The learner protests or hides when you arrive for a session

The situation

You are new to this learner, or sessions have recently become demanding. When you arrive the learner turns away, protests, or goes to another room. Nothing unsafe is happening. You want the session to start well.

What the plan usually asks for

1. Start with the pairing or rapport activities the plan specifies, before any demands. A person who signals work is someone to avoid. Pairing yourself with preferred items and play changes what your arrival predicts.
2. Follow the learner's lead for the first part of the session as far as the plan allows, delivering preferred items freely. Free, non-contingent access at the start makes you and the setting valuable and lowers the value of escaping.
3. Introduce demands at the pace and in the order the plan sets, and keep the ratio of easy to hard the plan describes. Demand density is a program variable. Ramping too fast rebuilds the avoidance.
4. Record how the session started and how long it took for the learner to approach you. Approach latency is a useful measure of rapport, and it tells the supervisor whether the pairing plan is working.

What not to do

• Do not follow the learner into another room and start demands there.
• Do not skip pairing because you feel behind on programs.
• Do not take it personally or read it as dislike; it is a learning history, and it can change.

When to tell your supervisor

• Tell your supervisor if avoidance is increasing over sessions, if it began after a specific change, or if the plan has no pairing procedure.

Terms used here

• Pairing
• Conditioned Reinforcer
• Negative Reinforcement
• Assent