Is it a Reward, or a Bribe?

One of the misunderstandings in ABA therapy is that the use of positive reinforcement, which is rewarding a behaviour that has occurred, is the same as bribing a child to do something you want them to do. The main point here is that, with bribery, you are promising a reward in response to the lack of a desired behaviour; whereas, with positive reinforcement, you and the child agree on a reward for an appropriate behaviour before any behaviour has occurred. Let’s look at an example; 

If a child begins to scream and whine while waiting in line at the grocery store and the parent responds by saying “If you stop crying now I will give you a candy bar”, that is bribery. The parent promised their child a candy bar after the child started to scream and whine.This actually has a better chance of increasing the chances that the child will scream and whine the next time they are waiting in line at the grocery store, due to being positively reinforcing. Let’s look at an example of that next, in a similar situation. 

A child begins to scream and whine in a grocery store and their parent acts as though nothing is happening, but moves quickly to pay. The parent takes the child home and, when the child is calm again, says, “I can tell that staying patient in the line while shopping is tough for you, tell you what; if you can wait quietly in line with me next time, I will buy you a candy bar you can eat during the drive home. Then, if the child is able to wait patiently, their parent gives them a candy bar. This is most likely to increase the chances that the child will wait quietly in line the next time they are at the grocery store. 

Here are the Important Differences:

Positive Reinforcement or Reward

Positive reinforcement, or a reward, is any consequence that increases the chances that a behaviour will occur again. Rewards are often known to the person before they engage in the desirable behavior, but they are only given after a behaviour. Remember the example above. With reward, the child only got a candy bar after they showed their parent that they could wait in line quietly. It is “paying” someone for the behaviour you want, rather than “paying” for them to change their inappropriate behaviour.  Rewards are very effective at increasing and shaping behaviour, but be careful, sometimes things that seem like rewards are bribes, and some things that seem like a punishment, can actually be rewarding.

Bribery

Bribery is an attempt to get someone to change the current behaviour into something that is more appropriate to the setting, like telling a child they can have a candy bar if they stop crying. Bribery can be effective in the moment, but often worsens situations in the long term, due to it actually being a reward for inappropriate behaviour. In the example above, the child’s parent promises a candy bar after the child begins to scream and whine. This is actually more likely to be a reward for screaming and whining, than it is a reward for stopping. What happens is that the parent and child get trapped in a loop, with the child screaming and whining because, in the past screaming and whining has given them the opportunity to access candy by stopping.

Bribery doesn’t often shape or change the behaviour we want it to. With the above example, the behaviour being changed is screaming and whining, but it is being increased not decreased. After bribery is used for a while the person may begin to expect some type of reward, (or promise) to be given before the desirable behaviour is engaged in, like a child demanding time on their iPad before agreeing to clean their room. 

Implementing Reinforcement or Reward

Rewards can be incredibly effective at motivating others to perform certain behaviours. The use of reinforcement differs from bribery in that the reinforcer (reward), is given immediately after the desirable behaviour. In this sense, the person learns that only by engaging in appropriate behaviours are they able to access rewards.

Let’s look at some more examples to see how rewards can be implemented into everyday situations to increase desired behaviour 

Another Example:

It’s the weekend and your child has chores to do. The first thing to do would be to make sure that your child knows exactly which chores they are supposed to do and by what time they should be done. One strategy is to give them the option to either choose their chores or choose the order they do them in; this can give them a feeling of empowerment. After they choose, you can talk with your child and decide together what the reinforcer or reward should be for completing the task. After the child completes their chores you deliver the reward. It is important to note that providing the reward as quickly as possible is more effective than delivering it after some time has passed. 

 Tips

• Keep rewards balanced with the behaviour

  • Cleaning up a room isn’t worth a $80 video game, but maybe keeping a room clean for 2 months is, feel free to be creative and discuss different options

• Be Flexible

  • Communicate with your child about what rewards they are interested in

  • Be willing to switch up the reward

• Make sure you have enough resources for a reward (like time, money, space, etc.)

  • Remember that rewards do not have to be monetary

    • You could read a book together

    • You could go on a walk

    • You could play 20 questions

ABA: Why the Controversy?

ABA wasn’t established as a field until 1968, much later than similar fields like medicine that have been around in some form for thousands of years. ABA has since been scientifically validated to be an effective treatment for those diagnosed with autism and its related disorders (Simmons, D., 1995). Due in part to its effectiveness in treating those with autism, news and media make it seem as though those in the ABA field can only work with individuals with autism. however; those trained in ABA have successfully worked in many different fields and on many different behaviours. Here are just some of the things that ABA has been used for;

• Reduction/cessation of smoking

• Eating Disorders

• Criminal Forensics

• Animal Training

• Training Athletes 

  • Gymnasts

  • Footballers

  • Ballet Dancers

• Addressing Addiction

• Business

So why the controversy? Beginning in the late 1960’s the field of ABA was just being established and it looked very different. While we know today that ABA is a safe and effective therapy for many behaviours, early practitioners had no guide on how to apply the principles they learned about behaviour to improving people’s lives. The use of behaviour principles in therapy was called “behaviour management” and early practitioners and programs relied too heavily on punishment strategies (meaning consequences that reduce a behaviour) due to their immediate results on reducing unwanted behaviours. Common punishers in those days included very loud noises, electric shocks, and water or food being withheld. As the field has grown so has our understanding of the principles of behaviour.

What About Punishment?

Early ABA practitioners used punishment strategies because they worked rapidly to reduce problem behaviours, so what was the problem? The problem was that they didn’t teach their client what to do instead. What often happened was a circle where a behaviour (like biting one’s self) was punished and would cease, only to be replaced by another, more intense behaviour (like banging one’s head on the floor. By the 1980’s the heavy use of punishment had reduced drastically and the field shifted toward a focus on what really changes behaviour, motivation. For a more in depth look at punishment check out our article on punishment and negative reinforcement. 

Moving Toward Rewards and Motivation

Practitioners applying new research from the field of ABA found that using rewards for appropriate behaviour was vastly more effective at creating and changing behaviour. This shift was reflected in the field of ABA as a whole as therapists and practitioners prioritized rewarding clients for appropriate behaviour while making sure that inappropriate behaviour was simply not rewarded, rather than punished. 

Is ABA Too Tough on Kids?

In the 1960’s there was a push to provide services at 40 hours per week for every client. This is no longer the norm and, while some research has shown that such high intensity of services is effective for some clients, most of those in ABA services today tend to receive from 10 to 30 hours per week of behavioural services, depending on personal need.

Research has demonstrated that humans, especially children, tend to learn best during play (Zosh et al, 2017) and ABA practitioners are typically trained to make services feel like play. ABA also focuses on training those providing direct services to be as animated and energetic as possible, so that services feel light and fun.

As an example; if I am working with a child on making eye-contact when spoken to and following directions I might tell the child that we are going to play a game of soldiers. I would let the child know that before we start the game I need to know they are listening and looking at me. The game of following directions as a soldier gives me the opportunity to have my client practice all of the directions they need to know and have fun doing it. As the client gets better and better at the game, we can start to practice in more serious ways and I can describe why it is important to follow directions by using statements like,  “Stopping when we hear the word “stop” helps keep us safe and healthy”.  

Is ABA Only For Problem Behaviours?

Some see ABA as a treatment only for “problem behaviour”; things like hitting, screaming, and running away. This is mainly due to “a few bad apples spoiling a batch”. Some practitioners fail to account for teaching their clients new, appropriate behaviours to replace the ones that were not safe or effective. This leads into a treatment cycle where the therapist is able to reduce an unwanted behavior, only to have another rise in its place. At Cayman ABA we have a 1:1 rule which is; if you are going to reduce a problem behaviour (tantruming for a cookie), you have to increase, or teach, an appropriate behaviour also (asking politely for the cookie).

Most ABA practitioners today use the science of ABA not only to reduce behaviour for their clients, but to teach all sorts of skills, from tying shoes and stating maths facts, to learning about sarcasm and how to change your tone when telling a joke. At Cayman ABA we tailor our interventions to our clients as individuals and typically have many more programs teaching or increasing a behaviour than we have for decreasing a behaviour.

Additionally, many in the field of ABA apply its principles not just for their clients, but for themselves. I used the principles of ABA to study for an important test and had a colleague use it to increase their exercise per week. ONce you know how effective rewards and motivation can be, it becomes the way you view the world. Want to increase a behaviour of your own, like studying or responding to emails? Start rewarding yourself when you study, or when you respond to an email right away.

A Message of Hope

The initial stated mission of the science of behaviour analysis was to save the world through the knowledge that the scientific study of behaviour brings. At Cayman ABA we realize that we probably can’t change the world, but we can teach kids the skills they need to thrive in the world and we can help families feel like they are not alone.

References

Simmons, D.A. The NAAEE Standards Project: Papers on the Development of Environmental Education Standards; North American Association for Environmental Education: Troy, OH, USA, 1995. [Google Scholar]

Zosh, J.M., Hopkins, E. J., Jensen, H., Liu, C., Neale, D., Hirsh-Pasek, K., Solis L.S., & Whitebread, D. (2017). Learning through play: a review of the evidence.Demark: LEGO Foundation

Benefits of Early Intervention

How to Benefit From Intervention: Early and As a Team

Early research into interventions for those with autism supported the conclusion that earlier treatment yielded improved life outcomes for those with autism. Recent research has asked a different question, “What are the factors that influence how effective early intervention is for any given client?” This topic is partly addressed in another article about a client’s progress which you can find here, but for now, let’s continue.

Starting Early

The general findings of research are that starting interventions early leads to an increased likelihood of positive life outcomes (Majnemer, 1998), but starting early isn’t always easy. There are many factors that frustrate our progress when seeking treatment, some are listed below;

• Time

• Finances

• Schedule conflicts

• Waiting for Assessments

• Getting Referrals

It is important to look for a flexible provider that adheres to the values and ethics of the field of ABA and the Behavior Analyst Certification Board and can work with you on scheduling, funding, and resources like referrals to other providers (Speech and Language Therapy, Occupational Therapy, etc.). Talking with your providers can be helpful in addressing and overcoming any concerns or obstacles you may encounter in seeking effective treatment for your child.

Early Intervention: What is the Right Amount of Time?

The amount of time your child needs for treatment will be unique, but there are some rough guides. Most clients spend between 10 and 30 hours of treatment per week, depending on the level of need. It is important to talk with your provider about the amount of time that is effective for everyone. If a parent is stressed about making therapy work with other family needs on certain days of the week, it may be better to shorten services, or not have services on that day of the week.

Another factor that can guide you when deciding how much time is the right time for you is by monitoring your child’s energy level for a few days. If your child is “bouncing off the wall” with energy, it is likely that 20 or more hours of therapy per week will be engaging and interesting for your child. On the other hand, if your child gets fatigued easily, it may be best to start with fewer hours and increase as your child adapts and learns new skills.

A Team Effort

The final factor in making early intervention effective is making intervention a true team effort. In today’s society, it is common for a client to have a few different providers. Make sure that your child’s team meets or communicates regularly with each other so that they can be consistent. It is also important for all members of the team to agree on how they will respond to the child’s important behaviours and agree on how to keep track of their progress.

A team that stays in contact is a team that can work on the same behaviour from many perspectives. Let’s look at a pretend situation as an example;

• Example: “Andy”

• Andy is a young boy that has difficulty speaking

• He has a speech therapist (SLT)

• He has an occupational therapist (OT)

• He has an ear, nose, and throat specialist (ENT)

• He has a BCBA and an RBT at home and school

Andy had a very minor cleft palate as a baby and has had several corrective surgeries. His ENT oversees the health of Andy’s tongue and throat; very important parts for speech. His speech therapist is told by the ENT that the shape of Andy’s mouth may make producing certain sounds especially difficult for Andy. Because they know this, the speech therapist begins focusing on helping Andy shape those sounds. The speech therapist tells the RBT and BCBA that Andy is working on specific sounds, so ABA focuses on rewarding Andy for using those sounds during the session to ask for items he wants (like giving Andy a ball for saying “baa”). It is likely that Andy, if he were real, would experience success and progress in his life due to the excellent communication of his team.

It can be difficult to make time for everything that needs to be done in life, so it is important to think realistically about the intensity of the treatment. It is better to do 15 hours of therapy per week that you are sure you can be consistent with than it is to try for 30 hours per week and not be able to make half of the appointments.  As always, feel free to talk with your ABA service providers (BCBA’s) about your needs and concerns; it is likely that together you can come up with a plan to consistently provide important services to your child that will impact the quality of their day to day life.

References

Hackworth, N.J., Matthews, J., Westrupp, E.M. et al. What Influences Parental Engagement in Early Intervention? Parent, Program and Community Predictors of Enrolment, Retention and Involvement. Prev Sci 19, 880–893 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11121-018-0897-2

Majnemer A. Benefits of Early Intervention for Children with Developmental Disabilities. Semin Pediatr Neurol. 1998; 5: 62–69.CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar