Parental roles in the home are many and one essen-tial role performed by parents is behaviour change. As
Genetic and environmental factors affect behaviour, parents need to be aware of areas in which they can
enrich the home environment. There are many psychological methods to deal with maladaptive behaviours,
in general, the behavioural model is an approach parents can easily utilize at home to deal with
inappropriate behaviour. The behavioural model may involve the respondent (classical) approach or the
operant approach. Research has supported the use and application of Behavioural model in behaviour
change in the home.
At home, the classical conditioning techniques that could be utilized include the use of noxious
stimulation, relaxation and desensitization and implosive therapy. Parents, before utilizing operant
conditioning tech niques need to be aware of the different reinforcers that could be used at home and
knowledge of different s-:hedules of reinforcement would also be helpful. Parents and guardians have a
significant role to play in the development of appropriate behaviour in the home and the behavioural model
is one approach through which this could be achieved
