Most children’s parents have some experience with behavioral techniques. The foundation of many common child-rearing techniques is behavior theory. The practices of rewarding desired conduct and punishing or ignoring negative behavior—such as offering stickers for great behavior, imposing timeouts as a consequence for bad behavior, and ignoring a tantrum you think is a scream for attention—all stem from the idea that you can shape behavior.

Behavioral therapy typically entail closely monitoring present behaviors and then focusing on particular ones to modify. In addition to continuously gathering data on success and failure, therapists use a variety of approaches to improve good behavior and decrease bad conduct. In this manner, it is evident if the youngster is improving. The therapists can modify their strategy if not.