Pairing Play

Purpose: to increase Shannon's interests in various activities

Current Activities

• Waterplay: water down slide; putting preferred toys in water; bubbles; etc
• Brutus Play: throwing the ball for Brutus (her service dog)
• iPad:start prompting Shannon to press play on youtube; do a variety of apps that require    Shannon's active participation
• Leave iPad out during your session and reinforce her going to the iPad with edibles
• Indoor Swing
• Pushing the Stroller
• Other: ball play;  tunnel;  massage; etc

  * Prompt Shannon from behind during these activities and deliver reinforcement more discreetly
     from behind so you are out of sight

Rules

1. Have Shannon come over to an activity
2. Help Shannon to engage in activity
3. Intersperse reinforcers;
• the less interested Shannon appears, the more frequently she will need reinforcers
• Communicate with other therapists how often reinforcement is needed for different activities
• Reinforce heavily if Shannon initiates or independently takes part in activity
4. End before interest drops and problem behavior occurs

Reminders

• Be creative; don't do the same thing every time!
• Keep pairings short and sweet (1-2 min); try and end them while she is still somewhat     interested, not after she has started resisting
• Cut edible reinforcers small
• Don't give up if Shannon isn't wild about something the first time; her MO will build with continual pairing of extra reinforcement and exposure
• Share ideas with team of therapists