What are the general effects of positive reinforcement? This is a fairly broad question and cannot be answered without getting a bit more specific. When this strategy is applied to someone with a learning disorder, the effects of positive reinforcement can be quite profound. When that same person has ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders) the results can even be quite astounding.

It is important to understand exactly why positive reinforcement is necessary at all for a person with ASD. First of all, most of the millions of children born with some form of Autism will tend to be unable to copy or mimic the behaviors and actions of those around them. This might be because that child’s Autism manifests itself as an inability to notice sounds and activity going on around them or because the child prefers to play alone all of the time.

Regardless of the cause, when a child with ASD does not experience communication training, they need to be introduced to it in a way that is suited to their abilities. Often, a parent or teacher will count on the effects of positive reinforcement to encourage a child’s behaviors. In the example of learning to communicate by copying those around them, a child may need to be encouraged to interact first with a teacher and then to use those skills in a wider environment such as a play group or classroom.

How do parents and teachers learn the strategies that will introduce the child to the good effects of positive reinforcement? Though there are no documented cures for Autism, there are some therapies and treatments that are widely advocated by medical and educational experts. At the very top of most lists is something known as ABA.

This translates to Applied Behavior Analysis and it is actually the science by which human behavior is observed, analyzed and then changed through specialized tactics one of which is positive reinforcement. A child with ASD might be monitored in their learning environment by a trained teacher or educator. This person is going to be looking for the reasons that the child may, or may not, be behaving in a certain way. They will then use very precise teaching techniques and positive reinforcement to ensure that the child begins to behave in the ways that are meaningful and positive to their life. This approach usually ensures that a child with ASD is as independent and productive as possible.

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