When you enter into the world of ABA, you will hear therapists talk about “pairing.”  What does this mean?  

Pairing is a behavioral term that refers to pairing oneself with reinforcement.  Quite simply put, it means – make yourself fun! 

Connect yourself (pair yourself) with your child’s favorite items and activities. Through these repeated connections, you embed yourself in all of the good stuff.  Over time, the goal is that you become the ultimate reinforcer or the giver of all good things. 

Here are some ways to make yourself fun, or “pair yourself with reinforcement”:

• Offer preferred items without demand for a response
• Be the giver of toys – Hand the toys into your child’s hand instead of allowing your child free access 
• Think about how you can embed yourself in the play?  How will your child need you in the play to make it more fun? 
• Wind up toys are great! Usually an adult needs to wind the toy for it to be fun
• Put preferred items in clear sealed containers – your child will need you to open the container 
• Therapists should present novel toys when they begin therapy sessions

For more information, check out our blog post.