Tel : 330-206- 4712

Stacey Jenkins, ECE

Interventions for
Parents:
Shaping Behaviors
Language delays
Behaviors- Reducing or
Increasing

Phobias

Completing Tasks

Eliminating prompts


The shortest di stance
between two poi nts i s a
strai ght l i ne. Encouragi ng
efforts i n getti ng t here.

For what types of
behaviors does
shaping work?
References
Athens, E. S., & Vollimer, T. R. (2007). Shaping
academic task engagement wtih percentile
schedules. Journal of Applied Behavior
Analysis, 475-488.
Cuvo, A., Reagan, A. L., Ackerlund, J., Huckfeldt, R.,
& Kelly, C. (2010). Training children with
autism spectum disorders to be compliant
with a physical exam. Reserach in Autism
Spectrum Disorders, 168-185.
Feeley, K. M., Jones, E. A., & Blackburn, C. B.
(2011). Advancing imitation and
requesting skills in toddlers with Down
Syndrome. Research in Developmental
Disabilities, 2415-2430.
Newman, B., Reinecke, D., & Ramos, M. (2009). Is a
reasonable attempt reasonable? Shaping
versus reinforcing verbal attempts in
preschoolers wtih autism. The Analysis of
Verbal Behavior, 67-72.
Ricciardi, J. N., Luiselli, J. K., & Camare, M. (2006).
Shaping approach responses as intervention
for specific phobia in a child with autism.
Journal of Appplied Behavior Analysis,
445-448.
Valentino, A., Shillingsburg, A., Call, N., Burton, B.,
& Bowen, C. (2011). An investigation of
extinction-induced vocalizations. Behavior
Modification, 284-298.




Shapi ng Behaviors
HOW DO YOU IMPLEMENT
SHAPING?
1. CHOOSE A TARGET BEHAVIOR.
THAT IS, WHAT DO YOU WANT
YOUR CHILD TO DO AT THE END
OF THE INTERVENTION?
2. CHOOSE HOW YOU WILL REWARD
YOUR CHILD. WILL YOU GIVE
THEM VERBAL PRAISE? WILL YOU
GIVE THEM AN OBJECT? MAKE
SURE IT IS SOMETHING YOUR
CHILD ENJOYS.
3. CHOOSE ACCEPTABLE BEHAVIORS
ALONG THE WAY. HOW MANY
STEPS DO YOU WANT TO USE?
WHAT SMALL TASKS WILL LEAD
TO THE BIGGER ONE?
4. MAKE SURE THAT EACH EFFORT
THE CHILD MAKES IS GREATER
THAN THE ONE BEFORE. IS THE
CHILD BEING REWARDED FOR
PROGRESS? FOR EXAMPLE, IS
THE CHILD SITTING FOR LONGER
THIS TIME THAN HE/SHE WAS
THE LAST TIME?
5. ONCE THE TARGET BEHAVIOR IS
REACHED, HOW LONG HAS YOUR
CHILD KEPT GOING WITH THAT
BEHAVIOR?


WHY IS SHAPING IMPORTANT?
Shaping is important because it allows the
child to succeed for smaller tasks, but
allows the adult to work towards bigger
tasks. The child is more likely to keep
working if they are rewarded along the
way.
WHO BENEFITS FROM SHAPING?
The child benefits from shaping. This
is because the child can feel small
successes along the way while he/she
works towards a larger goal. The child
may be unaware that he/she is even
working towards a larger goal.
The family benefits from shaping.
When trying to get your child to change a
behavior, it can become quite frustrating
for families. By using shaping, the family
works on smaller goals that lead to the
bigger goal. Just as children can become
frustrated and worn out by trying to work
towards to large of a goal, so can families.
By being mindful and setting smaller goals
on the way, it allows the family to
celebrate with their child more frequently,
and leads to happier children and families.
What is shaping?
Shaping is a type of intervention
that can occur anywhere, and works
best if you are working towards a
target behavior. When you use
shaping, you are encouraging the
child in their behaviors that are on
the way to the target behavior. By
encouraging behaviors that are on
the way to the target, you move
closer to the end result. As a child
masters one step in the direction
that you want them to move, then
you make a step forward. See the
example below:

Susan wants her son Sam to sit at the
table for 5 minutes during dinner
time as her target behavior. She
wants to try to get to this end result
by using shaping. She decides that
first she will give Sam a reward, in
this case sticker, for sitting for one
minute. After this reward becomes
successful for 3 times in a row, she
will start rewarding him for sitting
for two minutes. This will continue
until Sam can sit at the dinner table
for 5 minutes, meaning he reached
his target behavior. His behavior is
shaped over time.