Motivating Children & the Role Reinforcements Plays in Autism

1. Motivating Children & the Role Reinforcements Plays in Autism • By Lauren Thome, M.Ed. • www.laurencthome.com

2. Research Question: According to Applied Behavior Analysis (APA), what are the pros and cons to using positive and negative reinforcers with children who are diagnosed with Autism in terms of increasing motivation?

3. Applied Behavior Analysis • ABA is evidence-based teaching that has been scientifically proven to be effective • The goal of ABA is to identify the child’s naturally occurring motivation, capture it, and use it to help him learn • ABA has become the most commonly accepted path for families of children with Autism to follow • Reinforcement is the major principle that drives ABA • “30 years of research demonstrated the efficacy of applied behavioral methods in reducing inappropriate behavior and in increasing communication, learning, and appropriate social behavior.” • A 1999 report of Mental Health from the Surgeon General of the United States

4. Positive Reinforcement • This principal states that anything that happens after a behavior and increases the likelihood of that behavior recurring is a reinforcer for that behavior • Adding something in order to increase a response • A multitude of studies have found that positive reinforcement deems to be more effective than negative reinforcement when promoting compliance and reducing problem behaviors for children with Autism • Examples of Positive Reinforcement • Giving a treat to a dog after sitting • Praising a child after cleaning his or her room • Feeling full after dinner • What about NOT feeling hungry after dinner…Same behavior…same type of reinforcement??

5. Negative Reinforcement • The removal of an aversive stimuli in response to a behavior which leads to an increase in the likelihood that behavior will occur again • In other words, negative reinforcement strengthens a behavior by reducing or removing something that is undesirable • For example, if taking an aspirin for a headache relieves the pain, an individual is more likely to take an aspirin in the future to relieve headache pain

6. Motivating Children with Autism • Know the Individual • Children with Autism have restricted repertoires of interests and skills, knowing their skills and interests is key to motivation • Build on Strengths and Interests • Increase motivation by incorporating preferred items or activities into novel tasks • Example: Jared • Teach in Natural Environments • Natural environments provide opportunities for natural reinforcers • Encourage Independent Effort with Positive Reinforcement • Decrease Impact of Environmental Distracters • Teach New Tasks by Modeling • Consistently Pair Completion of Tasks with Positive Experiences (ie. Positive Reinforcement) • Build Motivational Momentum • Begin with highly preferred, success-guaranteed tasks and alternating with less preferred, more challenging tasks

7. Conclusion • Increased motivation results from experiences, which teach people how to interact with both social and physical environments in ways that result in positive outcomes • As we experience successes, we become increasingly better about repeating the behavior that leads us to these desired outcomes • Conversely, we become better about avoiding the behavior that has been unsuccessful at achieving our goals • Motivation is reasoning behind a child’s behavior to attempt a skill, reinforcement is the reason they will have more internal motivation and require less external motivation next time they attempt that particular skill • If a child is consistently given motivation (reinforcement) to attempt a new skill and finds that the successful completion of that skill is consistently met with a positive experience (positive reinforcement), that child will have an ever-increasing desire to accomplish that skill again or attempt a novel skill • Don’t get caught up in the semantics of positive and negative reinforcement, the key is to PAIR desired behaviors with positive experiences so that the behavior will be reinforced by the positive experience, thus increasing motivation to repeat that particular behavior in the future