Reinforcement

There are many types of reinforcement. For our purposes here we will talk about natural reinforcers and contrived (or artificial) reinforcers.A natural reinforcer is any reinforcer that would occur out in the natural environment without therapeutic intervention. They are either spontaneous or come after time with delayed gratification. For example, you work you get paid. There is a natural connection between the behavior and the reinforcement. Any child in a healthy environment would likely receive the reinforcement. Generally speaking, when you are nice to people, they are nice to you. Generally speaking, when you say please and thank you, you get a more reinforcing response. You learn to make a PB&;J sandwich and you get to eat it. You appropriately ask an appropriate person for a hug in an appropriate manner and you get a hug. If you are a child and you appropriately ask for a glass of milk in the right place and time from the right person, you get a glass of milk. You put together a model airplane or a car, you get to keep it and feel good about what you have accomplished. As a child, you ask for what you want that is appropriate, in an appropriate way from the right person and at the appropriate time and you get it if possible. You learn to do something for yourself and you develop independence and feel good about that. You play "nice" (I know that has to be defined) and other children want to play with you. You do things that are appropriate and people say thank you and I'm proud of you. (This one is kind of in-between)
Contrived reinforcers are those provided by or arranged by the therapist and in some cases the parent or teacher. "High fives" (plus some additional strange behaviors usually only seen in football players and avid fans) are also in-between. You ask for a hug and get an m&m. You complete a task or step and get a sticker. You are quiet in class and you get a star while other children who are quiet do not get stars.You do something appropriate and get points and eventually get to buy something with those points. The "point" here is that there is an artificial connection created between the behavior and a reinforcement that would not typically occur for a child not in therapy, or an artificial reinforcement that would not typically occur.

Supplimental Information:
Artificial and Natural Reinforcement

Desensitization

Desensitization is also a fairly simple concept; however it requires the coordination of a number of interventions. As you help someone to desensitize you build self efficacy. You do this by first helping them to relax, this can be through play and doing an activity they both enjoy and for which they already have high self efficacy. Using successive approximations you then gently introduce the concept or activity that you and/or they want to build self efficacy for and be desensitized to. For example, you may help someone to relax with music and relaxation techniques or through play and/or an enjoyable activity, without making a bid deal about it and perhaps even a little in the distance, uncover the picture of a spider. Over time and a few sessions you would hand them a picture of a spider then have a toy spider and eventually have a real (safe) spider in a jar and continue this to the point needed. It would probably never be needed that they actually hold the spider. It is the same thing with almost anything else. If it is fear of flying this would continue until they actually took a short flight with someone they trusted and who would help them to relax. They may carry relaxing music with them or even a relaxing and enjoyable video to watch. This of course is all individualized. If someone does not have a problem with pictures of spiders but is afraid of spiders, you would not need to start by uncovering a picture of a spider. Starting with a toy spider may be more appropriate.

Chaining

Chaining is a simple concept. You can do both backwards and forwards chaining. It is simply teaching one step at a time. For example if you are teaching someone to use a computer, if you are doing forward chaining you first teach them to turn it on. If you are doing backwards chaining you first teach them to turn it off. If you are teaching someone to get dressed, you may first teach them to put on their underpants (it could be broken down even more basic if needed teaching them to first pick up the underpants in a certain way and then teaching them to put one leg in and then the other and then pulling them up. That is forward chaining. If you were training doing backwards chaining you may put most of the top on and put their head through and one arm through and teach them to put the other arm through on their own. The next step would be to teach them to put both arms through on their own. With either forwards or backwards chaining you continue to redo the steps already learned.