|
| Contracting With Kids: A Positive Way to Teach New Skills and Improve Family Dynamics |
| Tuesday, November 11, 2025 |
| 11:00 AM–2:00 PM |
| Altis Grand Hotel; Level 1; Roma II |
| Area: AUT/CBM; Domain: Service Delivery |
| CE Instructor: William L. Heward, Ed.D. |
| JILL C. DARDIG (Ohio Dominican University), WILLIAM L. HEWARD (Ohio State University) |
| Description: First developed in the 1970s, contingency contracting is a behavior change strategy that identifies a task to be completed and a reward to follow successful accomplishment of the task. Peer-reviewed research has demonstrated the effectiveness of contracting to improve behavior and teach new skills to children with autism and neurotypical children in school, home, and community settings. For example, Alwahbi and Hua (2021) used contracting to promote social interactions among students with ASD and their peers. In their meta-analysis of contracting research, Bowman-Perrott et al. (2015) concluded that “behavior contracts are beneficial for students regardless of grade level, gender, or disability status” (p. 247). Examples of contracts used by families to help children with and without disabilities fulfill household responsibilities, learn new skills, get ready for school in the morning, and make friends at school will be presented during the workshop. Participants will develop contracts and receive materials (in English and 15 other languages) for developing and implementing contracts that have been field-tested by more than 300 families. |
| Learning Objectives: 1. State the purpose and give an example of each part of a behavior contract: Task, Reward, Task Record, Official Seal, and Signatures. | 2. Describe a collaborative list-making procedure that parents (teachers, behavior analysts) and their children (students, clients) can use to identify tasks and select rewards for contracts. | 3. Identify three common reasons behavior contracts fail and describe a behavior analytic-based remedy for each reason. |
| Activities: Workshop objectives will be met through storytelling, lecture, demonstration, and guided practice. |
| Audience: Behavior analysts, psychologists, and counselors who work with children and clients from age 4 years to adulthood in home, clinic, and school settings; general and special education teachers. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Basic |
| Keyword(s): child behavior, family dynamics, home-school collaboration, parenting |
|
|