Re: Child not watching traffic when crossing road
Dank 110100100
> A child does not watch traffic on either or both sides of the road
> when he (she) crosses a road. What's the best way to educate him? It
> doesn't seem to work to simply keep telling him he must do so. When a
> child is of about high school age, he automatically acquires the
> "skill" or habit and no education is needed. How can we effectively
> bring that habit to him earlier? What's exactly in his brain when he's
> young that prevents him from having the habit?
There are several treatments for this disorder, including a variety of
medications, as well as behavioral therapies.
If the child unit's failure to look both ways before crossing the road
appears unintentional, then it may have attention deficit issues,
which may be treatable with prescription medications such as Ritalin,
Adderall, and Paxil. Stronger medications such as haldol and
risperidone may be added for more thorough control of the child unit.
If the failure seems like deliberate disobedience, then behavioral
therapy may be in order. I am particularly fond of negative-
reinforcement therapies such as shock collars, because they give the
guardian unit the ability to instantly induce an aversion stimulus in
the child unit when it disobeys. Once control is established, the
collar may be removed and positive-reinforcement techniques can be
used to maintain the desired behavior, such as giving the child unit a
dose of caffeine when his conformity pleases you.
There is also a new product on the market designed to protect child
units that cannot be trained properly: a large hollow plastic ball
that encases the child unit and allows it to roam freely around the
house while protecting it from accidentally being stepped on. This
product is not designed for outdoor use, though. Another manufacturer
sells an ingenious tethering device which attaches a chain between the
child unit and a fixed object such as a stake in the ground, allowing
it to roam freely within a fixed distance of your choosing.