Decreasing the Intensity of Reinforcement-Based Interventions for Reducing Behavior: Conceptual Issues and a Proposed Model for Clinical Practice‪.‬

Behavioral interventions that include reinforcement as a treatment component have proven quite effective in decreasing problem behavior in children and individuals with developmental disabilities. These interventions are typically initiated with frequent, immediate reinforcement to increase the likelihood of success and schedules may then be thinned to more clinically manageable schedules to promote generalization and maintenance of treatment effects. Immediate reinforcement can also be delayed to the same effect. However, there are currently no specific procedural guidelines for decreasing the intensity of effective behavioral interventions. The current paper examines several conceptual issues regarding procedures for decreasing the intensity of behavioral interventions and presents clinical and research suggestions. **********