How Schedules of Reinforcement Work

How Schedules of Reinforcement Work

The client in the case presented is a 4-year-old male child called Noah who has toileting challenges. The toilet training designed for the patient is based on the principles of applied behavioral analysis. It follows a five-step program. Fundamental to this training program is the abolishment of diaper use during the day.

Step One

A 15-minute toileting interval will be set for Noah using a timer. Every time the timer rings, he will be taken to the toilet. He will also be shown a picture of a potty, encouraged to verbalize what he sees, and told to say, “it’s pee time, and I want the potty.” He will then be placed on the toilet seat. Whenever he uses the toilet, he will be praised verbally and rewarded with whatever he likes. This step reinforces the child’s desire to use the toilet. A reinforcing schedule is necessary because it is where the bulk of learning occurs. Positive reinforcement encourages the child to embrace a behavior and is thus vital in this step (Hardy & McLeod, 2020). This routine will be maintained even if he refuses to use the toilet.

Step Two

The intervals of toileting will be lengthened with a definite time. This will be done systematically, adding five minutes. Dry pants checks will also be implemented during the mid-intervals. Whenever Noah is found to be having dry pants, he will be verbally praised and encouraged to continue using the toilet.

Step Three

In this step, generalization and maintenance are implemented. This allows behavior to be maintained without the need for reinforcing activities (Sumiati et al., 2019). Whenever Noah’s pants dry for one hour or more, he is no longer brought to the toilet. He will be expected to use the words he was taught in Step One to request a potty. Whenever he does ask, he will be encouraged to ask for a potty whenever he feels like going. The rewards will also be lifted gradually. The intervals will be widened systematically by adding more minutes before the timer rings.

References

Hardy, J. K., & McLeod, R. H. (2020). Using positive reinforcement with young children. Beyond Behavior, 29(2), 95–107. https://doi.org/10.1177/1074295620915724

Sumiati, T., Septiani, N., Widodo, S., & Caturiasari, J. (2019). Building children’s learning motivation through positive reinforcement in science and math classrooms. Journal of Physics: Conference Series, 1318(1), 012023. https://doi.org/10.1088/1742-6596/1318/1/012023

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D. 360
Unit 9 introduced you to schedules of reinforcement and the importance of selecting appropriate schedules to train and reinforce new behaviors and maintain behaviors over time. Behavior analysts work very hard to increase the quality of life and success of each of our clients and we want the modifications that are made to last over time and be used in all appropriate situations and settings. In order to do that, you must select the appropriate schedule of reinforcement for a specific behavior intervention plan (BIP) and program for generalization and maintenance in your designs.

How Schedules of Reinforcement Work

Watch the Unit 9 Lecture. (click here for transcripts)
Read the following scenario.
A parent has reached out to you for help regarding her 4-year-old. Mom is going back to work after being home with her only child for 4-years. She is trying to find a nice daycare center for him – one that is very much like the home environment that he is used to. She is anxious about the separation. Each of the daycare centers that she has called has a policy regarding toilet training. Children 2 years old and over must be toilet trained. Mom has tried to toilet-train little Noah but without any success. She has invested in “pull ups,” thinking that Noah will be proud to wear “big boy” underwear instead of diapers, but success has been very limited.

Design a toilet training program for Noah.
Specify the process and the schedule of reinforcement to be used.
Program for generalization and maintenance.