SSRC Parents Learn About Positive Behavior Support

Shanghai Sunshine Rehabilitation Center (SSRC) is the largest and most comprehensive nonprofit local rehabilitation center in East China. The center was unveiled in 2007 by Xi Jinping, former Secretary of the CPC Shanghai Municipal Committee and Hui Liangyu, the former Vice Premier. SSRC is located in Songjiang District and has over 300 beds. The center specializes in pediatric rehabilitation, neurological rehabilitation, orthopedic trauma, and sports rehabilitation. The site also contains the training center for the Shanghai Special Olympics.

In December 2015, the staff at Sunshine invited Jamie Fanelli, Lead Learning Support and Behavior Specialist, to return to the center and give a workshop on positive behavior support. Several families attended as well as the clinicians from the center’s pediatric therapy department. The first part of the workshop reviewed the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis and introduced some key concepts to understanding and addressing children’s behavior. Jamie then introduced evidence-based strategies for promoting positive behaviors and teaching new skills. The workshop was a success, as several of the parents who attended shared their child’s behavior problems and asked informative questions. The length of the workshop was extended and many families stayed after to further discuss strategies with Jamie. She noted that it was an especially rewarding experience as many of the parents who attended were brought up with more punitive forms of discipline and had never heard of positive reinforcement and how it could be applied in everyday life. A few of families commented on how eager they were to further research the topic.