Relating Development to Common Behavior Strategies
Behavior strategies need to be matched to the student or students’ level of development. When behavior strategies are above the student’s overall level of cognitive development, the success of these strategies will be limited and/or may be counterproductive. The following chart below incorporates the role of development when selecting behavioral strategies.
| Behavior Strategy |
12-18 months |
18-24 months |
2-4 years |
4-7 years |
7-11 years |
11+ years |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First/Then Structuring (Premack) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Immediate Reinforcers a. Social b. Food |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Teach Routines |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Teach “The rule is.." |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Script Training (i.e., what to say in a specific situation) |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Peer Modeling |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Points for specific behaviors earned for future reinforcer |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| “Caught Being Good Tickets” (non-specified behaviors) |
No |
No |
No |
Yes (at end of stage) |
Yes |
Yes |
| Points and Levels of Access |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
| Behavior Contracts |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
| Earn points as table/ any other “group oriented” reinforcers |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
| Attempt to elicit intrinsic reinforcement, Self-Evaluation |
No |
No |
No |
No |
No |
Yes |
Content revised from Diana Browning Wright, Behavior/Discipline Trainings 2003. Initial version developed for: “How Children Think and Learn” Diana Browning Wright, Mary Owens, 1999. Adapted here to ensure accessibility.
