marks@yogi.DEC (10/07/85)
<We're having some problems getting our
<2 year old daughter to stop biting.
......
<Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Although I never had this particular problem with either of my kids,
some of my friends had exactly your problem when the kids were about
the same age. My suggestion is this: a great many behaviorists
stress that positive reinforcement works a great deal better in
changing an unacceptable behavior than does negative reinforcement.
In other words, figure out what your 2-year-old really likes (she
seems to enjoy going to Chuck E. Cheeses, e.g.) and let her know
that if she goes for a certain amount of time without biting anyone
she will be rewarded by being taken out or being given something
she likes.
Experiments were done using candy. I never wanted to give my kids
candy and you may agree with that. Sometimes pennies did the trick.
Generally, there is something that is not too expensive and unwieldy
that will thrill the small child. Remember that if you do this, you
must be extremely consistent about it. The reward is given only if
the child keeps her end of the bargain. Otherwise, no reward.
Ideally, after the child is rewarded enough, the unacceptable behavior
ceases and no reward is required.
Good luck. My friends who had this problem were extremely upset and
worried by it. Eventually I think it goes away by itself, but at the
risk of many bruises and angry feelings on the part of the recipients
of the bites.
R.M.charli@cylixd.UUCP (Charli Phillips) (10/09/85)
In article <726@decwrl.UUCP> marks@yogi.DEC writes: > > ><We're having some problems getting our ><2 year old daughter to stop biting. > ...... ><Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. > > >My suggestion is this: . . . . >figure out what your 2-year-old really likes (she >seems to enjoy going to Chuck E. Cheeses, e.g.) and let her know >that if she goes for a certain amount of time without biting anyone >she will be rewarded by being taken out or being given something >she likes. > >Experiments were done using candy. . . Sometimes pennies did the trick. >Generally, there is something that is not too expensive and unwieldy >that will thrill the small child. >R.M. Any kind of reinforcement, to work well, must be *immediate*. (Of course, what is immediate can vary with the age and maturity of the child.) A trip to Chuck E. Cheeses is probably not immediate enough for a 2-year old. Set *small* goals, and use candy, or grapes, or whatever as a reinforcer. And, as R.M. noted, *be consistent*, at least initially. After the behavior you want is established, random reinforcement (and substituting praise for the candy or fruit) will do more to keep the behavior than consistent reinforcement. As a second thought, if you tell her she can't bite, it might make it easier for her to stop biting if you tell her what to do instead. It might be impossible for her to do *nothing* when she's in a mood to bite, but you could, for example, set aside a "hitting pillow", and say if she wants to bite, she should hit that pillow instead. If she does, out comes the candy (or grapes or whatever) and lavish praise. Role modelling can also help. Tell her "Mommy doesn't bite. Daddy doesn't bite. Santa Clause (or Superman or whoever she admires) doesn't bite." Reinforce these ideas as much as you can. (But don't use the "biting back" technique if you're going to try this!) charli