Behavior Breakthrough: 12 Skills to Transform Behavior at Home and in the Classroom

In Behavior Breakthrough, a whimsical blend of storytelling and science combines to help parents and educators increase desired behaviors in the home and classroom.

There’s one thing most people have in common: they wish to live in an environment of joy and harmony. But sometimes, challenging behaviors can make it seem like their best efforts aren’t enough. That’s where tangible behavioral strategies come into play—practical tools and techniques that can transform chaos into order, frustration into cooperation, and resistance into engagement.

Welcome to Behavior Breakthrough—where happy endings are the result of utilizing reinforcement to its fullest and relying on evidence-based strategies that are proven to increase desired behaviors. In Behavior Breakthrough, readers will travel to the streets of Brightville, where Mrs. Emerson, the town behavioral specialist, sprinkles her data-driven magic into the lives of parents, educators, and children and transforms lives by increasing desired behaviors.

Introducing 12 behavioral skills for encouraging desired behavior and decreasing challenging behavior, this invaluable guide highlights success stories from Brightville, and individuals have the opportunity to put immediately into practice the strategies they learn. It may not be “magic” (it’s actually science), but the changes witnessed in homes and classrooms will feel nothing short of enchanted.

Geared toward parents and educators who want to use data-driven, evidence-based strategies to change their responses, alter their environments, and of course, positively affect the children in their care, it offers a holistic approach to behavior modification and focuses on long-term change over temporary fixes. The aim is to make Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) topics attainable and understandable for the caretaker or educator who wants to create a more peaceful environment.

Currently residing in Gallatin, Tennessee, Bailey Payne is a wife (to Aaron), a girl mama (to Renley and Pearson), and a full-time board-certified behavior analyst. Her passion is serving humans with quality and evidence-based interventions to maximize potential. She loves watching people smash goals!

Bailey was born and raised in rural Kansas—think dirt roads and no stoplights. She’s passionate about bringing research, services, and information to the underserved in rural areas. Since she was a little girl, she has connected with humans who display exceptionalities, including developing friendships with children who used wheelchairs for mobility, used sign language to communicate, and experienced other special traits. Her early love for those with unique traits seemed innate and natural, and thus, she devoted her life and career to serving people and their loved ones to promote independence and a higher quality of life. Bailey feels so lucky to do what she does because each and every family she serves fills her up and brings her so much joy!

Bailey has a master’s in Clinical Psychology from Pittsburg State University in Kansas. Her professional experience includes working as a psychologist at a state hospital, an autism specialist for the Kansas Autism Waiver, a project therapist with the University of Kansas Life Span Institute, a behavioral specialist with the May Institute of Autism, and a licensed behavior analyst serving the Bowling Green, Kentucky, community. 

Jen Lill Brown is honored to be coauthoring Behavior Breakthrough alongside Bailey Payne, a distinguished board-certified behavior analyst and an expert in the field. Initially joining as a ghostwriter, Bailey’s recognition of collaborative effort has brought Jen to the forefront. With a passion for bringing influential ideas to life through words, Jen has ghostwritten over fifty books, helping thought leaders and influencers share their knowledge and stories. She loves her job because it allows her to learn about diverse subjects and interact with professionals who are the best at what they do! 

Residing in Nashville, Tennessee, Jen is a dedicated homeschool mom to three wonderful boys (Porter, Wyatt, and Jesse) and a proud wife to Will. Balancing the roles of an author and educator at home, she thrives on the rich experiences that her professional and personal lives offer. On any given day, you can find Jen walking on her under-desk treadmill as she works amid the chaos of life with three boys and juggles unscheduled visits from the neighbors (her parents).