Pairing Yourself as a Reinforcer
for
Your Child With ASD
The pairing process is an essential part of developing a fun relationship with your child. You want to be a reinforcer and provide them with the positive reinforcement they need to grow and learn. Pairing yourself as a reinforcer for your child on the spectrum offers your child the idea that you are the giver of all good things and rewards. It is imperative to understand the two key roles in adopting the role of paired-associate learning:
- Provide reinforcement
- Limit demands
We have videos available at Blue Parachute, as this is how we provide autism home support services. We understand the importance of pairing ABA therapy with a child. Below we share our insight on ABA pairing activities and how you can adopt the role of reinforcer for your child.
Importance of Pairing ABA Therapy With a Child on the Spectrum
Pairing yourself as a reinforcer for your autistic child is an essential part of ABA therapy at home. A positive and healthy relationship between reinforcers and learners creates the stage for successful ABA sessions and therapy. To help your child reach optimal outcomes, be sure to follow our guide on how you can begin ABA therapy pairing at home with your child.
When pairing yourself as a reinforcer for your child, be sure that you are following their motivations and be the one to provide them with the tokens or awards they enjoy. One of the ultimate goals with reinforcement pairing in ABA therapy is for the activity to be more fun with you involved in the reward.
With paired-associate learning, be sure to place a few demands and do not make them straightforward demands such as “stop” or “look at me.” During the pairing process, it is about what the child on the spectrum wants to do. Once the pairing process has been established, you can slowly start introducing demands little by little.
You will know that the pairing process is working once your autistic child starts:
- You find that your child has an increased attention span
- There is a decrease in maladaptive behaviors
- The child begins to follow you vs. you following them
- They start to listen to simple demands as they are slowly introduced
ABA Pairing Activities to Be a Reinforcer
Once you have established yourself as a reinforcer for your child, be sure to have repetition by continuing the pairing process as you incorporate more commands. That ensures that the pairing relationship maintains a healthy understanding as well as assists in establishing yourself as the ultimate reinforcer.
There is a wide range of ABA pairing activities to connect yourself with all your autistic child’s favorite items and activities. Through the repetition of their favorite activities, you can take on the value of all their favorite things.
Here are some ideas for ABA pairing activities to be a reinforcer for your child:
- Play-Doh activities
- Structured play and activities
- Rollers and stamps
- Patterns
- Letters and shapes
- Face painting
- Board games
- Physical play
- Hide-and-seek
- Obstacle course
- Painting and colorings
ABA Therapy Resources
Pairing yourself as a reinforcer for your child on the spectrum is an important role to take on and provides value to your relationship. If you are wondering how we help, we strive to give parents and autistic children the skills they need to benefit their daily routines with our videos.
We have valuable autism resources with our in-depth video library of tools created by Licensed and Certified Behavior Therapists. These videos help parents and children reach their full potential.
To learn more about Blue Parachute and how we can help you or your community, use our online form and contact us today.
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