What is discrimination training and how do you implement it? [RBT]
Discrimination training is a process of teaching an individual to respond differently to two or more stimuli that have different meanings or functions. Discrimination training is a crucial component of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy, as it teaches individuals to distinguish between important cues in their environment and respond appropriately.
There are several steps involved in implementing discrimination training:
Identify the stimuli: The first step in discrimination training is to identify the stimuli that the individual needs to discriminate between. For example, if the goal is to teach a child to distinguish between the words "go" and "stop," these would be the stimuli.
Choose the reinforcement: Next, it is important to choose the type of reinforcement that will be used to reward the correct response. Reinforcement can be in the form of praise, tokens, or other positive rewards that are meaningful to the individual.
Teach the discrimination: The next step is to teach the individual to discriminate between the two stimuli. This is done by presenting both stimuli in a consistent manner and reinforcing the correct response to each stimulus. For example, if the goal is to teach a child to distinguish between the words "go" and "stop," the therapist might say "go" and then reinforce the correct response, and then say "stop" and reinforce the correct response.
Increase the difficulty: Once the individual has mastered discrimination between the two initial stimuli, the difficulty can be increased by adding new stimuli that are similar to the original stimuli. For example, if the goal is to teach a child to distinguish between the words "go" and "stop," the therapist might add in other words that sound similar, such as "slow" or "no."
Generalize the skill: Finally, it is important to generalize the skill to other settings and situations. This can be done by practicing discrimination training in different environments, with different people, and with different stimuli.
Discrimination training can be implemented in a variety of contexts, including teaching children to distinguish between different colors, shapes, or sounds, or teaching individuals with autism to distinguish between different social cues or environmental stimuli. It is important to tailor the discrimination training to the individual's specific needs and abilities and to provide plenty of reinforcement and positive feedback to encourage success.
In summary, discrimination training is a process of teaching an individual to respond differently to two or more stimuli that have different meanings or functions. To implement discrimination training, it is important to identify the stimuli, choose the reinforcement, teach the discrimination, increase the difficulty, and generalize the skill to other settings and situations. Discrimination training is a critical component of ABA therapy and can be used to teach a variety of skills, from simple discrimination between colors to more complex discrimination between social cues.