January 30, 2009, Newsletter Issue #128: Behavior and the Gambler

Tip of the Week

An autistic individual's behavior can be baffling for many of us. Dealing with difficult behavior is a major concern that families and professionals have. If we consider the autistic (as well as any other) child as a gambler, we might have new insight as to why negative behaviors are repeated even when faced with unwanted consequences as well as why consistency is crucial in successful intervention.

People gamble even though they know that the odds of a payout are astronomical when playing a slot machine. Even the sliver of a chance will bring the gambler back to the behavior of pulling the lever no matter how slim the odds are. The possibility of a payout is such a motivator that the person repeats the behavior.

In the same sense, an autistic child is seeking a payout, whether it is the sensory feedback from the other person's reaction or the reward of getting what he wants. When a behavioral approach like planned ignoring is used consistency becomes extremely important. If the child consistently receives the same neutral, uneventful response he soon begins to understand that there is no payout for that behavior.

However, if he uses the behavior and receives different responses including the payoff, he will be more likely to repeat that behavior. If a gambler knows that a particular slot machine will never pay out he will not continue to play that machine.

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