How Teachers and Parents Use the MotivAider
Teachers and therapists use the MotivAider themselves to stay tuned-in to a particular teaching or therapeutic objective or method.
- See a detailed review of the MotivAider by Jenn Choi of Toys Are Tools.
- Read an article about using the MotivAider to help parents give positive reinforcement
- Watch a video review by Erin Koerselman, coach of parents of children with ADHD.
Examples of MotivAider Use By Teachers
- A teacher uses the MotivAider to consistently behave in accord with his faith in the power of praise. Without the MotivAider reminding him every few minutes that "Praise is best," frustration had caused his behavior to stray far from his belief.
- See how the MotivAider was used to increase teacher praise rates and thereby improve the on-task classroom behavior of children with Autism.
- A teacher uses the MotivAider to prompt herself to look for opportunities to engage a quiet boy who she had previously lost in the shuffle of a busy classroom.
- A teacher uses the MotivAider to remind herself to stay "Cool, calm and collected" while working with a very taxing student.
- Many teachers use the MotivAider to prompt themselves to monitor or observe a particular aspect of a child's behavior.
- For more examples, see Trina Spencer's research.
- See research showing the effectiveness of MotivAider-prompted Fixed-Time Teacher Attention to Decrease Off-Task Behaviors of Typically Developing Third Graders
"I have been working with children with autism using an applied behavior analysis approach for a few years now. I use the MotivAider whenever I want to implement behavioral procedures based on fixed or variable time intervals, such as differential reinforcement of other behavior or non-contingent reinforcement. I prefer the MotivAider to the classical timer because it is easy to carry around (I just attach it to my pants so that I can have it around whenever and wherever), the time intervals reset automatically after each vibration, I can set up both fixed and variable time intervals, and most importantly - the children cannot hear it."
— Mirela Cengher, Behavioral Consultant, Attentive Behavioral Care
Examples of MotivAider Use by Parents
Parents are often thrown off course by the powerful emotions and reflexive responses that are triggered by their child's behavior.
- A parent who often found herself involved in fruitless arguments with her first grade daughter, uses
the MotivAider to remind herself of a phrase (
tweetle beetle battles
) from a Dr. Seuss book that prompts her to let the little things go by and to concentrate instead on the big picture. - A parent who had routinely become immediately impatient with his inattentive son, uses the MotivAider to remind himself that he gets better results when he is patient.
- A parent uses the MotivAider to remind herself to make a point of catching
her son
doing something right
and to praise him lavishly for it. - A parent uses the MotivAider to remind himself to actively listen to his daughter so she no longer has to misbehave to get his attention.
- For another example, see Trina Spencer's case study.
See how the MotivAider was used to help two children with Autism reduce tantruming. This excerpt from the textbook Single Subject Research: Applications in Educational and Clinical Settings by Stephen Richards, Ronald Taylor and Rangasamy Ramasamy begins at the top of page 157. Read now
Excerpt from homeschooling blogger Heidi Pair's article on time management
"My younger child is a drifter and I would often find him staring out a window or into space, completely unaware. I sometimes sit next to him, doing another activity, and tap the table when I find him drifting. I found a unique tool called the MotivAider. This pager-like device can be set to vibrate at a set increment, reminding the user of a behavior they are trying to change. I originally thought it would become my automatic 'table tapper'. My son, however, decided he was going to use it to work on his tendency to get frustrated too quickly. In reality, this issue was actually contributing more to his time management issues than drifting off. Once frustrated, his ability to problem solve and stay on task was all but diminished. I noticed a great improvement and a much more positive attitude when he used the MotivAider to remind himself to stay calm and focused."Simultaneous Use of the MotivAider By Helper and Child
Excellent results have been achieved by having a child and helper use MotivAiders that have been synchronized to vibrate on the same schedule. For example, while one MotivAider vibrated every five minutes to remind a thumb-sucking kindergarten girl to keep her thumb out of her mouth, another MotivAider vibrated at precisely the same times to remind the girl's teacher to notice and reward the child's efforts with a warm smile.
Helpers who have experimented with the synchronized MotivAider technique report that something nearly magical happens when helper and child repeatedly focus their attention on the same behavioral change at the same time.
The Gen5 MotivAider® is the ultimate tool for people of all ages who are truly serious about changing behavior, thinking and habits. At $64.50 (less with our generous quantity discounts), it comes with a 30-day satisfaction guarantee, a 3-year warranty and free expert support to help you get great results.
"My son Michael is in the fourth grade. He's always had a problem with distractibiity, so we decided to try the MotivAider. We saw a distinct improvement after several weeks. He showed an abrupt and dramatic improvement in his grades traceable to the time he began wearing the MotivAider. His teacher was quite impressed!"
"The MotivAider is the most innovative and functional tool I've ever seen... I use it to collect observation data, to train teachers to manage a classroom, and to prompt parents to attend to their children before they become disruptive. Our students use it for self-monitoring programs, too... No matter what the problem, the MotivAider solves it! Nothing else is as reliable! Nothing else is easier!"
— Trina Spencer,Ph.D., BCBA-D, Research Director, Institute for Human Development, Northern Arizona University
is the registered trademark of Behavioral Dynamics, Inc., the originator of the MotivAider.