It takes time to 'unlearn' patterns that don't work - the parent's behavior needs to change first, before the child's will. After completing the course, students can work as volunteer behavior specialists for the center. Some even garner paid positions. The center's influence has been steadily radiating outward into the community. Kotkin's behavior specialists have also worked in the Irvine, Santa Ana and Laguna Beach public schools with transitioning students, to help shape children's behavior in a public setting and support the teachers.
Teachers can witness the children's improvements firsthand.
Kotkin's wife, Loretta, also is involved in special education, working as a resource specialist for Orangewood Children's Home. The couple, who resides in Laguna Beach, spends some weekends kayaking miles up the coast. The UCI center is well known in professional circles. The National Institute of Mental Health included the program in a comprehensive study of ADD treatments. News crews from Japan, Costa Rica and England have covered the center.