<p>A friend of mine wants a behavior chart for her child. I can’t remember the name/source of this wonderful one that we were given years ago.</p>
<p>the one we had came with a booklet detailing tips, advice, etc.</p>
<p>The gist of the behavior chart is this: (If I’m remembering correctly)</p>
<p>First the parents list 10 expectations…maybe: daily dishes, dressed and ready for school by 7:30, school night curfew, etc.</p>
<p>Then there are two rows of boxes…I think there were 10 boxes total. The first 3 boxes are “free boxes”…then the remaining ones each have a consequence going from mild to more severe…maybe “no TV for one night”…to…“extra chores (cleaning the garage)”</p>
<p>You start over with a new set of boxes every Monday.</p>
<p>So, if on Monday, the child forgets to do the dishes, and isn’t ready for school on time, two “free boxes” are crossed off. If by Wednesday, he’s gone thru 4 boxes, he’s now subject to the first box’s consequence. If by Saturday, he’s gone thru all the boxes, then he has to clean out the garage.</p>
<p>Each time a parent crosses off a box, it’s done calmly without yelling. If a parent or child is losing his temper, he/she should leave the room for 10 minutes to calm down. </p>
<p>Anyway…I’ve done some google searches and I can’t find the chart or booklet. Does any of this ring a bell to anyone?</p>
<p>I don’t know of the booklet, but am familiar with the system. I will try to summarize it:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Identify the target behaviors. The list should be manageable, and if you are dealing with a child with behavioral problems 10 is probably way too many. Sometimes, you may have to work on one behavior at a time. </p></li>
<li><p>The identified target behaviors are the only behaviors for which negative consequences are given. </p></li>
<li><p>The chart is set up as you described, with a few “free” boxes and then escalating consequences specific to the child. Each time the child engages in (or fails to engage in) one of the target behaviors, you mark off a box and that consequence goes into effect. </p></li>
<li><p>The system starts over at the end of a certain period. This could be a week if you are just using it as a “chore chart”, but if you are trying to change negative behavior then you will probably need to start with a shorter time period like a day. For children with significant behavioral issues, sometimes the slate needs to be wiped clean every hour. You never want to get to the point that you have gotten all the way through the chart and still have a lot of time left before you can start again! </p></li>
</ol>
<p>This can be modified to also help reinforce some positive behaviors. Again, identify the behaviors that you want to work with. When the child does as you want, you remove one strike from the negative column so the child can earn some privileges back. IMO this is not ideal as it teaches children to engage in positive behavior to atone for negative, rather than for its own purposes. I prefer a separate reward chart for desired positive behaviors. </p>