do that.

 

Behavior analytic services should only be delivered in the context of a professional relationship. Nothing written in this blog should be considered advice for any specific individual. The purpose of the blog is to share my experience, not to provide treatment. Please get advice from a professional before making changes to behavior analytic services being delivered. Nothing in this blog including comments or correspondence should be considered an agreement for Dr. Barry D. Morgenstern to provide services or establish a professional relationship outside of a formal agreement to do so. I attempt to write this blog in “plain English” and avoid technical jargon whenever possible. But all statements are meant to be consistent with behavior analytic literature, practice, and the professional code of ethics. If, for whatever reason, you think I’ve failed in the endeavor, let me know and I’ll consider your comments and make revisions, if appropriate. Feedback is always appreciated as I’m always trying to POOGI.