Where my heart lies and why its gets in the way

I am an ABA therapist. I love and serve those in need of a little extra support.  I am the person who helps those that others think are lost.  I have a heart with an unmeasurable size and I use it everyday. 

My principle of thought derives from the study of ABA, or Applied Behavior Analysis.  In a nutshell I believe that behavior is solely driven by what motivates an individual.  I believe behavior is in direct association with a consequence, or operant conditioning if you have ever taken a psychology class. I use positive reinforcement to obtain desired behaviors.  It’s hard for people to grasp what that actually means.  A quick response I always say is this, "I choose to teach an individual what they CAN do versus telling them what they should not do."  Think of it this way; if the organism has only learned a certain behavior and you want to change that behavior. Do you think telling them no, or to stop is effective if they are unaware of what else to do?  If you however teach the organism an alternative eventually that response is automatic and the undesired behavior will decrease.  Using the word, no or anything similar only gets you so far.  More times than not when the organism is faced with the decision in a similar situation down the line they will revert to their learned response.  The word no, or anything similar does not teach anything other than at that exact moment in time the response is unwanted. 

This is not rocket science.  It is, to me, simple logic. And quite frankly this logic is extremely effective and successful.  I have seen ABA do wonderful things. It however, is hard work.  It takes consistency and patience.  It is not meant to create fast results it is meant to create lasting ones.
 
A downfall to my passion in this profession: thinking that I can and should fix everything. Sometimes I need to just say to myself undesired things will happen and it is not your place to try to fix it.

I am an ABA therapist. I love and serve those in need of a little extra support.  I am the person who helps those that others think are lost.  I have a heart with an unmeasurable size and I use it everyday.