Using strategic attention for
Recognize the behavior:
Throws a ball at a child on the playground.
Identify what you want to see:
Playing nicely with other kids.
Use the Skill:
Don’t ignore physical aggression. But, try to ignore yelling, blaming, or whining. Praise when your child is calm and tells you what happened.
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Purpose:
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Strategic attention lets your child know what you like by giving those things lots of attention. You should praise your child and let them know when they are kind and treat people well. But, you should NOT ignore physical aggression. You should intervene immediately. You can ignore whining or arguing when you intervene. You can also ignore when your child tries to provoke you with words or annoying actions.
Remember that strategic attention is most helpful when you also use the other PC-CARE skills.
