differential reinforcement of alternative behavior examples

You should talk with all members of a child’s team (teachers, assistant teachers, parents, other caregivers) to determine what supports are needed for all adults to use the same plan (e.g., visual reminders, coaching). If a child is reinforced for challenging and appropriate behavior (e.g., A teacher gives him attention for both positive and negative behaviors), he or she is likely to continue engaging in the challenging behavior. However, this is what makes the procedure “differential”. This is just one application of differential reinforcement! There are many ways to apply differential reinforcement.Īlthough it is highly effective, some adults may not find it easy to ignore challenging behavior. Note how the application of differential reinforcement in this example meets both requirements of the definition: reinforcement is withheld for challenging behavior (whining and self-injurious behavior) and provided for an appropriate replacement behavior (AAC requesting). If the child whined or engaged in self-injurious behavior, the teacher withheld reinforcement by not singing. If the child pulled off the icon (prompted or unprompted), the teacher reinforced this behavior by singing to him. The teacher aimed to teach the child to request singing by pulling off a “sing” icon on his communication, in lieu of whining or engaging in self-injurious behavior. Watch the following video, and consider how this is an example of differential reinforcement: In this case, differential reinforcement consists of two parts: (1) withholding reinforcement for the challenging behavior, and (2) providing reinforcement for an appropriate replacement behavior, an incompatible behavior, or absence of the challenging behavior.

When we talk about differential reinforcement, we are usually talking about its application to challenging behavior.

Small Group Academic Instruction with Peer Modeling.

Augmentative and Alternative Communication.

Effective Communication Strategies to Use in Small Groups and Throughout the Day.

Differential reinforcement of alternative behavior examples