How do we change our children's behavior?

Author's name: Dalia El-Shamy

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As a result of certain factors, a child's behavior may deviate from the desired behavior the family seeks to instill in their children. Unacceptable behavior remains, or behavior that should appear disappears. Here, the family embarks on another journey to try to correct this behavior and adjust it to the desired or acceptable behavior. This is precisely what is called "behavior modification." In this regard, the family follows several steps. It may rely on the experiences of others around it, such as the parents' family, friends, or acquaintances. Alternatively, the family relies on the concept of trial and error, adopting a behavior modification method with the child. If this method does not lead to the desired improvement, it resorts to another method and tries again. Some of these attempts, which may sometimes be miscalculated, have a negative impact on the child and their other behaviors. It is as if, instead of correcting and modifying one behavior, we are contributing to the emergence of another unacceptable behavior or negatively impacting the child's abilities and skills. This is because "behavior modification" is a science with rules and regulations that vary depending on the behavior to be modified, the age of the child whose behavior is to be modified, the family circumstances in which the child lives, and other institutions that work with the family to shape the child's behavior. Hence, our desire to create a comprehensive and easy-to-use book that will serve as a guide for families in simple language, helping them deal with their children's undesirable behaviors, reducing them, or describing them, if we want to be precise. We will follow an explanation as simplified as possible, in addition to providing illustrative examples and practical models that help achieve the goal in a manner that is consistent with the components of the environment in which the child lives, as well as the child's various capabilities.