Using Reinforcement Effectively at Home
Beth Estes,
MA BCBA,
Clinical Dept.
I think we can all agree that this has been a challenging time for all of us as our children continue to learn remotely through the summer season. For many parents and educators alike, one of the biggest concerns has been ensuring that the skills that our children have already demonstrated while at school will be maintained while at home and continue once they return to school. One of the most crucial components to learning is having the readiness skills needed for learning.
These skills include, but are not limited to, following one-step instructions, maintaining eye contact, focus, and attention (whether in a chair or standing), and transitioning from one activity to another. As we continue in our summer session using Zoom for delivery of classroom teacher instruction and related services, using reinforcement effectively can be really helpful in maintaining these readiness skills… and even developing new skills.
So in essence, reinforcement is a contingency between a desired behavior and a preferred item/ activity… AKA a reinforcer. If you can consistently show your child that “good things” happen when he/she engages in the desired behavior, your child will be more likely to repeat it.
For example, the readiness skill that you may want to target is your child appropriately transitioning from a preferred activity to a Zoom session. You can do this by stating, “It’s time for speech with Ms. Smith. Come sit down and say (or wave) hello.” Once your child engages in this desired behavior, immediately give him/her a preferred item, such as goldfish, and say “great job coming over to say hello.”
As you establish this routine, you should expect that you will need to provide less and less assistance to accomplish this goal, such that your child easily comes over to the chair to participate in the Zoom session instead of you having to physically place him/her in the chair.
However, if you find that your child is still struggling with this skill/behavior and continuing to need full assistance, you should consider trying a different reinforcer. Other desired behaviors can work the same way.
Check out the parent education video in the article below for more information about reinforcement.
As we continue to take each day in stride, it’s important to acknowledge and reward all the baby steps along the way, not only to your child but to yourself as well. We are all in this together!
