ABA Therapy Basics: Reinforcement

What "reinforcement" is and how we use it in ABA therapy.

In the field of ABA therapy, the words “reinforcement” is used quite often. It can be broken down into positive and negative reinforcement.

Let’s look at these terms in more detail to see how these techniques are used.

Reinforcement

Reinforcement is an item (tangible), attention (social), or physical activity provided after a behavior. These can be “positive” when something is added to the environment or “negative” when something is removed. 

  • Positive Reinforcement: 
    • When a behavior is followed immediately by the presentation of a stimulus, the behavior occurs more frequently in the future. Think of positive reinforcement as adding something to increase a behavior. For example, giving a treat for finishing homework is positive reinforcement.
  • Negative Reinforcement:
    • When a behavior is followed by the removal of something in the environment, it is called negative reinforcement. For example, taking away pull-ups for using the potty is a negative reinforcement. The goal with any reinforcement is to increase a behavior. 

Let’s see how Sammy reacted to these reinforcement methods:

  • Positive:
    • Sammy finished his homework after school, so he received 30 minutes of video game time. The addition of video game time increased the behavior of finishing his homework every day after school.
  • Negative:
    • Sammy was given broccoli to eat with his dinner. When he saw the broccoli, he began to yell and cry, so his mom removed the broccoli from his plate. Now, every time he sees broccoli on his plate, he yells and cries. The removal of the broccoli increases the behavior of yelling and crying.

Keep in mind, in both of these examples, Sammy’s behavior INCREASED. Let’s say that even after being given video game time, if Sammy’s behavior of finishing his homework did NOT increase, then this would not be considered reinforcement.

The Behavior Exchange is a Behavior Health Center of Excellence® and an in-network provider.

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From there, she went on to graduate from Oklahoma State University with a Bachelor of Science in Human Development and Family Sciences. She learned about Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) in a non-normative development class and from that moment knew that ABA would be her life’s work.

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Prior to joining the team at The Behavior Exchange, Adam was a mortgage loan consultant and grad student, pursuing his master’s degree in Education at the University of North Texas. He graduated in 2013 and also earned a graduate academic certificate in Autism Intervention. The following year, after years as a Behavior Therapist and seeing first-hand the power of ABA and the meaningful impact it can have on children and their families, Adam became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. He then commenced from the Stagen Leadership Academy after completing the Integral Leadership Program (ILP), a 52-week practice-based program designed to develop executives serious about transforming themselves, their teams, and their organizations.

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