The Role of Reinforcement Schedules in ABA Therapy

Applied behavior analysis, or ABA therapy, works well to help children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) overcome challenges they face in regard to communication, social interactions and problem behaviors because it is based on evidence from scientific research.

Using the knowledge that has been gained through this research, ABA therapists help to cater treatment plans for children on the autism spectrum that are catered specifically to the unique strengths they have and challenges they face.

It’s a very flexible, customizable and adaptable treatment plan, through which therapists will be constantly collecting data and analyzing it to better help their patients achieve their goals.

There are many strategies that ABA therapists use to support their patients, and most are based on positive reinforcement. Research has shown that when children with autism receive positive reinforcement for completing requests or exhibiting positive behaviors, for instance, they are more likely to repeat those requests and/or behaviors in the future.

To that end, ABA therapy often uses a reinforcement schedule to ensure that children are learning and growing properly. These schedules help determine when rewards are delivered as well as how often.

Below, we’ll discuss the role of reinforcement schedules in ABA therapy.

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What is a Reinforcement Schedule?

A reinforcement schedule is a standard protocol that ABA therapists, parents, caregivers, teachers and others can follow when they are delivering reinforcers to children with autism. One of these rules could say that a reinforcement is to be given every time that the child correctly responds to a request or for every two correct responses they give.

By crafting a reinforcement schedule, ABA therapists are able to help motivate children with autism to respond the way they want them to, or to complete requests such as brushing their teeth, getting dressed and eating a snack.

There are two types of reinforcement schedules — continuous and intermittent.

Continuous reinforcement is typically good for teaching new skills but is often impractical over the long term. That’s because it involves rewarding the child after every instance of successful completion.

Over time, this gets replaced with an intermittent reinforcement schedule, which doesn’t happen as frequently. Ultimately, it will lead to behaviors that are stronger and more persistent.

How are Intermittent Reinforcement Schedules Categorized?

Since not every request is the same, the intermittent reinforcement schedules need to be flexible enough to change based on the requirements. In this sense, intermittent reinforcement can be broken down into variable ratios or fixed ratios.

A fixed ratio is a little easier to understand because there’s a predetermined number of things that need to happen before a reward is given. It can be thought of as climbing steps.

Each step that the child climbs — in this case, each successful response that they emit — gets them closer to the top of the staircase — which is where the reward is located. Depending on the particular child and instance, they may need to climb three “steps” in order to get their reward.

The fixed ratio approach often results in response rates that are consistent and high, as children anticipate getting the reward as they climb more “steps.” Children are also more likely to want to go back to responding, as they want to achieve the next reward.

This approach helps to establish simple behaviors that children must exhibit frequently, such as basic commands or washing their hands.

A variable ratio, by contrast, doesn’t have a set number of responses that’s required before a reward is given. Instead, the number of responses varies randomly before a reward is given.

Naturally, the variable ratio approach doesn’t elicit the same predictable response pattern that the fixed ratio approach does, as patients aren’t able to as accurately predict when the reward will come.

While this may not seem like a positive thing, the variable ratio actually promotes more flexibility and long-term sustainability. Since the reward pattern constantly changes, children don’t rely on receiving immediate rewards, which fosters longer-term behavioral changes.

Ideally, the fixed ratio approach is used for more complex behaviors such as managing emotions or completing homework. That’s because it encourages the child to be adaptable and to engage independently.

Blue Gems ABA Teaches Children with Autism New Skills

There are many different strategies and approaches that ABA therapy uses to teach children with autism new skills. One such approach is using reinforcement schedules, which can be changed to help children not only learn new skills but also successfully exhibit them over time.

At Blue Gems ABA, our team of experienced BCBAs uses reinforcement schedules and other strategies to cater ABA therapy treatment plans to each individual child. In doing so, they are able to get better results and help their patients achieve goals more successfully.

To learn more, please contact us today.