In incidental teaching, what should the reward for a verbal response ideally be?

In incidental teaching, the primary goal is to facilitate learning in naturalistic settings, often by capitalizing on the child's interests. When a child makes a verbal response, it is most effective for the reward to be the item or activity they have shown interest in. This direct connection reinforces the value of communication by demonstrating that using their words results in tangible outcomes they desire.

By providing the item or activity of interest as a reward, it creates a meaningful context for the verbal response, enhancing motivation to communicate. The immediacy and relevance of receiving something specifically wanted after a verbal response help strengthen that behavior, making the child more likely to engage verbally in the future.

Other types of reinforcement, such as verbal praise or tangible rewards, can be supportive but may not have the same level of impact as providing what the child directly seeks. Such responses might lack the immediacy and relevance that make the learning experience more effective.