Reinforcement

Reinforcement is an effective, foundational evidence based practice for teaching toddlers skills and increasing desirable behaviors. Effective implementation of reinforcement may also reduce challenging behaviors. As a toddler finds a positive behavior reinforcing he may decrease his use of the converse behavior.

For example, if the toddler is reinforced for saying “help” by receiving help and positive attention he is likely to decrease the screaming that brought him help in the past.

Reinforcement is a component of most other evidence-based practices. It is an essential practice because it directly connects the skill or behavior with a desirable consequence for the toddler, thus better ensuring success for the toddler. While skill acquisition may be intrinsically reinforcing to many toddlers, some toddlers who have autism spectrum disorder benefit from pairing the natural consequences of the skill or behavior with additional reinforcers. These additional reinforcers are faded over time to promote generalization and maintenances of the skill or behavior.

Reinforcement is most effective when it is individualized for the learner.