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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1987-09-23, Page 19&ommunit *Entertainment • Feature •Religion ®Family •More SECTION GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23, 1987 U. Behaviour is learned, Penn says at recent modification workshop BY LOU -ANN DE BRUYN Learning to understand children's behaviour, how to change undesirable behaviour, and encouraging desirable behaviour was the focus of a two-day seminar presented by John Penn, ex- ecutive director, at Family and Children's Services - Huron County. The seminar, held for local and area foster parents, volunteers, FCS staff members, nursery school teachers, Com- munity Psychiatric Service members as well as group home workers, discussed behaviour modification. Behaviour modification, also known as the learning theory, is an approach which, when used correctly, can help change a child's undesirable behaviour to that of desirable behaviour. "Most behaviour people see is learned and it is learned as a result of day-to-day living experiences," Penn said. He explained that children, as well as adults, learn by experience and learn by doing. "Learning takes place between in- dividuals without persons being aware that this is occurring," he said. As an ex- ample of learned behaviour, a tantruming child receives a cookie from mother.. The child learns how to get a cookie and the mother learns how to keep the child quiet. There are a group of rules by which behaviour is, or can be, learned. Behaviour modification' is not just for emotionally disturbed children. It can be used to change undesirable behaviour in any child. `Behaviour problems are the result of pooriearning. The goal with childrerrwho are having problems is , really one of instruction. "You're not changing the child's behaviour. You're changing your behaviour which in turn changes a child's behaviour," Penn explained. REWARDS AND REINFORCEMENTS The first rule for behaviour is that of rewarding, or reinforcing, desirable behaviour. "If behaviour is rewarded, it will occur more often. It seems obvious and not pro- found however, it is the way kids and adults learn. They behave in the way they think is the most rewarding to them," Penn explained. Rewards, or reinforcers, strengthen behaviour. By reinforcing the behaviours wanted in children, those behaviours will begin to occur more often. There are three types"of reinforcers. They are: social reinforcers (attention and praise); token reinforcers (rewards, given to child for completing certain behaviour, which can include money, poker chips, points and gold stars) ; and, activity reinforcers (things children enjoy doing if they have the opportunity ). "What is reinforcing to one kid is not necessarily rewarding to another," Penn noted, "adding, "You have to tailor the rewards to the child you are dealing with. Watch children in their free time to see what they like to do." Penn also noted that it is important when reinforcing a behaviour that the reinforcer come.immediately following the behaviour which is to be strengthened. This acts as a link between the behaviour and the conse- quence. As the behaviour improves, the reward is given less often making the child do- the- desirable--beh-avieur more --often- while hoping for the reward. Turn to page 2A' �v Y NSI �i���QJ11� 1 1,m —J hen Pemr,•exeentive director of Farily-and Child-r-enCs Services Huron County, presented a two-day seminar on Behaviour Modification for local and area foster parents, social workers, nursery school teachers, and group home workers. He noted that all behaviour is learned and that changing undesirable behaviour is possible. (photo by Lou -Ann DeBruyn) Participants in the Men's Light division at the Goderich Fun Cup Windsurfingrace at Point Farms Provincial Park, Saturday, rush into the water in a bluster of sails as they get off to a beach start in the first event of the day. A total of 53 boardsailors, from Goderich and across Ontario, participated in the fourth annual event, hosted by Goderich Windsurfing and the Bluewater Board Sailing Club. Shirley Fowley, of Waterloo and Andy Findling, of Cambridge (below) were among the participants. Sailin' on a summer. breeze Despite light winds and heavy rains, the fourth annual Goderich Fun Cup win- durfing race was held on the weekend at Point Farms Provincial Park, near Goderich. The race, featuring both professional and amateur boardsailors from across Ontario, was hosted by Goderich Wind- surfing and Bluewater Boardsailing Club. There were a total of 53 participants in the various clases and awards were presented Sunday, at the completion of racing. Winners, in order of finish were: Masters — Hardy Kayser, Waterloo' Peter Schwinllich, Cambridge; Paul Davock, Kitchener. Men's Light - Barney Huycke, Coll- ingwood; Greg Fenton, Oakville; Richard Robarts, Windsor. Women's — Linda Gosler, Bramalea; Denise Wood, Guelph, Carol MacEwan, Goderich. Youth — Ian Brown, Kitchener; Tyler Griffin, Maryhill; Garrick Tiplady, Waterloo. Men's Heavy — Peter Fodor:Toronto; Barron Mertens, Cambridge; Pat Gillies, Cambridge. • Seven minutes Monday - morning If newspapers are to be believed, more singles are settling into common-law liv- ing, more divorced people are 'getting married again, Sylvester Stallone has a new girlfriend named Vanna and Mindy stiffed Mork to marry Mark Harmon. Me, I live with a buck -toothed cat nam- ed Malcolm who thinks the sound of the electric can opener is the source of life and the universe itself. Malcolm drools like a fawcet with a worn gasket, he trips over the front step and bangs his head on, the door, he's lost most of his lower teeth from coming down trees frontwards and he's a prime candidate for regular and repeated rins- ings with Lavoris. On top of. that he has fleas and he snores. And I love him. Is that sick? I'm temp- ted to write a deep, psychological, trendy little book entitled: "Pets Who .Disgust People And The People Who Have Them." As all who co -habit, we have fallen into some daily routines that have so far serv- ed us both quite well. Malcolm bolts out of bed at precisely 7 a.m. and I beg, threaten and make wild promises of trips to the Toronto Zoo if he'll come back to bed because I'm too tired to get up and feed him. Malcolm is not as they say, light on his feet and when he begins doing laps , around the house it sounds like two dwarfs doing wind sprints in my living room. Malcolm's laps act as a laxative and by the old clock radio in the headboard I know I have until 7:04 to get him'fed and' +, oufthe door before he wreaks havoc h the litter box. The litter box is little more than an above -ground, open-air waste dump. Ii` you've ever looked into the eyes of a cat using a litter box (something I urge all of you to do once) you will know the mean- ing of domesticated humiliation. The hurt . of a million years of forcing a species of wild animals to live indoors, wear bells around their necks and pre tend to enjoy chasing plastic wind-up i. toys burns from the eyes of a cat hunched in a litter box. I have never been fond of the litter box but Malcolm is clearly em- barrassed by it. Toilet training has always been a real problem for Malcolm. As a kitten he adapted quickly to paper training but it took me three months to convince him that wallpaper didn't count. I also hate td clean the litter box out. I'd much rather he do his business in the neighbour's flower garden. There are four foot peonies growing in that garden and they attribute it to the rich black loam of Wainfleet. So I'm up to 7:03, one hand on the lever of the can opener, the other on a rotating can of Mixed Grill Surprise. If there was any truth in advertising, cat food manufacturers would by law have to name their products Rotting Ro- dent or Fetid Fish. I'm certain of one thing, the guys who think up names like Seafood Surprise and Beef Ragout are not the guys on the processing line who have to smell it. . At 7:04 the kettle starts to whistle, Cof- fee? I should be so lucky. Malcolm has sensitive gurns, an absence of strategic teeth and only half a tongue, the result of a territorial dispute with a possum under • the house last winter. That's right, I warm up his breakfast for him. Is this pushing the envelope of the ec- centric and certifiably wacked of what? I mean, even Roy Rogers who loved Trig- ger so much he had the damn horse stuff- ed when he died, didn't warm up his bag of oats for him! 7:05 sees me stirring warm water into a bowl of revolting, red mush and wishing I was driving a cab in Newark, New Jersey. 7:05 is the critical moment of my morn- ing. The familiar noises of the can opener and the kettle excite Malcolm to a frenzy. He's circling the kitchen in ever decreas- ing concentric circles and he's scream- ing loud enough to initiate a Human Rights investigation. My hands are pouring and stirring with the dexterity of a short order cook in a crowded diner and my feet are moving faster than an Argentine soccer star try- ing to keep Malcolm from getting into the back hall where the litter box sits, so far unscathed. Because, as happy as Malcolm is, he's got to go real bad by now. I have gone in less than five minutes from a prone, peaceful position to a heart rate of 140. Some guys jog in the morn- ing, I feed my cat. Risking loss of fingers, I lunge for his dining mat and place the bowl down quickly, jumping back to avoid being splashed as Malcolm does a near -perfect jackknife into the dish. It's over in 30 seconds. Malcolm doesn't eat his food as much as he snorts, chortles, scarfs, gargles and ingests it upright. On a good day some of the food actually finds its way into his mouth. Malcolm comes away from the bowl looking life he survived a slapstick routine on the PET Cable Network where a dog hit him in the face with a gravy pie. At 7:06 he's out the door. The litter box has been spared yet again. Turn to page 2A