Kids with ADD Need Positive Reinforcement
In particular, extrinsic (external) reinforcers work very well. Extrinsic reinforcers are those reinforcements are outside of the child. These provide motivation, especially for the child with Attention Deficit Disorder. Larry Hawk, the principal investigator who wrote the paper stated, “It was greater motivation to obtain external rewards that drove the effects we observed."
While positive reinforcement works for many children, it appears that children with Attention Deficit Disorder are more influenced by external reinforcers than kids without ADD. Kids without Attention Deficit Disorder will often do their best work when asked to. No other reinforcement is needed. Kids with ADD respond differently.
If you want to help a child with Attention Deficit Disorder work better, find out what the particular child finds reinforcing, then supply it. Remember, the trick is to find out what that child wants. It is not reinforcing, if the child doesn’t want it, no matter how great the adult thinks that the reinforcement is. This is the reason that many students don’t work well for grades. They just don’t find grades that reinforcing, perhaps because the payoff might be years into the future. Now a candy bar, money, or an hour playing video games is another story! Sometimes, a reward can be a treasured adult saying, “Good job!” or “Well done.” When you tell a child, “I see that you tried your best,” that recognition can spur a child to be motivated to continue to give his best effort.
While providing extra words of encouragement or tangible extrinsic reinforcers might seem like “spoiling” a child, which is not true for kids with Attention Deficit Disorder. Many of them need the extra reinforcement to be able to do their best work. In the same way that we wouldn’t withhold medication from a person with diabetes, so we need to make sure that kids with Attention Deficit Disorder get the reinforcement that they need to excel.
University at Buffalo. (2015, July 30). Positive reinforcement plays key role in cognitive task performance in ADHD kids. ScienceDaily. Retrieved February 18, 2016 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/07/150730131203.htm
Related links: The Related Links below this article may be of interest to you.
NEWSLETTER: I invite you to subscribe to our free weekly newsletter. This gives you all of the updates to the ADD site. Fill in the blank below the article with your email address - which is never passed on beyond this site. We never sell or trade your personal information.
You Should Also Read:
Attention Deficit Disorder and Rewards
Rewarding Children and ADD
Tangible Rewards to Intrinsic Rewards and ADD
Editor's Picks Articles
Top Ten Articles
Content copyright © 2018 by Connie Mistler Davidson. All rights reserved.
This content was written by Connie Mistler Davidson. If you wish to use this content in any manner, you need written permission. Contact Connie Mistler Davidson for details.