Pardon My Pairing

Assessments have been completed. Goals have been created. Technicians have been assigned. You and your child are ready to begin your journey into Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). However, sessions are not exactly what you were expecting; there is a lot playing going on, there are no demands being placed on your child, a lot of reinforcement is being provided without task completion. As a result, you’re beginning to feel that sessions are not productive and are wondering if ABA is the right decision for your child. Before you question yourself, I implore you to take a moment to explore the concept of “pairing.”

The term “pairing” in ABA refers to the process of establishing, building, and/or maintaining rapport between the service provider and the learner. The service provider will “pair” themselves with the child’s most preferred items and activities noncontingently (in other words: with no or very little demand placement; accessed freely). When pairing is done correctly and effectively, your child should see his/her therapist and connect that to having fun.

Pairing can be challenging for some technicians to implement because so much of it is unstructured and client-led. This can cause those involved to feel as though the sessions are unproductive and “nothing is being done.” It is important to remember that this is untrue. Pairing is an important part of the implementation process and requires time and dedication to achieve. Pairing cannot be rushed, and it should not be rushed.

When I have successfully paired myself with a child’s most preferred items and activities, I find myself being pulled around by the child as if I am now their favorite item. Depending on current skill repertoire, the child may be calling my name, asking me to sit with them, and showing me something s/he find exciting. The child will show an interest in an activity I am completing because I am engaged in the activity. By virtue, an activity becomes more exciting just because I am involved. My arrival is met with hugs and smiles and my departure is accompanied with groans of “don’t go!”

As with all aspects of session implementation within ABA, pairing must be individualized. Pairing cannot be delivered as a one size fits all program because not all children enjoy the same things. I cannot pair myself with Play-Doh if the child does not like playing with Play-Doh in the first place. An individual that prefers to be alone or does not find social interaction to be an enjoyable experience may start pairing sessions by just allowing the therapist to hang out in the same room and gradually shape socially interactions over the course of an extended period of time. However, an individual who is intrinsically motivated by the attention of others may not require such extensive pairing sessions. An individual may need to pair at the beginning of every session or pairing may be the entire duration of the session over the course of a 2-week period.

But, why are these things important? Pairing with reinforcers and preferred items/activities allows the therapist to become the ultimate reinforcer. The Giver of the Good Things.

Becoming a natural social reinforcer for the child establishes instructional control between the therapist and the child. If pairing does not occur, engagement in problem behavior(s) can increase, limit/decrease instructional control, and impair the relationship between the therapist and the child. Successful pairing teaches the child that I am fun and when I show up good things happen. So, in the future, if a bad session occurs or an aversive situation arises, the child can separate the “bad” of the situation with the “good” of my value. In other words, the child can dislike what I want them to do and still like working with me (Meadows, 2015). Without pairing, it is likely for a situation to surface where behaviors are occurring because the child wants to get away from the therapist or refuses to participate in sessions. This is not a productive use of time and does not lead to effective treatment.

Conversely, just because pairing sessions are unstructured and child-led doesn’t mean that pairing does not require data collection and oversight from a qualified professional. Pairing is an evidenced practice and should be implemented with as much fidelity as your child’s treatment goals.

So please...pardon my pairing. :)

By guest blogger Jenna Shaw M.S., BCBA, 1-16-24791