Empowering At-Risk Youth Through Skillbuilding and Discipline at YouthBASE
YouthBASE, a nonprofit founded in 2006 and based in Greenville, provides essential support to at-risk children facing behavioral or academic challenges. Our core services include intensive after-school, evening, and summer programs that focus on skillbuilding and discipline. We emphasize teaching appropriate behaviors before consequences and fostering positive outcomes through developmentally appropriate methods. Our expertise in brain development informs our approach, focusing on ethical, child-centered, and solution-oriented discipline to promote lasting change in youth behavior.
Empowering At-Risk Youth Through Skillbuilding and Discipline at YouthBASE
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Presentation Transcript
YouthBASE • Nonprofit • Founded in 2006 • Based in Greenville • 3 Core Services • Our Program: Intensive after-school, evening, & summer support for at-risk children with behavioral or academic difficulty • Training • Consultation
“Surrogate Frontal Lobes” • Brain development • 25 years • Last to develop? • Frontal Lobe • Planning behavior, concentration, self-control, delay of reinforcement, calming down: • BEHAVIOR
Initiate with Instruction • When kids can’t read, we teach. • When kids can’t swim, we teach. • When kids can’t behave, we ______. • Teach before consequences • Pool example • Why do kids need to be taught?
Values & Beliefs • Behavior is learned – not inherent. • Behavior can be taught. • Behavior can be changed. • Behavior is purposeful & valid. • Children want to do the right thing. • Discipline should be solution-oriented. • Discipline should be ethical & child-centered. • Values & Beliefs
Theory • What is a “skillbuilding approach?” • Teaches kids more acceptable ways of getting what they want and need. • Focused on building positive behavior in the future, not on justice with the past. • Developmentally appropriate. • Focused on supporting children, not on “containment” • Be “Captain Obvious.” • Not only the what of social skills, but the where, who, when, & why. • Theory & Research
Theory • “Competitors” of the Skillbuilding Approach: • Punishment – reduced longevity, side effects (aggression, negative climate, mood). • Reinforcement – can’t reward a non-swimmer to swimmer. • Lack of skillbuilding – “spinning your wheels” – never giving kids the tools. • Theory & Research
Theory & Research • Social Skills Training Research • Behavioral Learning Theory • Behavior can and should be taught. • There are effective & ineffective ways to learn behavior. • Social Learning Theory • Collaborative for Academic, Social, & Emotional Learning (2007) • SAFE (Structured, Active, Focus, Explicit) • Theory & Research
Behavior Techniques & Staff Interactions • Ways that staff day-to-day interactions can help children build skills. • General Tips • Work within “Sphere of Influence” • Don’t take behavior personally • Language • Talk explicitly – describe the obvious • Talk simply & clearly • Positive or neutral – avoid the negative • Behavior Techniques/Staff Interactions
Behavior Techniques to build skills: • Tie praise to specific skills. • Make feedback/corrections productive. • Cues & routines – learning aides • Countdowns & warnings • “Hurdle hop” • Only ask kids to do things they know how to do • Assume skill deficit over performance deficit • Public charting of group use of skills • Behavior Techniques/Staff Interactions
Be the “Surrogate Frontal Lobe” • Brief reminders of skill instructions • Cue “Stop & Think” • Cue specific skills • Positive practice then praise • Overcorrection • “Pre-Praise” • Impromptu group meetings • Behavior Techniques/Staff Interactions
Comments or Questions? We welcome comments and questions, and are available for further assistance: Bobby Caples YouthBASE www.youth-base.org bcaples@youth-base.org (864) 590-9425
