The Ethics of Reinforcement in ABA

Applied behavior analysis, or ABA therapy, is considered the gold standard of treatment for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It has been praised by many professionals for how effective it’s proven to be at helping children with autism gain social, communication and daily life skills, while also modifying negative and/or harmful behaviors.

Still, there are some stigmas that exist around ABA therapy. One revolves around the use of positive reinforcement as a way to reward children for successfully exhibiting or attempting the skills and behaviors being taught during therapy sessions.

A common question about ABA therapy is whether the treatment plan involves bribing children. In this article, we’ll discuss the ethics of reinforcement in ABA therapy to dispel the myth that it’s a form of bribery.

Table Of Contents

How Positive Reinforcement is Used in ABA Therapy

Positive reinforcement is a vital component of ABA therapy. It is used as a way to not just reward children for successfully exhibiting or attempting a targeted skill or behavior, but to also keep them engaged in the therapy and motivated to keep progressing in the therapy.

This positive reinforcement comes in the form of a tangible reward for the child, and it’s selected based on the preferences that the child has. For instance, the reinforcer could be time with a toy they love or even just extra praise.

Like other aspects of ABA therapy, the reinforcer is chosen carefully and individually, based on each child’s unique strengths, challenges and preferences. What this approach does is improve the effectiveness of the reinforcer, since it’s specifically selected with the child in mind.

How Bribery Works

Bribery involves giving a child something they want either in advance of them exhibiting a problem/negative behavior or in response to them exhibiting that behavior.

For example, bribery might be giving a child ice cream so that they stop throwing a tantrum, or before you take them into a grocery store to prevent them from having the tantrum in the first place.

Bribery doesn’t actually teach the child to modify their behaviors, which is obviously the main issue with it. Instead, it teaches children that they will get something that they want if they act in a certain way that their parents don’t want them to — or even if there is the threat that they may act that way.

How Positive Reinforcement in ABA Therapy Differs from Bribery

This technique of using rewards to encourage children to learn skills or exhibit certain behaviors may sound like bribery on the surface, but there’s a key differentiating factor — how and when the reward is given.

The reward in ABA therapy positive reinforcement can still be ice cream, but it is given in a much different way.

First, it’s completely contingent on the child exhibiting the desired behavior, and it’s only given once that behavior has been exhibited or at least attempted.

Second, it’s given in smaller doses continually over time, rather than all at once, as a one-time exchange. In other words, bribery would involve giving the child a full dish of ice cream so they stop throwing a tantrum, while positive reinforcement would involve giving the child a small spoonful after each successful attempt at the desired behavior.

The way in which positive reinforcement is given in ABA therapy is significantly different from that of bribery. It’s not “conning” the child into doing something you want them to do but rather teaching them the appropriate way of acting.

That’s why positive reinforcement in ABA therapy is an ethical approach to teaching skills and behaviors to children with autism and not a major concern.

Blue Gems ABA Upholds High Standards of Ethics

While some may believe that positive reinforcement in ABA therapy is really just bribery, there are distinct differences that ensure it’s not. This is important to understand, as it forms the basis of why the treatment has proven so effective.

At Blue Gems ABA, we uphold high ethical standards in all that we do to support children with ASD. We follow tried-and-true positive reinforcement principles as well as many other strategies to help children with autism build social, communication and daily life skills while also learning how to modify certain behaviors.

To learn more, please contact us today.