The Quiet Reinforcer: How Client Progress Shapes BCBA Satisfaction
I was at a dead end with a differential reinforcement program—overwhelmed by dread, imposter syndrome, and deep concern for my client. I felt stuck. But then something shifted. I tightened my laces (figuratively speaking, as I swear by my Hey Dudes), refused to give up, and turned to the literature. Within just two days, the unthinkable happened: my client made remarkable strides. The visible anxiety and ambivalence that once shaped our sessions began to melt away. They started engaging like never before—flying through goals, radiating joy, and unlocking their true potential. And perhaps most powerfully, their parents celebrated those same victories alongside us.
As BCBA’s, we spend our days reinforcing skill acquisition, progress, and growth in others - but what reinforces us? While professional development and external recognition have their place, one of the most meaningful (and sustainable) sources of motivation often comes from the very work we do: seeing our clients succeed. This post explores how client progress, when noticed, reflected on, and celebrated, can serve as a powerful natural reinforcer for BCBA’s. It’s a reminder that our motivation doesn’t have to come from systems alone; sometimes, it’s built into the science we practice.
“What reinforces us?”
Always Learning: How BCBA’s Can Use Client Progress as a Natural Reinforcer:
One of the scariest things I’ve ever heard from another BCBA was: “It’s so refreshing to hear how much you read the research. You’re one of the only BCBAs I hear talk about this.”
That statement isn’t flattering — it’s alarming. It highlights a widespread ethical issue in our field. Here’s why.
Bank, Ingvarsson, & Landon (2022) outlined several critical reasons BCBAs must regularly access and read scholarly literature:
It directly impacts the quality of services we provide.
Our science evolves, and staying current is essential to ensure client safety and effective care.
Clinical competence is directly linked to client outcomes (Parsons & Reid, 2011).
Importantly, it’s not optional—our Ethics Code clearly outlines this as a core professional responsibility.
“There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning”
So, how do we reinforce our behavior as BCBAs?
In our clinical work, we’re skilled at identifying potent reinforcers to help clients achieve meaningful goals. But what about us? We often focus on fading artificial reinforcement to more natural contingencies, which requires careful planning and analysis. The same should apply to our behavior. ABA isn’t just for our clients. We, too, can benefit from self-management strategies rooted in behavior analysis.
So the question becomes: how do you “ABA yourself”? How do you use your teaching tools to build sustainable habits, stay motivated, and grow clinical competence?
How to Apply Behavioral Principles to Your Behavior:
Positive Reinforcement ✨
Celebrate the wins that come from embracing the scientist-practitioner model.
Set up reinforcing systems for yourself: Gather feedback from parents, clients, and staff to validate the impact of your interventions, acknowledge your effort — even small milestones deserve recognition, create tangible rewards for engaging with literature (e.g., presenting a new article or integrating research into a plan). I live by the “treat yourself” philosophy — and yes, Starbucks absolutely counts.
Rule-Governed Behavior 📏
Establish clear expectations for staying current with literature, whether with your supervisor, your team, or yourself.
Make it part of your professional identity and supervision structure.
Build in “research time” during the week, just like you would for planning or data review.
Tie these rules to meaningful consequences or reinforcers so they don’t fade into the background.
Response Effort Reduction 🧗
Lower the effort required to access and engage with research:
Use article summaries, join journal clubs, or follow visual abstracts.
Pair reading with reinforcing formats like podcasts, webinars, or CEUs.
Check out Briggs & Mitteer (2021) for practical strategies on accessing literature efficiently.
Grow your LinkedIn network with researchers and CEU creators — let your feed work for you.
Leverage AI tools to find relevant journal articles quickly and reduce the “where do I even start?” barrier.
Natural Reinforcement: Eventually, reading and applying research will become reinforcing on their own. As you see client progress, feel more competent, and receive positive feedback, those outcomes become naturally reinforcing. With time, you'll need fewer “external” motivators — because your effectiveness becomes the reward.
Common Behavioral Barriers:
Delayed Reinforcement: The “payoff” of reading research (e.g., client progress, increased competence) often comes much later than the effort spent.
Competing Contingencies: Clinicians may face time constraints, documentation demands, or burnout that make reading research less immediately reinforcing.
Lack of Immediate Feedback: Without feedback or structured discussion, it’s hard to know if what you are implementing is being applied effectively.
Insufficient Motivating Operations: If there’s no clear why behind reading research, the behavior may not occur. Clinicians need to see the relevance to their clients and goals.
High Response Effort: Dense language, inaccessible journals, or not knowing where to start can make research feel aversive or overwhelming.
So, what can you do when the barriers outweigh the motivation? Yep, you guessed it - return to the science. Just like we would for a client struggling to acquire a skill, we analyze the environment, adjust the contingencies, and design a plan that makes success more achievable. Reading research isn’t just a luxury - it’s a clinical responsibility. And with the right supports in place, it can become just as reinforcing as seeing your client master a long-awaited goal.
This barrier here? I promise you can lift it!
Four Years. Four Lessons. One Unshakeable Why.
To the everyday BCBA’s riding the struggle bus - overwhelmed by unmanageable caseloads, unsustainable systems, or the weight of trying to “know it all” - I see you. I hear you. You are not alone.
These barriers may feel insurmountable, but I promise: with the right support, a growth mindset, humility in knowing when something is outside of your scope, and a whole lot of grace for yourself, you can do this. Don’t carry the weight of perfection - in fact, perfection has never been the goal - but progress is.
Let me show you what that’s looked like for me over the past four years:
Year One: I worked primarily with older clients. Topics like sex education, inappropriate sexual behaviors, and healthy dating came up constantly. I had no idea where to start, so I reached out to old professors and classmates, and I hit the books.
Year Two: I supported clients with severe behaviors, and I felt completely out of my depth. I was scared, isolated, and unsure of my next step. That’s when I dove into the world of SBT. The results? Life-changing for both me and my clients.
Year Three: I encountered my first client with Pathological Demand Avoidance (I prefer referring to this as a “Pervasive Drive for Autonomy”). I realized I needed to unlearn and relearn - to do ABA differently. I immersed myself in literature, followed autistic content creators, and engaged deeply with mental health perspectives. Once again, it shifted everything for me.
Year Four: I caught what some call “The Feeding Bug.”. I found mentors, enrolled in intensive CEUs, and eventually developed trainings for my company on the topic.
Each of these were small steps (shaping steps, if you will) - milestones built on curiosity, vulnerability, and a commitment to learning. The permanent product? A stronger, more compassionate clinician. But the most beautiful outcome wasn’t the clinical growth. It was the connections with clients, families, and colleagues, forged by stepping outside of my comfort zone and into the literature.
You’ve got this. And if no one’s told you lately: you’re doing better than you think.
A Note to Readers:
Have thoughts or questions to share? Whether you’re a seasoned BCBA, a student navigating the learning curve, or someone simply passionate about ethical, informed practice, I’d love to hear from you! Use the contact form below to connect, share your experiences, or recommend resources or the topic for the next blog post! Let’s grow together - one article, one conversation, one client at a time.
*Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog are my own (Functionally Speaking ABA) and do not reflect the views of UNMC
Resources:
Briggs AM, Mitteer DR. Updated Strategies for Making Regular Contact With the Scholarly Literature. Behav Anal Pract. 2021 Jul 8;15(2):541-552. doi: 10.1007/s40617-021-00590-8. PMID: 34257833; PMCID: PMC8265291.
Bank NL, Ingvarsson ET, Landon TJ. Evaluating Professional Behavior Analysts' Literature Searches. Behav Anal Pract. 2022 Jun 3;16(1):284-295. doi: 10.1007/s40617-022-00720-w. PMID: 35677017; PMCID: PMC9164566.
