I have been sharing about Discrete Trial Training, check out the posts:
{Discrete Trial Basics: What Is Discrete Trial Training? Who is it for?}
{Discrete Trial Basics: Where does it take place? When does it occur?}
{Discrete Trial Basics: Why do we use DTT? How do I implement DTT?}
{Discrete Trial Basics: Organization Tips}
{Discrete Trial Products and A Giveaway!}
{Discrete Trial Basics: Awesome Reinforcers}
I mentioned that reinforcement is built in to Discrete Trial Training. Reinforcement looks different for each student. The simple rule with reinforcement is that it needs to be something the students wants at that given moment. Reinforcement typically falls into 3 basic categories:
1. Social: All reinforcement when teaching through DTT is paired with social reinforcement. “Way to go” “Good job” “That’s right” are all great examples of reinforcement. It’s important to mix up your social reinforcement to keep your student excited about learning.
2. Tangible: Tangible items are toys, games, etc. My students love to work for games and toys in our classroom. They love everything Angy Birds and Frozen at the moment. We also love fun sensory toys. I regularly check the aisles at Dollar Tree for fun stuff and I also beg for Happy Meal toys from family members. Check out some of these great tangible reinforcers I LOVE!
3. Edible: This reinforcement strategy gets a lot of attention, but as I said earlier, a quality reinforcer is ANYTHING that a student wants at a given time. This is the other “fun” thing with edible reinforcement. People hear edible and they immediately think candy. This isn’t true by any means. Believe me, I try carrots, celery sticks, raisins, pretzels, any kind of healthy treat before jumping into candy and other sweet treats. One of the best products I’ve found was at the Dollar Tree. I found a pill cutter there and will cut candies in half for students to work for. I’m giving them half the candy they would get if they worked for a full piece of candy, so that feels a little better for those kiddos who will ONLY work for candy, cookies, or chips (we all know that student).
Do you have some tangible reinforcers your students love? I’m always looking to add more to our collection!
