Reinforcement in the Smallest Ways...Making the Biggest Difference

Share |

B.F. Skinner said it best, "The way positive reinforcement is carried out is more important than the amount."

One of the fondest memories that I have from graduate school is the impact that positive reinforcement had with one of my clients.  This child in particular loved penguins and up until I incorporated penguins into the session, I never really felt like I was getting very far with some of the therapy sessions.  I started to incorporate penguins somehow within each session whether it was receiving a penguin sticker after producing 10 sounds or if it was receiving a piece of paper with penguin letterhead printed from the computer.  Penguins made all of the difference because it helped the clinician and client to build a rapport based on the notion that the therapist took the time to incorporate an interest of the child.  To an outsider looking in, this statement may sound a little unrealistic, but sometimes it surprises me how much the dynamics of a session can change by finding something that interests the child and/or adult.  It is all in how the reinforcement is carried out because sometimes it is in the smallest ways that make the biggest difference.  Some of the pictures above are a few of the the items that I have used with children as reinforcement during some of the sessions.