Positive Reinforcement Used With Children Of Disorders

Positive reinforcement occurs after a behavior is exhibited in order to insure the behavior will continue. The following research studies used positive reinforcement treatment plans to increased compliance behavior for children with Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder that exhibit stereotypical behavior. The results showed that by using positive reinforcement techniques, children’s disruptive behavior was reduced. Results showed that the positive reinforcement procedures were very effective in various settings such as a school, in home and clinical settings. This paper will discuss the positive reinforcement techniques used to reduce disruptive behavior in children with ODD and ADHD. The purpose of the treatment intervention is to encourage participants to be responsible by putting their toys away when told, by using positive reinforcement. The goal is for participants to learn, how to exhibit good behavior.

Positive reinforcement involves strengthening or fostering desired behavior through the addition or increase of a pleasant incentive. Positive reinforcement tends to be a more effective means of behavior modification that the two types of punishment. The addition or increase of incentive when using positive reinforcement is geared towards encouraging the occurrence of the behavior in the future. For instance, positive reinforcement is used by an

Reinforcement is an essential part in identifying and encouraging a certain behavior. In the most classic definition, positive reinforcement is a method of identifying to children which behaviors are acceptable and appropriate and which are not (Sigler, E. & Aamidor, S, 2005). Reinforcement is often given as praise for doing a certain task. As educators, saying “great job” or a simple word like “fantastic” are expressed towards students as praise. However, when a student is struggling and praise is given such as “you are doing so well”, the negative aspects of praise present themselves. The child is aware of the empty praise therefore it may work against the teacher if it is taken as a false

Positive reinforcement is a very compelling and efficient tool to help form and change habits. Positive reinforcement works by imparting a motivating item to the individual after the preferred behavior is exhibited, making the behavior more likely to happen sooner than later. An instance of this tactic would be Jimmy getting $10 for each A he earned on his report card. The definition

Positive reinforcement strengthens a behavior by providing a consequence an individual finds rewarding. Negative reinforcement strengthens behavior because it stops or removes an unpleasant experience. Punishment is defined as the opposite of reinforcement since it is designed to weaken or eliminate a response rather than to increase it.

One treatment for ADHD incorporates Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Counseling, and Social Skills training to address deficits in emotional regulation including low self-esteem, anger or aggression, anxiety or withdrawal, loneliness, and depression. People who are diagnosed with ADHD can learn conversational skills and can also improve tasks like organization, and memory. Studies have shown that interventions like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Counseling, and Social Skills training to address deficits in emotional regulation including low self-esteem, anger or aggression, anxiety or withdrawal, loneliness, and depression. People who are diagnosed with can learn conversational skills and can also improve tasks like organization, and memory. Studies have shown that interventions like these improve these children 's relationships with their classmates, which helps in the development of control of aggressive impulses, feelings of acceptance and belonging, morality, stress resistance, self-esteem, and cooperative social exchange skills (Guevremont & Dumas, 1994). Other treatments for ADHD include Neurofeedback; this involves having a Electroencephalogram (EEG) to measure brain waves, using a computer program to help increase brain waves related to attention, focus and concentration.( Treatments & Outcomes. (n.d.). Retrieved April 20, 2016).

e. Positive reinforcement presents an encouraging element to an individual after a wanted behavior is demonstrated. It helps to make the wanted behavior more likely to occur again in the future. An example of this is when a mother gives her child a treat after cleaning up his room. The child is more likely clean his room in the future because he received positive enforcement for performing the desired behavior.

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (“ADHD”) is a common childhood disorder that represents developmentally inappropriate levels of inattention, impulsivity and overactivity. It occurs in 3% to 5% of the school age population as stated by (Craighead, Craighead, Kazdin & Mahoney, 1994). Another author (Barkley, 1981) stated that ADHD occurs in at least one child in every classroom. As a result of these statistics, ADHD has become one of the most commonly referred and heavily studied psychological disorders of childhood. Studies show that about 50-60% of children with ADHD in the age range of five to seven years are hostile and defiant. By the

ADHD: it is something you have heard about from friends, doctors, and even news casters. Some insist it is simply all in children’s heads while others claim it is a true disorder harming the world’s children. This leaves everyone with one question; what should you believe and where should you go from here? To begin with, ADHD is a true disorder that does require treatment. It is a mental disorder in which children are often inattentive and impulsive. Ritalin, the current treatment for ADHD, is effective but is harming multitudes of children and must be regulated. On the other hand, behavioral therapy, which is a therapy that focuses on enhancing children’s behavior and lives, is a safe and alternative form of treatment that should be required to take the place of Ritalin through the passing of legislation.

The diagnosis of attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has increased significantly over recent years and along with the rise in diagnosis is the dramatic surge in prescription medication as treatment. ADHD is a behavior issue, not a disease. As an alternative to prescribing medication to alter a child’s behavior, parents, teachers, and doctors need to determine and find a resolution to the root cause of the negative behavior. Medication is not a cure for ADHD and does not solve the issues that create negative behavior – alternatives to drugs are available to make the necessary behavior modifications in children.

Howard and Landeau’s (2011) research article also found that intervention plans must be developed based on the unique needs of each child. The research indicates that combined treatments such as medication plus behavioral interventions, tend to be most successful in reducing ADHD symptoms and improving the overall functioning of the child. They found a functional behavior assessment to be a valuable assessment strategy in determining how to replace inappropriate behaviors with more desirable behavior. A school psychologist or social worker usually does a functional behavior assessment by systematically observing the child to determine why a behavior occurs and its purpose or function. Rewards-based interventions, social skills training, and organizational skills development are effective in reducing

Rosch, Fosco, Pelham, Waxmonsky, Bubnik, & Hawk (2015), described behavior modification therapy based on reinforcement and/or punishment as the leading psychosocial treatment for ADHD. In addition, behavior modification is also recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (American Academy of Pediatrics 2011). Behavior therapy lacks the harsh physical and mental side effects of medication. Despite less side effects, behavior modification therapy can prove to be quite a challenge. There is no standard or baseline “effective dose” of behavior modification. Furthermore, it can vary significantly from child to child. Behavior modification referred to in most studies, includes some system of rating to determine if a child’s ADHD symptoms improve after therapy. Researchers utilize techniques such as daily report cards, reward-cost or points system, and feedback to analyze and monitor the child’s behavior. Different levels of intensity were implemented in some studies such as Fabiano, Pelham, Gnagy, MacLean, Coles, Chacko, Robb et al., (2007) High Behavior Modification (HBM) included a point system and daily report cards. Teachers, counselors, or other administrators provided feedback such as corrections on assignments and explanations when a rule was violated. Low Behavior Modification (LBM) provided less intervention, but included feedback without the loss or gain of points. Participants also received less praise and rewards. In the No Behavior Modification (NBM) study weeks the children were given directions, rule violation was corrected and noted, but explanations were not given. Pelham, Carlson, Sams, Vallano, & Al (1993) referenced other scholarly journals and findings arguing behavior modification improved academic performance in ADHD children best when a negative consequence accompanies poor behavior, rather than a reward for task

The goal Cognitive-Behavioral Interventions of behavioral treatment are to teach self-control through verbal self-instructions, problem-solving strategies, cognitive modeling, self-monitoring, self-evaluation, self-reinforcement and other strategies. Typically, a therapist meets with a client once or twice a week in an attempt to teach the client through modeling, role playing and practicing cognitive strategies, the person can use to control his or her inattention and impulsive behavior. As a simple example, a child may be taught to say “stop” to himself when he is about to call out in class. Children with ADHD seem to lack these internal cues and so it was thought that teaching them such cues would be helpful. While CBI was popular in the

“Properly used, positive reinforcement is extremely powerful.” (B.F. Skinner) This quote from B.F Skinner shows my opinion on the punishment v. positive reinforcement argument. According to the dictionary punishment is the infliction or imposition of a penalty for an offense. Examples of punishment include: loss of recess time, extra homework, detention, and loss of other privileges. According to the dictionary the definition of reinforcement is the process of encouraging or establishing a belief or pattern of behavior, especially by encouragement or reward. Examples of reinforcement are: teacher praise, earning privileges, teacher attention, taking away a homework assignment, extra recess time, and extending a deadline. Positive reinforcement and punishment within a classroom are constantly being tested to see which ones more effective when shaping a child’s behavior, but in my opinion positive reinforcement is the better option. To back this up I am going to be using a combination of different experiments and surveys that have been conducted with student and teachers.

     There are two forms of reinforcement: positive and negative reinforcement. When an event occurs producing a positive effect, it is considered positive reinforcement. Negative reinforcement involves the removal of a stimulus increasing the likelihood of a positive effect. An example of this would be to take two aspirins to remove the pain from a headache.