BJ Fogg is a Stanford University professor who researches behavioral change. He has run tens of thousands of participants thought his TinyHabits.com program, which teaches and reinforces the adoption of small new habits. He has found that providing celebratory email for ever small victory and teaching teaching student to celebrate themselves results in increased longterm adaptation of the new behaviors. People who celebrate win!
It doesn’t matter what you are going to celebrate. The cleanliness of your child’s shirt, even if only in this moment. Her haircut. The color of his eyes, even if he don’t look at you. That smile. That she is not currently hitting her head against the wall. Practice experiencing appreciation for some aspect of your child right now! This might not be the thing that you celebrate later on and might not be the thing that you are trying to change but creating an environment of celebration, rather than judgement, will create dramatic changes in your own contentment and in your child’s behavior.
Like this snippet? Much more coming soon in the article Mortified By Autism.