Classroom Interventions for Children with

Attention Deficit Disorder

Response Cost

Description

Response cost is a punishment technique that involves the loss of token, points, or privileges following the occurrence of some inappropriate behavior or failure to meet some specified goal. Response cost can be used as a component of a positive reinforcement program, such as a token economy. In such a program, tokens are distributed following appropriate behavior and removed following inappropriate behavior. Another variation of the use of response cost involves providing students with a certain number of "free" tokens at the outset of a task and removing a token following inappropriate behavior.

The research suggests that response cost programs should be used for students who do not response sufficiently to positive reinforcement or punishment strategies. Response cost can be used with confidence with elementary-age students. However, carefully monitor its use with older students because it has not been studied sufficiently with them.

Advantages

Response cost interventions have been shown to effective in reducing off-task behavior and increasing work completion. Some studies have shown response cost alone and in combination with medications to be at least as effective as medication alone. Response cost also has been shown to be more effective than reprimands for children with ADD and to enhance the effectiveness of reward programs.

Limitations

As with all punishment techniques, teachers must guard against becoming overly critical by overemphasizing inappropriate behavior. When implementing a response cost program, efforts should be made to monitor and reward appropriate behavior. When a response cost program is used in conjunction with a token reinforcement program, if the student begins to lose more points than are earned, the program should be modified. The opportunity of rewards should exceed the possibility of losing them.

Implementation

Response cost programs are used as a component of a positive reinforcement program, where rewards (e.g., praise and attention, points, tokens, privileges) are provided for acceptable performance and behavior and removed for inappropriate performance and behavior. Therefore, the steps in implementing a reward program apply and should be followed (see Classroom Token Economy handout for steps in implementing a token program).