Positive Reinforcement to Increase Academic Performance

Positive Reinforcement to Increase Academic Performance Reinforcement is the means by which behavior is increased. Also known as consequences, positive reinforcement adds something that will make it more likely the behavior will occur. Negative reinforcement is when something is removed, it is more likely to continue. The Reinforcement Continuum Reinforcement happens all the time. Some reinforcement occurs because the item or activity is naturally reinforcing. At the highest end of reinforcement, reinforcers are social or intrinsic, such as praise or self-esteem. Young children, or children with low cognitive or social functioning, may require primary reinforcers, such as food or preferred items. During the course of instruction primary reinforcers should be paired with secondary reinforcers. Primary Reinforcers: Primary reinforcers are things that reinforce behavior that provide immediate gratification, such as food, water or a preferred activity. Often very young children or children with severe disabilities need primary reinforcers in order to be engaged in an educational program. Food can be a powerful reinforcer, especially preferred food, such as fruit or candy. Often young children with severe disabilities or very low social functioning are started with preferred foods, but they need to be paired with secondary reinforcers, especially praise and social interaction. Physical stimulation, like piggyback rides or airplane rides are primary reinforcers that pair the therapist or teacher with the reinforcer. One of the principal goals of a therapist or teacher is for the therapist or teacher to become a secondary reinforcer for the child. When the therapist becomes a reinforcer for the child, it becomes easier for the child to generalize secondary reinforcers, like praise, across environments. Pairing primary reinforcers with tokens is also a powerful way to replace primary reinforcers with secondary reinforcers. A student earns tokens toward a preferred item, activity or perhaps food as part of their educational or therapy program. The token is also paired with secondary reinforcement, like praise, and moves the child toward appropriate behavior. Secondary Reinforcers:  Secondary reinforcers are learned reinforcers. Awards, praise and other social reinforcers are all learned. If students have not learned the value of secondary reinforcement, such as praise or rewards, they need to be paired with primary reinforcers: a child earns a preferred item by earning stars. Soon the social status and attention that go with stars will transfer to the stars, and other secondary reinforcers like stickers and awards will become effective. Children with autism spectrum disorders lack an understanding of social interaction and do not value praise or other secondary reinforcement because they lack Theory of Mind (ToM), the ability to understand that another human has emotions, thoughts and is motivated by personal self-interest. Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder need to be taught the value of secondary reinforcers by having them paired with preferred items, food, and preferred activities. Intrinsic Reinforcement: The final goal of reinforcement is for students to learn to evaluate themselves and reward themselves with intrinsic reinforcement, the feeling a person gets from a job well done, for successfully completing a task. Still, we need to remember that people do not spend 12 years in college, medical school and residency just for the honor of being addressed as doctor. They are also hoping to earn the big bucks, and rightly so. Still, when intrinsic rewards accompany employment, as in being a special education teacher, they may compensate for some of the lack of status and income. The ability to discover intrinsic reinforcement in many activities that lead to the big bucks does, however, bode well for future success. Socially Valid Reinforcers Socially valid reinforcers refer to reinforcement schedules that are age appropriate. Seeking reinforcers that do not set students apart from typically developing peers in their age group is really part of providing FAPE- a Free, Appropriate Public Education- a legal underpinning of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 1994 (IDEIA.) For students in middle school or high school, putting Super Mario stickers on the backs of their hands is not age appropriate. Of course, students with the most difficult behavior, or those who do not respond to secondary reinforcement need to have reinforcers that can be paired with social reinforcement and faded as more socially acceptable reinforcement can take its place. Socially valid reinforcement can also help students understand what is cool or acceptable to typical peers. Rather than letting middle school aged students watch a Telletubbies video as a reinforcer, how about a National Geographic video about bears? Or perhaps anime cartoons? Identifying High Preference Reinforcers In order for reinforcement to be effective, it has to be something the student or students find reinforcing. Stars on a chart might work for typical 2nd graders, but not for second graders with a severe disability. They certainly wont work for high school students, unless they get to trade them for something they really want. There are several ways to discover reinforcers. Ask Parents: If you teach students who are not communicating, students with severe cognitive disabilities or autism spectrum disorders, you should be sure to interview parents before the students come to you, so you have some of their favorite things. Often offering a favorite toy for a brief period is a strong enough reinforcer to keep a young student on task.An Informal Preference Assessment: Lay a number of things that children of the same age enjoy playing with and watch what a student shows the most interest in. You may seek similar toys. Also, other items that have shown to be of interest, like toys that light up when you squeeze them, or accordion tubes that make noises when you pull them can be shown and modeled to students to see if they gain their attention. These items are available through catalogs that specialize in providing resources for children with disabilities, such as Abilitations.Observation: What does a child choose to use? What activities do they seem to prefer ? I had a child in an early intervention program who had a pet turtle. We had a nicely painted model turtle of vinyl, and he would work for an opportunity to hold the turtle. With older children, you will find they may have a Thomas the Tank Engine lunch bag, or a Cinderella Umbrella that they cherish, and Thomas and Cinderella may be good partners for reinforcement. Ask the Students: Find out what they find the most motivating. One way to do that is through Reinforcement Menus that  offer students things they can choose. When you collect them from a group, you can decide which items seem to be the most popular and arrange to make them available. A choice chart with the choices they have made can be very helpful, or you can create individual choice charts as I have for middle school students on the Autism Spectrum. If you want to control or limit the number of times they can make each choice (especially computer time, when you have limited computers for a large group) you could also make tickets with strips at the bottom to tear off, a little like the postings for used cars at the Laundromat.

Treating De Quervains Syndrome at Home

Treating De Quervains Syndrome at Home It is important to note that treating De Quervains syndrome, also known as gamers thumb, at home or without the direction of a doctor is possible, however, severe or chronic De Quervains syndrome should be evaluated by a qualified healthcare provider since, if left untreated, De Quervains syndrome can result in permanent injury and a loss of your range of motion and grip strength. Treating De Quervains syndrome should begin when symptoms first appear and continue as long as the symptoms persist or the cause is still relevant. Treatment should be done leading up towards a doctors appointment or during your data gathering activities while trying to determine the cause of your De Quervains syndrome. Treatments and their effectiveness should be noted within this data. The first step in treating De Quervains syndrome at home is taking care of your general health. Chronic inflammation affects a lot of people and can contribute to or hamper your recovery from most repetitive stress injuries, including De Quervains syndrome. General Health To make your De Quervains syndrome treatments the as effective as they can be you should be in good health and at a healthy body weight. Being overweight contributes to chronic inflammation and affects your circulation as well. And without good circulation, your body cant repair itself effectively. So maintaining a good circulatory system through cardiovascular exercise helps. Hydration Staying hydrated is important as well. A good rule of thumb to stay hydrated is to take your weight in pounds, slide the decimal to the left so you lose the ones column, and drink that many ounces of water. If you weigh 250 pounds then you should drink at least 25 ounces of water a day. Rest The best way to treat your De Quervains syndrome at home is to identify what activities are causing the repetitive stress and avoid doing them while allowing your wrist and thumb ample time to rest and heal. Being able to take a couple weeks off and not use your hand for much is almost always impossible. So at least try to reduce the length of time, the number of repetitions or strength required to perform the tasks causing the repetitive stress. If at all possible avoid repetitive motions of any type with the hand and wrist. Ice One of the most effective treatments for any inflammation, like De Quervains syndrome, is using ice. Ice reduces swelling and relieves pain. Use an ice pack regularly to reduce your inflammation following a 15 minute on - 15 minute off pattern. A cool pack, one that isnt as cold as frozen ice, can be kept on longer. Follow the manufacturers recommendation on these items. Over the Counter Medication The inflammation associated with De Quervains syndrome can be reduced with the use of over the counter anti-inflammatory medication such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen. They are also effective at managing pain. Liniments and pain relieving balms can help temporarily relieve your pain, but often do not reduce the inflammation. Whether you use a pill or a topical pain reliever it is important to remember that they are simply masking your pain. The problem is still there and if you continue to stress the area while the pain is masked you can further injure yourself. Stabilization/Immobilization When treating De Quervains syndrome at home you may want to consider wearing a splint to immobilize the wrist and thumb that is being afflicted. A splint will completely immobilize your thumb and/or wrist allowing it to heal without further stressing the area. If complete immobilization is not practical then stabilization may help. To stabilize the wrist and thumb for De Quervains syndrome a brace or compression wrap is used to support the wrist and thumb, especially when gripping. This provides more support to the area reducing some of the stress and range of motion you would normally receive. But it does not impede you from all repetitive stress or further injuring yourself. Exercise Physical therapy is a vital part of treating and recovering from De Quervains syndrome. A doctor or physical therapist can provide you with an exercise regiment to help your particular condition and instruct you in the proper execution of those exercises. A couple of easy stretches can be performed on your own, however. These stretches should only be done a couple of times a day and you should not experience any pain when doing them. If they are hurting it may be time to see a doctor for your De Quervains syndrome. Stretching the muscle between the thumb and the palm is a good exercise. The inflammation and irritation of the tendons in De Quervains syndrome often destabilize the base of the thumb. It becomes weak and difficult to properly use. You can help relieve the stress at the base thumb joint by stretching and massaging the muscles and tissues that hold it in place. To perform this stretch grab your afflicted thumb with your other hand and pull the thumb away from your palm. Hold the stretch for ten to fifteen seconds and then release. Let the sensation die down completely before stretching again. Perform this stretch with the hands below the level of your heart for better circulation during the stretch. Massaging the web of muscle and tissue between the thumb and palm is beneficial as well. Next stretch the tendons that control the thumb and pass through the wrist, the ones causing the problem. Hold your hand in a relaxed fist and flex your wrist downward much like in Finkelsteins test. Dont flex your wrist to the point of pain, however. Just give it a relaxing stretch for ten to fifteen seconds and then release. These stretches should be done once or twice a day and no more. The area has very small muscles that can easily be overworked. If you strain those muscles and your thumb starts hurting give it a day or two before you begin stretching again. The stretching will have a cumulative relaxing effect on your De Quervains syndrome over the course of a couple of weeks. It is important to note that you should not stretch any part of your body when it is cold. So do not stretch your thumb after icing it or when under the effects of a pain reliever since it is easy to overstretch things in those cases.