CLASSIFYING REINFORCERS in autism, the term “reinforcer” refers to a stimulus or event that increases the likelihood of a particular behavior occurring again in the future. Reinforcers are used in behavioral interventions to motivate individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and promote desired behaviors. We can classify reinforcers into several categories based on their nature and function.
Here are some common classifications of reinforcers used in the field of autism:
- Tangible Reinforcers: These are concrete, physical items that individuals with autism find motivating. Examples include toys, snacks, or preferred objects.
- Social Reinforcers: Social reinforcers involve social interactions, attention, praise, or positive feedback from others. These can be verbal or non-verbal, such as a smile, high-five, or words of encouragement.
- Activity Reinforcers: Activity reinforcers involve engaging in preferred activities or special interests. For instance, a child with autism might enjoy playing on a swing, engaging in a sensory activity, or participating in a favorite game.
- Sensory Reinforcers: Sensory reinforcers are related to sensory experiences that an individual finds pleasurable or soothing. These can include activities that involve tactile stimulation (e.g., playing with water or sand) or sensory input (e.g., listening to music or watching visual stimuli).
- Token Reinforcers: Token reinforcers involve the use of tokens or points that can be exchanged for a desired item, activity, or privilege. These tokens serve as a visual representation of progress towards earning a reward.
CLASSIFYING REINFORCERS-It’s important to note that the effectiveness of reinforcers can vary among individuals with autism, as each person may have unique preferences and sensitivities. The selection of appropriate reinforcers should be based on the individual’s interests, strengths, and needs. Additionally, reinforcers should be used in a systematic and individualized manner to promote positive behavior change and skill acquisition in individuals with autism.
Unconditioned Reinforcer is also called a primary reinforcer. These are reinforcers that do not need to be learned, such as food, water, oxygen, warmth and sex. These are all primary drives that we have for basic survival and if they are deprived in any way, gaining access to these reinforcers is very motivating.
Conditioned Reinforcer is also called a secondary reinforcer. It is something that needs to be learned through pairings with unconditioned reinforcers. For example, money is a learned reinforcer. By itself, money is a useless piece of paper, but with the pairing of money and access to unconditioned reinforcers, money becomes a valuable thing.
Generalized Conditioned Reinforcer
CLASSIFYING REINFORCERS-Reinforcers can be classified by their attributes:
Edible Reinforcer – Highly preferred food items. If you don’t like it, it wouldn’t serve as a reinforcer. It has to be yummy.
Sensory Reinforcer – Anything that effects pleasure to the senses to the individual. Again, it has to be something that the person likes, otherwise, it is not going to be a reinforcer. This can include massage, music, or a beautiful painting.
Tangible Reinforcer – Any tangible item that the person values. This can be money, stickers or tokens.
Activity Reinforcer – The opportunity to have some fun. This is anything the person enjoys doing: going fishing, watching TV, jumping on a trampoline.
Social Reinforcer – Any positive or desired attention or interaction with another person can serve to reinforce.
These reinforcer types remind me of the “5 Love Languages.” The premise behind the Love Language book is that people find different things reinforcing and they want to receive positives from others in different ways. The Love Languages are like Reinforcers in that everyone has different things that they find desirable and therefore reinforcing.
In order to find what is reinforcing to an individual, we can perform a preference assessment.
