Reinforcer Choice on Skill Acquisition for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: a Systematic Replication

Northgrave and team asked one simple question. Does letting a child pick the reinforcer each trial help or hurt learning?

They worked with two children with autism. The kids learned new skills in discrete-trial lessons. Some lessons used reinforcers the adult chose ahead of time. Other lessons let the child pick the item right after each correct response.

Adult-chosen reinforcers won. Skills were mastered faster when the adult pre-selected the items and stuck with them.

Child choice felt nice but slowed acquisition for both kids.

Cox et al. (2015) saw the same pattern with reinforcer size. Kids wanted the big candy, yet the large edible did not speed learning. Together the two studies warn that preference and efficiency are not the same thing.

Milo et al. (2010) looked at reinforcer variety. They showed that rotating items keeps kids working longer. Northgrave does not contradict this; they kept the same item within a lesson but could rotate across lessons. You can honor variety without stopping every trial for a new choice.

Jason et al. (1985) went further, proving that multiple sensory items beat multiple edibles before satiation hits. Combine the papers: pick potent, low-satiation items ahead of time, stick with them during the lesson, then switch to a new set tomorrow.

You can save minutes every session by deciding reinforcers during prep, not during the trial. Pre-select items that are easy to deliver, low-cost, and slow to satiate. Run a quick paired-choice stimulus preference assessment before the program starts, lock the top two items in a clear bin, and teach. Let the child choose later—during breaks, not while the skill is being shaped.