Behavior management strategies using differential reinforcement are effective only if the reinforcement procedures match the individual's unique characteristics and needs. Simply stated, the individual must find the reinforcer reinforcing. Errors in achieving this match frequently sabotage the success of otherwise well-designed intervention plans. The school staff will need to determine appropriate reinforcers for the student as well as the frequency and manner in which they are given. The

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... wing material on reinforcement is offered in response to frequently encountered problems that often lead to intervention failures. Reinforcer versus Reward One of the most common errors in behavior plan development is the confusion between reward and reinforcement. Reinforcement occurs when a consequence to a behavior results in that behavior increasing or maintaining its frequency. Thus, the behavior is reinforced; it is made stronger and more resistant to elimination because the individual desires the reinforcer and associates the behavior with desirable outcomes. A reward, on the other hand, is given by an observer to someone for having met some criterion established by the observer. Frequently, the giver assumes the recipient will like the outcome. The reward may actually be hated by the receiver (e.g., "You did that sheet of problems so beautifully that you get to do another one as a reward"). In other words, a reward is what you think will work, while a reinforcer is what is proven to work.