What Motivates Nicholas?
What is a reinforcer? Anything a person selects in a free choice situation can be used as a reinforcer. It can be very tangible, like candy or an everyday event like listening to music, going for a walk, being tickled or having their back rubbed.
List the reinforcers Nicholas currently uses: lollipop, iPad, bubbles....
Think of other possible reinforcers for Nicholas. When deciding, contemplate:
Reinforcers
- Provide variety (It's important to have a variety of motivating reinforcers so they can be interchanged and Nicholas won't get board)
- Always look for new reinforcers (When spending time with Nicholas, keep your eyes open for new possible reinforcers)
- Find reinforcers within the reinforcers: iPad Apps within the iPad, flavors for lollipop
Access
- How does Nicholas have access to items/activities?
- Does he require adult assistance to get what he needs? This is a good thing!
- Watch the video above to learn about communication temptations; communication opportunities. Watch videos abov
Why do adults need to control access to reinforcers (desired items)
- You want to increase the frequency of requests so Nicholas will come back for more. This increases interactions
- Why? (1) to practice requesting (2) promote initiation by Nicholas (3) train him to view adults as “helpers” (4) to increase the length of time in which Nicholas interacts with adults.
Dos and Don'ts when controlling reinforcers
Don't Give Nicholas an item and then take it away from him to encourage speech.
- Frequently appearing to withhold items from Nicholas will cause irritation/frustration/aggression. This can also cause long-term anxiety because he learns to expect that someone will take an item away from him. This makes his daily experiences with people unpredictable. He may think that at any point in time someone will take something away from him or place a demand on him.
Additionally, throughout his day you may be unable to provide him with an item he wants or the item is not appropriate at that moment, he may misunderstand and think any of the following:
(1) Because you are not giving him what he wants, he may think he is being punished.
(2) That you are placing a demand on him when you actually are not asking him to do anything. He could think he did something wrong. This is because he associates completing a task/direction (repeating words) with receiving a desired item. The problem is, when he asks for something that you can't or don't want to provide, he may think that there is a task/direction you are waiting for him to complete. He then becomes frustrated because he doesn't know or he thinks he can't understand a demand being placed on him.
Don't (try not to) give him reinforcer items when he does not request them.
Do Allow the desired items to be in view but not in reach. This becomes a temptation for Nicholas and he will approach you to get what he wants.
- Frequently appearing to provide an item will give him more of a feeling of relief (negative feelings he may have are only due to his frustration for lack of access. But it will not be associated with the adult). He will look at the adult with a sense of gratitude rather than resentment. You will be building trust.
Do Ration reinforcers
- Consider the number of choices he is offered. Want to ration items so he will ask for them more frequently. Instead of giving him a bowl of chips, give him one at a time. Break up a cookie into several pieces and reward him with a piece of the cookie.
Do use highly desired items only for specific activities.
- You will want to use items that he really likes (ie. fruit snacks) only at specific times when he has to participate in activities that he does not like (i.e. when he has to do school work). Making highly desired items available outside of these times reduces their "potency". He will not want the item as much and therefore be less likely to participate in the activity.
Do Give Nicholas his time and space to enjoy his reinforcer/desired item.
- This will make the reinforcer worth the interactions with adults.
Eventually timers and token boards are used Why?
(1) Visual Aids (picture of his reinforcer) will remind him of what he wants when it is out of access/sight.
(2) Using a timer marks a beginning and end. This will cause Nicholas to anticipate a more predictable outcome. He knows there will be a beep and when it beeps he must stop. This is used only when Nicholas is trusting enough to know that (1) the reinforcer will not be taken away from him (2) he will get it again/shortly.
(3) A token board is a visual aid. It has a picture of the desired item and there is a visual representation of an eventual end/receiving of reinforce.
List the reinforcers Nicholas currently uses: lollipop, iPad, bubbles....
Think of other possible reinforcers for Nicholas. When deciding, contemplate:
Reinforcers
- Provide variety (It's important to have a variety of motivating reinforcers so they can be interchanged and Nicholas won't get board)
- Always look for new reinforcers (When spending time with Nicholas, keep your eyes open for new possible reinforcers)
- Find reinforcers within the reinforcers: iPad Apps within the iPad, flavors for lollipop
Access
- How does Nicholas have access to items/activities?
- Does he require adult assistance to get what he needs? This is a good thing!
- Watch the video above to learn about communication temptations; communication opportunities. Watch videos abov
Why do adults need to control access to reinforcers (desired items)
- You want to increase the frequency of requests so Nicholas will come back for more. This increases interactions
- Why? (1) to practice requesting (2) promote initiation by Nicholas (3) train him to view adults as “helpers” (4) to increase the length of time in which Nicholas interacts with adults.
Dos and Don'ts when controlling reinforcers
Don't Give Nicholas an item and then take it away from him to encourage speech.
- Frequently appearing to withhold items from Nicholas will cause irritation/frustration/aggression. This can also cause long-term anxiety because he learns to expect that someone will take an item away from him. This makes his daily experiences with people unpredictable. He may think that at any point in time someone will take something away from him or place a demand on him.
Additionally, throughout his day you may be unable to provide him with an item he wants or the item is not appropriate at that moment, he may misunderstand and think any of the following:
(1) Because you are not giving him what he wants, he may think he is being punished.
(2) That you are placing a demand on him when you actually are not asking him to do anything. He could think he did something wrong. This is because he associates completing a task/direction (repeating words) with receiving a desired item. The problem is, when he asks for something that you can't or don't want to provide, he may think that there is a task/direction you are waiting for him to complete. He then becomes frustrated because he doesn't know or he thinks he can't understand a demand being placed on him.
Don't (try not to) give him reinforcer items when he does not request them.
Do Allow the desired items to be in view but not in reach. This becomes a temptation for Nicholas and he will approach you to get what he wants.
- Frequently appearing to provide an item will give him more of a feeling of relief (negative feelings he may have are only due to his frustration for lack of access. But it will not be associated with the adult). He will look at the adult with a sense of gratitude rather than resentment. You will be building trust.
Do Ration reinforcers
- Consider the number of choices he is offered. Want to ration items so he will ask for them more frequently. Instead of giving him a bowl of chips, give him one at a time. Break up a cookie into several pieces and reward him with a piece of the cookie.
Do use highly desired items only for specific activities.
- You will want to use items that he really likes (ie. fruit snacks) only at specific times when he has to participate in activities that he does not like (i.e. when he has to do school work). Making highly desired items available outside of these times reduces their "potency". He will not want the item as much and therefore be less likely to participate in the activity.
Do Give Nicholas his time and space to enjoy his reinforcer/desired item.
- This will make the reinforcer worth the interactions with adults.
Eventually timers and token boards are used Why?
(1) Visual Aids (picture of his reinforcer) will remind him of what he wants when it is out of access/sight.
(2) Using a timer marks a beginning and end. This will cause Nicholas to anticipate a more predictable outcome. He knows there will be a beep and when it beeps he must stop. This is used only when Nicholas is trusting enough to know that (1) the reinforcer will not be taken away from him (2) he will get it again/shortly.
(3) A token board is a visual aid. It has a picture of the desired item and there is a visual representation of an eventual end/receiving of reinforce.