Parents Are People Too: Implementing Empirically Based Strategies During Daily Interactions
Hand parents two tiny tactics—enrich the space and praise the opposite—and they can keep ABA alive during any telehealth gap.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Bacotti et al. wrote a how-to paper for BCBAs. They tell us to teach parents two tricks when COVID-19 shuts the clinic door.
The tricks are: (1) add fun stuff to the room so problem behavior is less likely, and (2) reward any good behavior that could replace the problem. No extra time needed.
What they found
This is a position paper, not an experiment. The authors give step-by-step scripts you can read to parents over Zoom.
They say these two tactics work in grocery lines, bath time, or while loading the dishwasher.
How this fits with other research
Aiello et al. (2022) tested parent coaching on Zoom and saw higher keep-come rates when they used short video clips. Bacotti gives you the exact words to say during those clips.
Patton et al. (2020) found Mexican-heritage families only “do therapy” 26 % of the day. Bacotti answers: fill the other 74 % with quick enrich-and-reinforce moves.
Klusek et al. (2022) showed toddlers gained language when parents learned the Social ABCs program. Bacotti’s micro-skills can ride on top of any parent program you already run.
Why it matters
You can email parents a one-page cheat sheet today. Tell them: “Put two new toys on the table and praise sharing.” That single sentence turns breakfast into an ABA session without adding minutes to their day.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Pick one family, text them: “Add a new toy at dinner tonight and praise any words instead of screams.”
02At a glance
03Original abstract
The outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic have resulted in decision-making related to in-person versus remote behavior-analytic service delivery. For those service providers who shifted from delivering in-person therapy to remote consultation, parents have presumably, at least at times, assumed a role similar to a registered behavior technician (RBT). We suggest that behavior analysts recommend two empirically based strategies to parents that they could incorporate into their daily lives during service disruptions: environmental enrichment and differential reinforcement of alternative behavior. We provide examples of naturally occurring contexts during which parents could integrate these procedures: (1) self-care or daily living activities, (2) physical activity, and (3) preferred learning activities. We support selecting these strategies and their application during exemplar contexts under the premise that they do not result in additional time expenditure, afford parents opportunities to complete essential (household, work-related, or personal) tasks, and still result in therapeutic gains.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2022 · doi:10.1007/s40617-022-00686-9