Balanced Behavior Tips

12/30/2025

Family Bowling and holding my baby boy!

12/17/2025

11/25/2025

When a government labels special educators as ‘non-professionals,’ it tells the world that expertise, training, and the lives of students with disabilities don’t matter. We know better. We are professionals — and our students deserve nothing less.

11/22/2025

Yes!

An FBA isn’t the starting point—environment readiness is.

This reminder matters for every school-based BCBA, teacher, and administrator trying to change behavior sustainably. If the daily habits, interactions, and systems aren’t in place, even the most accurate function-based plan will fall flat.

When we build strong environments first, strategies become doable, consistent, and effective.

Let’s shift the focus from documents to foundations—because that’s where real change begins.

www.baileypayne.com

11/05/2025

Check my Stan.store/balancedbehaviortips for bedtimes made easier

1. Identify anxiety signs
• The child worries about being alone, dark, monsters, noises.
• They ask repeated reassurance questions.
• They have trouble settling even when routines are consistent.
2. Shift the goal
• The short-term goal isn’t “stay in bed all night.”
• It’s “feel safe enough to start falling asleep without a parent.”
• Once safety is established, increase independence gradually.
3. Use structured comfort
• Create a calm, predictable routine (same order nightly).
• Include short comfort rituals: guided breathing, reading, or soft music.
• Avoid long conversations about fears at bedtime; schedule “worry time” earlier in the day.
4. Teach coping skills
• Use visual aids like a “calm plan” posted near the bed.
• Teach deep breathing, counting, or squeezing a comfort item.
• Reinforce using coping skills, not leaving the room.
5. Fade parental presence slowly
• If the parent stays until sleep, move to a chair, then the doorway over several nights.
• Pair fading with verbal reassurance and a morning reward for staying in bed.
6. Reinforce calm bravery
• Praise when the child stays in bed even for short periods.
• Use a small morning reward system or token for using coping tools independently.
7. Never punish anxiety
• Yelling or removing privileges increases stress.
• Neutral tone, consistent response, calm redirection back to bed are key.

10/19/2025

Follow me for more tips and strategies.
I’m Robyn Powley, behavior analyst, 30 + year educator (oh my!) and mom of 3.
If you are looking for help in your home go to: www.robynpowleyconsulting.com
Big reactions aren’t your child testing you — they’re a way of getting a result that has worked in the past. 💛

When a child has a tantrum, it often happens because in the past, this behavior got attention, a toy, or a preferred activity. That’s why it keeps showing up — the behavior worked.

But attention during a meltdown actually teaches them that the tantrum is the way to get what they want. The key is to change the result without turning your back on them.

Here’s what to do instead:
• Stay calm and present. Your calm shows safety and helps them regulate.
• Avoid long arguments or giving in. That’s still giving attention to the behavior.
• Acknowledge the feeling: “I can see you’re frustrated.” (Short, simple.)
• Wait for the calmer moment to respond to requests or praise them for using words, asking for help, or another appropriate behavior.
• Teach the alternative behavior so they have a better way to get what they want next time.

What you can say:
“I know you are ready when you are sitting quietly and you have a quiet voice.”
This approach is not ignoring your child — it’s guiding them to learn that big emotions are okay, but tantrums aren’t the way to get results. 🌿

10/19/2025

Absolutely — we can make it behaviorally precise without using ABA jargon like “extinction” or “reinforcement.” The goal is to explain why a tantrum keeps happening and what parents should do in plain, parent-friendly language. Here’s a revised caption:

⸻

Follow me for more tips and strategies.
I’m Robyn Powley, behavior analyst, 30 + year educator (oh my!) and mom of 3.
If you are looking for help in your home go to: www.robynpowleyconsulting.com
Big reactions aren’t your child testing you — they’re a way of getting a result that has worked in the past. 💛

When a child has a tantrum, it often happens because in the past, this behavior got attention, a toy, or a preferred activity. That’s why it keeps showing up — the behavior worked.

But attention during a meltdown actually teaches them that the tantrum is the way to get what they want. The key is to change the result without turning your back on them.

Here’s what to do instead:
• Stay calm and present. Your calm shows safety and helps them regulate.
• Avoid long arguments or giving in. That’s still giving attention to the behavior.
• Acknowledge the feeling: “I can see you’re frustrated.” (Short, simple.)
• Wait for the calmer moment to respond to requests or praise them for using words, asking for help, or another appropriate behavior.
• Teach the alternative behavior so they have a better way to get what they want next time.

What you can say:
“I know you are ready when you are sitting quietly and you have a quiet voice.”
This approach is not ignoring your child — it’s guiding them to learn that big emotions are okay, but tantrums aren’t the way to get results. 🌿

10/19/2025

10/16/2025

Tired of behavior strategies that stop working after one day?
Your students aren’t being defiant—they’ve learned what works for them.
Want to break the cycle? Start by tracking what happens before and after the behavior.

Check out my Stan.store/balancedbehaviortips for more free resources

💥 Comment “ABC” for a free tracker