A behavior contract is an agreement set between individuals to promote specific desired behavior. For the family, their wish is for the children to develop better practices at home for a Contingency Behavior Contract.

First Step

As a consultant, with the aim of evolving disruptive behavior, I would advise the family to have a meeting where they would define the behaviors in depth. This is to ensure that the children understand the bad and good behaviors and what is expected of them. Also, the parents should explain to their children the meaning of the behavior contract to ascertain their comprehension of their responsibilities and requirements.

Second Step

The second step would be to communicate the consequences of both negative and positive behavior at home, for instance, if the children are having trouble with their sleep patterns for overplaying video games. The parents can propose that each time they sleep early, the next morning they would be given extra fruits to school. If the trend continues consistently, they will go to the movies as a family at the end of the week. However, each time they sleep late, they would not be given the fruits, neither would they go to the movies that weekend. The consequences stipulated in the contract must be followed to the latter.

Contingency Behavior Contract Content

The Contingency Behavior Contract should also have what is expected for children and adults. For instance, the parents should provide the environment for the children to be sleeping earlier by maintaining a consistent dinner time where everyone should be present. The sleeping patterns should also be followed by everyone to ensure that the hindrance to adapting the new behavior is limited.

The last step is providing a plan for maintaining the desired conduct. This can be done by providing the parties involved with copies of the contract to ensure they are reminded of what is expected of them.