Does your child eat the play doh? Do they throw the toys in the air? Do they tear the pages of the books?...we have all been there. All of these behaviors can be redirected by teaching functional ways to use all of these materials.
Many times the children emit these behaviors for not knowing other fun and appropriate ways to use certain materials. Many other times it also happens because once they emitted any of these "incorrect" behaviors, they generated a strong reaction in a significant adult (e.g., mom got very upset or scared) which prompts them to repeat the same action to get attention from the significant adult in the same way. Sometimes this happens because the children are looking for some type of sensory stimulation. All of these reasons can be effectively redirected by understanding the why of the behavior.
If the behavior occurs due to not knowing other fun and functional ways to use the materials, I advise you to sit down with your child to play meaningfully and show them various ways in which these materials can be used. Adapt the type of play skills to your child's level of functioning so that learning is more effective.
If the behavior is attention-seeking, offer other sources of positive attention throughout the day. Likewise, positively reinforce those behaviors that are correct, and when those "incorrect" occur, redirect them with a neutral tone of voice while modeling the positive behavior you expect from your child (e.g., turning the pages smoothly and carefully).
If the behavior occurs due to seeking sensory stimulation, try to identify what sensations your child is needing at that moment (e.g., eat play doh because they need oral stimulation, or throw toys because they seek auditory stimulation). Then, teach them other functional ways in which they can get the same stimulus (e.g., eating crunchy chips, listening to music, or beating a drum for a couple of minutes).
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