From Helpless to Hero: Promoting Values-Based Behavior and Positive Family Interaction in the Midst of COVID-19
Rebrand everyday behavioral kernels as kids’ superpowers and schedule them daily to keep families sane during lockdowns.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Szabo et al. (2020) wrote a how-to paper for families stuck at home during COVID lockdowns.
They bundled tiny, proven ABA moves—like labeled praise and choice—into ‘superpower kernels.’
Parents could pick one kernel each morning and play it like a hero mission with their kids.
What they found
The paper is a recipe, not an experiment, so there are no new data.
The authors argue that daily superhero games can shield family morale the way a vaccine shields the body.
How this fits with other research
Normand et al. (2021) widen the lens: the same kernel idea can protect whole towns, not just living rooms.
van der Miesen et al. (2024) show the tactic works for early-intervention teachers—package, brand, and hand it over.
Napolitano et al. (2025) carry the baton further, pushing behavior analysts to write kernels into state policy.
Why it matters
You already know the moves; this paper gives you a kid-friendly wrapper. Try calling your next prompt a ‘power-up’ and let the child choose the mission. It costs nothing, keeps parents engaged, and fits any telehealth session.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Parents managing their home environments during government-ordered stay-at-home periods are likely to need new skills for occupying their children’s time with activities that promote health and emotional well-being. Moreover, parents and children know they need help managing these circumstances. Perhaps for the first time, behavior analysts hold the reinforcers for increasing parental involvement in effective child-rearing practices. In fact, behavior analysts can help parents enlist their children in managing the household by framing their behavior in terms of hidden superpowers. In the current article, we argue that behavior analysts have a range of tools to offer that are grounded in evidence-based principles, strategies, and kernels—or essential units of behavioral influence. When combined into scheduled daily practices and invoked by children taught to see their use of the tools as nothing short of heroic, these practices function as “vaccinations” that inoculate families against toxic and unsafe behaviors.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2020 · doi:10.1007/s40617-020-00431-0