October 17-21, 2016

This week will address the topic of looking your best as presented in the unit titled, “Dress for Success.” The unit provides lessons and activities about the importance of looking your best to make a good first impression including activities in the Transition Passport: Personal Life, Community and Daily Living/Evaluation Tools. As we assist our young adults in the transition from school to work, it is necessary that they receive training in grooming and self-care skills. Grooming and self-care skills begin with knowing about yourself, your responsibilities and how to look your best. This unit will provide our young adults with the tools needed to learn about how to dress for success and make a good first impression.

•  The unit stories help young adults learn the importance of choosing clothes that fit and  match to help you look your best. In the first story, a young man is trying to choose an outfit for an interview. With help from his sister he is able to choose an outfit that matches and is appropriate for the activity. In the second story, a young lady is going shopping for a new shirt. She tries on several shirts to determine her size and what fits best. Three articles offer more information and activities that give our young adults the opportunity to learn about choosing clothes that fit, how to match your outfit, and how to look your best to make a good first impression.

We are well on our way with our Verbal Behavior program and we are already seeing great gains with it! A major part of the programs success is base on Positive Reinforcement. 

What is Positive Reinforcement?

Reinforcement is a change in the environment following a behavior that increases the future probability of that behavior occurring under similar circumstances

Reinforcement ALWAYS INCREASES the probability of behavior (it doesn’t matter if the reinforcement is positive or negative)

Positive Reinforcement - something is added or gained that increases the probability of the behavior occurring again.

Negative Reinforcement - something is removed or taken away that increases the probability of the behavior occurring again.

Remember that reinforcement can consist of almost any event; do not think of reinforcement as being just something that is given to the child.  Any event that follows a behavior and makes that behavior more likely to occur in the future is reinforcement.

What does it mean to pair with reinforcers?

We offer reinforcers (valuable items/activities) to the child before working on any instructional demands. This means that staff deliver the reinforcers when the child is approaching them and/or remaining in their proximity without demanding anything of the child other than to not engage in problem behavior.

When pairing is done properly, kids want to be around us! They don’t mind working with us when the time comes, because a history of positive reinforcement has been established. The adults are seen as “givers”, a source of good things.

The result of pairing should be approach behavior!!

What is approach behavior?

Approach behavior refers to any behavior (movement and/or vocalization) of the child that indicates they want to be with you.

If we’re having fun, the students will be having fun and will want to be with us.  It is easier to teach someone who wants to be with us rather than someone who wants to run away from us.

Though no demands are placed at first, reinforcers are contingent (dependent) on approach behavior… the student has to look at us, or walk by us, or allow us to walk by him/her to get the reinforcer.  We do not chase… that would reinforce “walking away” behaviors!

When we start assessing and working with the students we need to assess their preferences.  Things the student prefers may serve as reinforcers.  You will be asked to fill out a Reinforcer Assessment in the beginning of the year.  There are many different reinforcer assessments available.