Reinforcement vs. Bribery

Lisa Foggin - Parent Sanity Check

Reinforcement vs. Bribery

And other strategies to get the kids closer to independence and you through each day


Outline for the next 75 minutes:• Who I am • Reinforcement and the art of doing it well• Bribery and other reactive strategies• Proactive strategies• Coping - for the children and for you• Questions (if you haven’t already asked them)


What is Reinforcement?• Consequences following a behavior that increase the

likelihood of that behavior being repeated• It is an effort to be proactive (crime prevention)• Positive Reinforcement – presentation of a positive

event immediately following a particular behavior• The kids that we work with learn things differently and

may not be intrinsically motivated the way that “typical” kids are, so we need to be a little more proactive and thoughtful as to how we motivate them to try new things, learn and practice new skills, and display adaptive behaviors.


Reinforcement vs. Bribery• Reinforcement – a PROACTIVE strategy used as part of

a long term plan to modify current behaviors, motivate when learning new skills, or reduce likelihood of challenging behaviors• Bribery – a REACTIVE strategy usually employed as an

act of desperation and may tend to increase the frequency and intensity of challenging behaviors


Bribery• Not set up ahead of time and is not offered until a

behavior has begun• May involve changing the reinforcement offered to

further motivate child to meet expectations (also called “upping the ante”)• Reinforces the challenging behavior


How do we Reinforce effectively?• Begin with information gathering• The target skill or behavior to be changed• Things that influence the behavior

• situational variables• physiological variables

• Function of a behavior• Individual level of understanding and skill levels• What is motivating and what is aversive to them

Choosing effective reinforcement• Primary Reinforcers – “unconditioned reinforcer” it is a

naturally positive consequence, a stimulus or situation that is inherently reinforcing. Individuals do not have to be taught to desire them

• Secondary Reinforcers – “conditioned reinforcer” has an acquired reinforcing power after being paired with primary reinforcers. Typically more convenient and contextually appropriate

Always use the least amount and level of Reinforcement necessary for the situationLisa Foggin - Parent Sanity Check


How to implement a Reinforcement plan• Ensure the child understands “first – then”

contingencies• Make expectations clearly understood and make it

clear what can be earned for that set of expectations prior to the task• Approach it systematically and with a plan


Things to keep in mind about Reinforcement• Must be provided immediately after desired behavior, with verbal

praise• Delayed and token reinforcement should only be used with kids who

have a good understanding of the concept and expectations• Reinforcements have different values • Desirable to have a variety of reinforcements available & limit

exposure• Select reinforcements that you can maintain control over• Choose the appropriate level of reinforcement for the desired behavior• Choose age appropriate reinforcers to reduce social issues• Consistency!!!! Across all individuals working with the child


Fading Reinforcement• General guidelines (once a behavior/skill has been

established)• Decrease how often reinforcement is provided• Decrease the amount of reinforcement provided• Increase your expectations before reinforcement is earned• Change the type of reinforcement provided

**Remember: the goal is to establish or increase intrinsic motivation for the child to demonstrate appropriate behaviors or skills and not create “reinforcement dependency”


Other Reactive Strategies (what to do if a child is already behaving inappropriately, without using bribery)

• Ignore (the behavior NOT the child)• Redirect • Distraction • Remove from the R+• Teach what to do rather than what not to do• Find a behavior that is incompatible with problem behavior• Verbal reprimands

Take stock of your natural reactions…they may escalate the problem


Proactive Strategies• Be prepared and prepare your child • Choices, choices, choices!• Provide a way to communicate • Consider your teaching strategies and vary them• Break tasks into achievable chunks and end with

success• Follow child’s lead whenever appropriate• Avoid challenging situations where possible


Proactive Strategies….• Use regularly planned sensory/movement breaks• Structure the child’s time • Provide attention to appropriate behaviors throughout

the day• Use visuals • Modify the physical environment• Determine early warning signs for misbehaviour• Set rules/expectations to music (or other interesting

forms)


Coping skills – for you and the kids• Be consistent now and be sane later!• Pick your battles wisely!• Don’t fall for “cute” behaviors with younger kids• Teach strategies they can use to: • problem solve • deal with input • cope with frustrations

• Limit your verbal communication during challenging behaviors


Coping skills….• Spell off a co-worker/give yourself a time-out• Brainstorm ideas with co-workers• If child’s behavior if it isn’t a problem, but bugs you,

accept it• Dress for work, not for beauty• Learn what you can about behavior management• Have a sense of humor and a positive outlook• Take care of yourself


Questions ??


My Contact info• Lisa Foggin 403-892-0034• [email protected]• Facebook: parent sanity link• Blog: parentsanitycheck.tumblr.com

mailto:[email protected]

Reinforcement vs. Bribery

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