Reinforcement
Prompt
Instruction
Reinforcement
Correct
Response
Error
Correction
Definition:
Reinforcement: the presentation or removal of something immediately following a response/skill,
which increases the likelihood that the response/skill will occur again. (Alberto & Troutman, 2003)
Reinforcer: something (i.e. stimulus) presented or removed after a skill/behaviour that increases
the likelihood the skill behaviour will occur again. (Alberto & Troutman, 2003)
Also Known As:
You’re already doing it by…
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Motivating students
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Giving out stickers
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“Catching” the student
being good
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Giving free time when work is done
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Class treats, like pizza parties
Praise
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Appointing a “star” of the day
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Saying “Great job!”
Effective Reinforcement Practices
Immediate: Reinforcers must be delivered immediately after
the performance of the desired skill. Timing is everything.
Contingent: The reinforcer delivery is dependent on the
performance of the desired skill.
Enthusiastic: Your enthusiasm is essential to the
effectiveness of the reinforcement.
Paired: Reinforcers given in conjunction with praise,
describing desired skill being reinforced.
Frequent: Reinforcement should be frequent at the
beginning of learning a new skill.
Effective: The reinforcer used results in an increase in the
desired skill.
Brief: Reinforcers should be brief.
(Alberto & Troutman, 2003)
CW SSP-ASD 2007
Ideas for Class Reinforcers:
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Food coupons
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Class party
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Special theme lesson
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Listen to music during class
for ____ minutes
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Miss one homework
assignment
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Watch a video
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Giving out tickets for good
behaviour
ABA for Educators
PAGE 2
REINFORCEMENT
ABA FOR EDUCATORS
Consider this when trying to reinforce...
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When giving a tangible reinforcer, pair it with social praise.
Select and define the skill/behaviour to increase.
Develop a menu of items/activities that the student likes.
Use special interests to motivate the student/class.
Offer choices (variety is the spice of life).
Monitor effectiveness of reinforcers.
Reinforcers should be gradually faded.
Label the skill/behaviour being reinforced.
Reinforcers are different for everyone.
What is reinforcing on one day may not be on another.
Reinforcers should not be available freely.
Frequency of reinforcement should be gradually reduced to
avoid dependency.
Something is only reinforcing
if it follows a skill/behaviour.
Telling a student “finish your
work or you will not get
recess” is not a reinforcer. It
is a threat.
Token Economies
A token system is a strategy where students earn “points” or “tokens”
These points or tokens are then exchanged for a reinforcer.
If using a token economy, you need to:
1. Teach the student that the token/point has value (i.e. you need to
pair the token with the reinforcer). For example, if Sam is reinforced by
stickers, then initially you need to give Sam a sticker and token
together.
2. Teach the student that the token/point can be exchanged for the
reinforcer. For example, if Sam is earning tokens to get stickers, and
your goal is to have Sam earn 5 tokens before before accessing his
reinforcer, initially you would start with Sam needing to earn only 1
token/point to get access to his reinforcer. Once he was earning the
token reliably, you would increase the expectation so that he would
need to earn 2 tokens before getting stickers, and so on until he was
earning all 5 tokens.
(Alberto & Troutman, 2003)
Remember…
Many typically developing students are internally motivated to learn new skills/activities or can
be motivated by such things as praise and achieving good grades. Students with Autism
Spectrum Disorders (ASD) may not be motivated in the same manner. In order to facilitate and
promote their learning it is important to determine what is motivating for them.
References:
Alberto, A.A., & Troutman, A.C. (2003). Applied behavior analysis for teachers. (6th edition).
NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall.
ABA FOR EDUCATORS
REINFORCEMENT
PAGE 3
F.A.Q.
How does reinforcement work in my integrated class?
Teachers are often concerned about the fairness of providing one student with more
reinforcement than the others. One way to view this is to remember that fair does not mean
equal- fairness means everyone gets what they need to succeed. In order to be successful,
students with ASD typically require reinforcement.
Having the entire class work towards a special treat, or implementing a class wide token system
can also be an effective way to motivate all students in your class.
I always praise my student but he still hasn’t learned how to spell his
name.
Since verbal praise is motivating to most students we often assume it will be equally reinforcing for
our students with ASD. Instead, try creating a menu of items or activities that (s)he can choose to
work for.
Also, when beginning to teach a new skill, it may be necessary to reinforce more frequently for
small successes, such as picking up the pencil, putting the pencil to paper, etc.
Nothing motivates my student.
Some students with ASD have unique interests which may not be
obvious. It may be necessary to gather information about
preferences by talking to parents, former educators and support
staff. Talking to the student or watching him/her during free time
will also provide you with additional information about preferred
activities/items.
When gathering information, keep in mind the following four types
of reinforcers:
Tangible reinforcers (consumables, small objects),
Activity reinforcers (preferred events, listening to a CD),
Social reinforcers (praise, attention), and
Sensory reinforcers (sand, music).
Types of Reinforcers
include:
Tangible
Activity
Social
Sensory
Isn’t using reinforcement to strengthen a skill/behaviour the same as
bribery?
The difference between reinforcement and bribery is that reinforcement comes after a task is
completed where as bribery is offered before.
Also, in bribery we can be looking at both increasing and decreasing a behaviour/skill dependent
on the bribe; however, in reinforcement we are solely looking at the increase.
When you ________________we will punch
your card.
When your card has 12 holes punched out,
you will earn __________________.