What Is Differential Reinforcement and When Should You Use It in ABA?

Differential reinforcement is a group of behaviour reduction strategies in ABA that work by reinforcing specific behaviours while withholding reinforcement from others. It is one of the most clinically important and most ethically sound approaches to reducing challenging behaviour because it focuses on building what the child should do rather than simply suppressing what they should not do.

Understanding the different types of differential reinforcement, what each one involves, and when each is the most appropriate clinical choice, is essential knowledge for ABA practitioners at every level.

The Core Principle

All differential reinforcement procedures share the same underlying principle: reinforcement is delivered for some behaviours and withheld for others, creating a systematic difference in the consequences for different responses.

This principle is powerful because it leverages the most fundamental mechanism of ABA. Behaviour that is reinforced increases. Behaviour that is not reinforced decreases. By carefully controlling which behaviours receive reinforcement and which do not, the therapist can systematically shift the pattern of behaviour in a clinical direction.

Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behaviour

DRA involves reinforcing a specific alternative behaviour that serves the same function as the challenging behaviour, while withholding reinforcement from the challenging behaviour itself.

DRA is the approach most closely associated with functional communication training. If a child engages in challenging behaviour to escape a demand, the alternative behaviour might be using a break card to request a break. If a child engages in challenging behaviour to access attention, the alternative might be using a gesture or a word to request attention appropriately.

DRA is most effective when the alternative behaviour is genuinely equivalent to the challenging behaviour in terms of how efficiently it produces the reinforcer. If the alternative behaviour is harder, slower, or less reliably reinforced than the challenging behaviour, the challenging behaviour will continue to be preferred.

DRA should be the first consideration in any behaviour support plan because it directly addresses the function of the behaviour by teaching a better way to meet the same need.

Differential Reinforcement of Incompatible Behaviour

DRI involves reinforcing a behaviour that is physically incompatible with the challenging behaviour. You cannot do both at the same time.

If a child engages in self-injurious hand biting, reinforcing the behaviour of sitting with hands on lap is an incompatible alternative. If a child leaves their seat frequently during structured activities, reinforcing sitting in the seat is an incompatible alternative.

DRI is useful when the challenging behaviour is maintained by sensory reinforcement and no clear functional alternative is available, or as a supplementary strategy alongside DRA.

Differential Reinforcement of Other Behaviour

DRO involves reinforcing the absence of the challenging behaviour during a specified time interval. The child receives reinforcement for any behaviour other than the target challenging behaviour during that interval.

A DRO schedule might deliver reinforcement every five minutes, provided the challenging behaviour has not occurred during that five-minute interval. If the behaviour occurs, the interval resets.

DRO is less commonly used as a primary strategy because it does not specify what the child should do instead of the challenging behaviour. It can produce a situation where the child learns to avoid the challenging behaviour without developing a specific adaptive alternative. It is most useful as a supplementary strategy or in situations where identifying a specific alternative behaviour is not straightforward.

Choosing Between These Approaches

The choice between DRA, DRI, and DRO should be guided by the functional behaviour assessment.

If the function is clear and a functional alternative can be identified and taught, DRA is almost always the most appropriate primary approach. It addresses the function directly and builds an adaptive skill in the process.

If the challenging behaviour is physically dangerous and needs to be reduced urgently while a longer-term functional approach is developed, DRI may be added as a short-term supplement.

DRO is most appropriate as a secondary support when the primary intervention is already in place and additional reinforcement for the absence of the behaviour during key periods would be clinically useful.

How NeuroCore Uses Differential Reinforcement in Practice

At NeuroCore, differential reinforcement procedures are always selected on the basis of the functional behaviour assessment for each individual client. We do not apply a standard behaviour reduction approach across clients. We identify the function of the specific behaviour and select the procedure that addresses that function most directly and ethically.

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