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Autism Housing Pathways, with support from State Street Corporation
and the Autistic Global Initiative.
Learning about Reinforcement.
Reinforcement is anything that makes you want to do something again.
Some things are naturally reinforcing.
If you like ice cream,
you want to eat it again.
For things that are not naturally reinforcing,
it helps to have some outside reinforcement to make you want to do it again.
An example would be getting a prize like movie tickets for filling out a survey.
Reinforcement is a powerful tool for teaching new skills and behaviors,
like hand washing, table setting, or even saying "excuse me,"
to people with autism and other developmental disabilities.
In this video, you will meet Terry.
He has very little spoken language,
and uses an iTouch and pictures to communicate
There are three kinds of reinforcement.
One. Working for something.
If John washes his hands, he can eat french fries.
Terry is sitting nicely, and keeping his headphones on during his music therapy.
He is working for pork rinds, which is his reinforcement.
Two. Working toward what you really want, using a points system.
Alex gets a sticker for every towel he folds.
When he has folded five towels, he can trade his stickers to watch a DVD.
This is a sticker board. Terry earnes stickers when he does chores.
Awesome job! Can you put your stuff away?
Three. Working to be done with something you don't like.
If Vicky eats three bites of vegetables,
she can get up from the table.
Videos he hasn't seen before make Terry nervous.
He is working to stop watching a new video.
OK! You're all done! Let's go! Yeah! Let's get em!
Before you can use reinforcement to teach skills or change behavior,
there are certain things you need to know.
The person has to understand the idea that she will be reinforced for doing something:
"First this, then that."
Using pictures, or holding up objects, can help
"First sweep, then DVD"
First, we're gonna go to the custodial closet,
good job
and then we'll have...
Lunch
Good!
Make sure the person knows what you want him to do.
You may have to show him first:
"Carlos, do this."
Lori pretends to spit water out,
to show Terry how to do it.
You may have to help the person.
Lori helps Terry comb his hair.
You need to give the reinforcer right after the person does what he is supposed to.
That way he can make the connection between what he did and the reinforcer.
"Oh, I hung up my coat, I get to listen to music."
Right after Terry puts his things away, Lori gives him music.
Notice how Terry rubs his arm.
He is using sign language to ask for the music.
That means he has made the connection between putting his things away, and getting the music.
Other ways to make the connection are:
Tell the person what you are reinforcing
"You made your bed, you can go to the park."
Alright, we went to the...
Storeroom
Good. Now it's time for...
Lunch
Lunch. Good.
Get excited, and praise the person:
"Wow, you set the table! Great job!"
Nice job! Good for you! Awesome work!
Make sure reinforcers are easy to earn.
Break the skill down into easy steps, and reinforce each step.
Here, Lori uses her own hand to guide Terry, as he combs his hair,
so he can understand how to do it himself.
Perfect! Good job, bud!
Terry knows how to spit, but needs to be reminded.
Lori pretendes to spit, and Terry imitates her.
Terry knows how to brush his teeth, so Lori stands back and lets him do it by himself.
Just remember, the person has to want the reinforcer.
What is reinforcing to the person you are working with?
People will only work for things they like:
Stacy likes chips; she will work for chips.
Rita hates chips; she won't work for chips.
Find out what the person likes.
Ask the person or her family.
Watch the person to see what he likes.
Show the person two reinforcers, and ask her what she wants.
Repeat with lots of different reinforcers.
Remember that anything can get boring, even if you like it.
"French fries, again? I'm not working for that."
Mix it up, have a whole menu of things to work for.
"Wow, I can play with a slinky, or go to the store, or ride my skateboard.
Let the person pick what he wants to work for.
"I want to work for Slinky."
What'd you want to work for?
You wanna work for lunch?
Make sure it's reinforcing enough.
"I like rice cakes,
but not enough to write."
"A chocolate chip cookie?
I'll write for that!"
A reinforcer you don't use often, or the person can't get anywhere else, is more special.
A person may work harder or longer for it.
"I don't like going to the doctor, but I'll do it for a trip to McDonald's."
Just don't make it too hard.
"I don't care how much I like seeing Uncle Habib, it's still too hard to read a whole story."
When people are first learning how to do something, it's hard.
They need lots of reinforcement.
But when they get better at something, it's not as hard.
They don't need as much reinforcement.
When a person is first learning, make sure to reinforce her every time.
After a person gets good at something, you can start to fade the reinforcement:
Give a sticker for every two shirts Joe folds.
Give the rice cake for every two minutes Ana is loading the dishwasher.
Mix it up, so the person can't predict exactly when the reward is coming:
Reinforce after two times, then after four, then after three.
Reinforce after three minutes, then after two, then after four
Terry is good at brushing his teeth, so Lori only needs to give him stickers a few times.
Remember, we all have bad days.
If someone is tired, or in a bad mood,
you may need to reinforce more often or not demand as much.
Andre only needs to fold three towels, not five, to earn his pretzel.
Terry is getting lots of stickers quickly now, because this is harder for him.
How do you know reinforcement is working?
Keep records. This is also called taking data.
Start by writing down what the person can do now.
Make sure you measure what the person does for four days.
That way, you can make sure you didn't just measure on a good day or a bad day.
Write down how it changes when you start using reinforcement.
What if reinforcement doesn't work?
Ask yourself these questions:
Does he know what I want him to do?
Does she know how to do it?
Does he like the reinforcer?
Am I reinforcing often enough?
Is he bored with the reinforcer?
and...
Is everyone who works with the person reinforcing for exactly the same thing?
Ronnie reinforces Matt for sitting up straight with his hands folded,
but Julia reinforces Matt just for being in the chair.
Now, Matt is confused.
Julia and Ronnie need to agree on exactly what Matt needs to do.
So let's put it all together and see what it looks like.
Terry cleans himself up in the morning.
Terry's choosing his reinforcer, what he will work for.
He chooses music.
Notice that Lori is being quiet and staying back from Terry.
This is because Terry has this skill, so he does not need a lot of reinforcers.
Lori gives him a sticker as he completes each step of his tooth brushing schedule.
Lori sees that Terry didn't spit yet, so she gives him a reminder by pretending to spit, herself.
Then she steps back again.
Terry has earned another sticker.
Lori uses her own hand to help Terry comb his hair,
because he is still learning how to do this, and needs more help.
Lori is not helping Terry wash his face,
but she is telling him that he is doing it right and doing a good job.
Terry gets his last sticker, and he knows he can now have the music reinforcer he chose at the beginning.
Terry works to stop watching a new video.
Lori has purposely chosen a video that Terry doesn't like very much,
so he can practice waiting patiently until he has earned enough stickers to leave.
Notice, Lori is giving Terry his stickers very quickly.
Terry is still working on this skill, so he's getting his reinforcer more often and more quickly.
But as he becomes better at this skill, he will need less and less reinforcment.
Awesome!