Hi –
There are 4 reasons why a behavior occurs:
1) attention seeking
2) avoiding/escaping
3) access to a tangible object
4) to fulfill a sensory need
That being said in order to eliminate an unwanted behavior there are several things you need to keep in mind. First, you MUST replace that behavior with another more appropriate behavior (otherwise you may get a worse behavior). Next think about the ABC’S
A (antecedent) – condition that occurs before the behavior which trigger the behavior (? Does the other child have a toy your child wants? Are they grabbing at a toy your child has? Are they bothering him in some way? Is he bored?
B (Behaviors) – observable actions that immediately follow antecedent (in this case “Biting”)
C (Consequence) – what happens after the behavior occurs as a result of ( or in response to) the behavior (natural consequences, staff/peer responses) *make sure the consequence matches the behavior – when he bites what happens? Is the other child removed (if he was bothered by the other child this would be a reward – does he get attention (negative attention can be just as good as positive attention)
S (setting events) – events that occur at a different point in time that may influence or set the stage for the likelihood of a behavior occurring or having an effect on how the person responds to the antecedent (sleep? Is he hungry? Sick? Headaches? constipated?, etc)
Ask the day care
1) what happens right before he bites
2) figure out why he is doing the behavior (this will change you response)
3) replace with appropriate response (e.g. is he is biting b/c he is mad – see if you can show him to say “no” or stomp his foot as opposed to biting. If he is biting to get attention then have the person remove him and say NOTHING to him (zero attention), if he is bored structure the day to provide choices that he can engage in to prevent his behavior.
4) Ask when does this behavior NOT occur (e.g. does he never bite in the AM? Does he never bite during group play? Arts and crafts? Etc.
Hope that helps
Good luck!