A preliminary comparison of reinforcer assessment methods for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

The team asked kids with ADHD what they liked. They tried three ways: a verbal forced-choice quiz, letting the child name items, and watching what the child played with.

They compared the lists from each method to see if they matched.

The three lists rarely agreed. A toy that topped the quiz often did not top the watch-and-see list.

Low agreement means you cannot trust just one method to pick reinforcers for these kids.

Kodak et al. (2009) saw the same mess when they compared MSW and free-operant assessments. Again, half the time the two tools picked different top items.

Kang et al. (2013) later reviewed fourteen studies and found some tweaks that make preference tools line up better. Their review includes this 1995 paper, showing the field has kept the same worry for decades.

Buskist et al. (1988) and Allan et al. (1991) already showed that systematic beats staff guesswork for people with severe disabilities. This study stretches the same warning to kids with ADHD.

Before you start treatment, run two quick checks—maybe a child pick and a short free play—then test if the item really works as a reinforcer. One question or one observation is not enough.