Preferred curricular activities and reduced problem behaviors in students with intellectual disabilities.

Matson et al. (1994) worked with three students who had moderate intellectual disabilities. The team switched between regular class tasks and tasks the kids said they liked. They watched problem behavior and good engagement across several reversals.

Each student picked favorite activities like puzzles or sorting games. The teacher then ran those activities during class time. The researchers tracked behavior changes using an ABAB design.

When students used their preferred activities, problem behavior dropped right away. Engagement rose at the same time. The changes showed up every time the preferred tasks returned.

All three students had fewer disruptions and more on-task actions during the liked activities. The effects reversed quickly when the tasks switched back to non-preferred work.

Dougherty et al. (1994) tested the same idea with adults in a work setting. Giving choice among liked jobs boosted work engagement, matching the classroom results.

Drifke et al. (2019) goes deeper. They showed you can teach kids to love choice itself by pairing it with top-quality reinforcers. This gives you a tool to strengthen the preference effect L et al. saw.

Libero et al. (2016) note the field still argues about what participation means. Their review reminds us to define choice clearly when we repeat L et al.'s method.

You can cut problem behavior fast by letting students pick classwork they already like. No extra tokens or breaks needed. Try a quick preference assessment at the start of the week, then weave the top picks into lessons. Watch for immediate drops in disruption and jumps in engagement. Swap tasks in and out to keep the effect strong.