REINFORCEMENT VS. BREAKS - PART 2

REINFORCEMENT 

In Part 1, I explained my hot take that an effective special educator would never take away breaks from a student as a consequence. Students should never EARN breaks. Breaks are a regulation tool.

Students MAY earn reinforcers. 

Here is a general overview of how to structure reinforcement within a special education classroom.

Student "rules" should be tied to IEP social or behavior goals

If a student has a social or behavior goal for an identified area of growth, there is no reason to create a reinforcement system for a totally different skill. 

Likewise, narrow the focus of behaviors you're trying to modify. (A student typically would never have 5 rules! I like to keep it to 2-3, but this is predetermined by how many IEP goals the student has.)

Reinforcement tied to student rules

Students may be aware of the social or behavior skills they're working on. Love that! Bonus points if they're self-monitoring their progress! But it is SO important that we use specific language when providing a token - or check, or tally, or even just giving verbal feedback. If the student has a goal for raising his hand before calling out in class and you observe the student engaging in this behavior, when delivering the token you say explicitly what the student did to earn it: "I saw you raise your hand instead of calling out. Nice!"

It may go without saying, but other staff members who work with this student should also be consistent in delivering tokens. If they are paraeducators in your self-contained classroom, it is your job to explain this procedure and monitor for consistency across staff. 

Behavior modification will not happen if students don't understand expectations. It can be so detrimental to have a well-meaning staff member say, "Great job!" while delivering a token, but the student has no idea what they were doing that was a "great job." Then, they don't know to continue that specific behavior.

Types of reinforcement systems

There are SO MANY types of reinforcement systems. First/then are great for early grades. "First work, then earn ___" (preferred reinforcer). This is also great for students who need more frequent reinforcement. Here's a link to a sample board in my TPT store.

Next would be a token system, where the student can work for a certain number of tokens before earning a preferred reinforcer. Here's a link to an editable token board with sample tokens and reinforcer pictures in my TPT store. Often, with a token board, students will buy in more with a preferred token picture. For example, in the past, I've had students who loved Spiderman or Minecraft. Those are the pictures I use for their tokens to make it more engaging. 

For higher students, instead of using photos for tokens or reinforcers, you can use checks as tokens and write in the words of their chosen reinforcer. For example, 3 checks would equal "5 minutes on the iPad" written in words instead of a photo of an iPad. 

Reinforcer menu

But wait- how do I know what a "preferred reinforcer" is? 

Students will not be motivated to change their behavior if they are more motivated by the target behavior than the reinforcer. I like to do reinforcer surveys, which can range from an informal conversation ("What toys do you like to play with at home? What are your favorite movies? Characters? TV shows?") to forced choice where they choose between 2 options to a formal interview, where I record their answers. (Pro tip: writing these things down is extra helpful, as sometimes this information may be included in present levels!)

Friendly reminder from Part 1 that these reinforcers should NOT overlap with a break/heavy work/sensory tool menu. Do NOT offer putty for a reinforcer if the student uses putty as a sensory tool. This is confusing for the student! ("Why do I get putty sometimes but not other times?!")

Here is a sample Student Interest and Reinforcement Survey from my TPT store.

Importance of teaching skill/expectations

Anytime the goal is to modify behavior from engaging in a target behavior to engaging in an appropriate replacement behavior, we must TEACH the skill! We never want to "catch" a student. Gotcha games do not build trust.

Make sure there are specific times during the day when we explicitly teach a student what the expected behavior is. Have the student practice, role play, talk through scenarios. This is so important.

Don't forget data collection...

...not that a special educator ever would! Before implementing a reinforcement system, make sure to collect baseline data so that you set a realistic, achievable goal. Then, over time, change/modify criteria for earning reinforcement. 

Since IEP goals are tied to your reinforcement system, the system is ever-changing. Goals change, you will fade reinforcement/earning tokens, and it's possible student preferences will change - leading to updated reinforcement surveys. It's the circle of life reinforcement systems!