How are you adjusting reinforcement to reduce inappropriate downtime behavior, and to reinforce a more appropriate downtime behavior in its place?
What are some reinforcing consequences you can deliver either immediately following the desired behavior or following a practice session– things that this particular student enjoys, wants, seeks out, etc.?
Your social praise of the student’s performance is important (see below). Are you clear with the student prior to practice what privilege or opportunity he will earn for a specific number of successful practices? Think about things that the student really enjoys. Include them in this process. They will be much more motivated if they are excited about the reinforcement and know what is coming when practice is finished.
Are you using labeling and social praise to make the contingency between desired behavior and reinforcing consequence clear to the student?
Clearly labeling your targets in instruction is crucial. The target behavior for the student may be recognizing and labeling that ‘it is downtime now’. Or the target may be self-identification by the student of what is appropriate or inappropriate downtime activity. The target may be using a list to independently transition to a ‘downtime’ activity. Make your praise precise!
Consider whether you can encourage regular classroom teachers or on-site supervisors to socially praise the student for using his ‘downtime’ visual support independently.
What reinforcing consequences can you arrange that are more naturally or intrinsically connected to this targeted behavior?
In the classroom setting, your effort is to identify downtime activities that are intrinsically reinforcing to the student and yet still appropriate for the classroom environment. If the student enjoys such activities as drawing, journaling, reading books or magazines, quietly chatting with peers, or completing homework to avoid having to do it later that evening, these are your instructional targets. In the work setting, the student-employee would seek additional work tasks during downtime. If he completes those tasks now during downtime, he might not have to complete those tasks later when he is ready to go home. This is one natural contingency to emphasize as you instruct the student on managing downtime in the workplace.