How are you adjusting reinforcement to reduce maladaptive behavior? Can you reinforce a more appropriate, alternative behavior to replace the maladaptive behavior?
Reducing maladaptive behaviors requires both frequent practice with the expected behaviors and precise labeling by instructors of expected behaviors in tandem with social praise.
Structuring specific groupwork activities, club meetings, volunteer projects and school-based activities for the group expectation of adult professional behavior provides a means to increase the frequency of positive models. It also increases the opportunities to label and socially praise specific behaviors that are appropriate for adult community environments. If projects involve a range of students, are there some students who will show the expected behaviors such that instructors can differentially reinforce those positive behaviors in those other students? The activity setting can be set up to simulate an adult environment, including a description of expected behaviors for the group.
If the social/sexual urges of the student are difficult for the student to manage, the opportunities for positive privileges that involve appropriate social activity should be earned as a result of specific amounts of practice. In other words, does the student earn an opportunity to engage in an engineered social activity after a volunteer project or club project? Set up desirable social outlets as a result of expected behaviors. This works far better than removing privileges for unexpected behaviors.
The focus should be: ‘If the student engages in _____ (positive) behaviors _____ (so many times) during _____ (activity), he/she earns ______ (desired social activity). If the student engages in ______ (unexpected behaviors) during an earned social activity, the activity will cease or the student will be directed into another activity.’ Other opportunities can and should then be arranged to provide reinforcement for the expected social behaviors.
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.?
As noted above, combine your social praise with concrete labeling of expected behaviors. Encourage peer feedback on the expected behaviors whenever possible. Obviously, choose peers who are more socially adept and can label and encourage expected behaviors. That peer attention can be the strongest reinforcement available with many of these students, especially if the student enjoys the company of that peer. As noted as well, design social opportunities at school that can be engineered for success. Time limited social gatherings after club meetings, after projects, after community service projects are worth considering as opportunities to not only reinforce the student but to provide guided practice in using the skills.
Are you using labeling and social praise to make the contingency between desired behavior and reinforcing consequence clear to the student?
What reinforcing consequences can you arrange that are more naturally or intrinsically connected to this targeted behavior?