Behavioral momentum is a term for something you have probably done at some point in your life, whether it be working with students, your own kids, or yourselves. I bet many of us use this strategy daily with people in our lives and don’t even know it! This strategy works great with our more challenging, non-compliant students.

What is Behavioral Momentum?

Behavioral momentum is an evidence-based strategy that involves making or doing requests that are easy (high-probability or HP) before making or doing requests that are more challenging (low-probability or LP). By delivering a series of HP requests before the target, or LP request, you increase the person’s motivation to cooperate because you are building in many opportunities for success.

Why Should I Use Behavioral Momentum?

Behavioral momentum has been proven to be effective with increasing compliance with learners of all ages, particularly those with escape-maintained behavior (meaning they tend to avoid doing certain tasks). This strategy can be a very effective for defiant learners who can sometimes seem oppositional for no reason (there’s always a reason though)! It’s also highly effective for people with ADHD, myself included. When I give myself easier tasks I’m more likely to complete, I can then utilize that momentum to move on to a more challenging or effortful task.

When Would You Use Behavioral Momentum?

Behavioral momentum is used in a variety of settings, with a variety of individuals. This strategy is often used by staff in classroom or vocational settings, as well as by parents in the home environment. You can use behavioral momentum with yourself as well. The key is having the “momentum” of success prior to the more difficult demand. This will increase the likelihood the learner (or you) will comply with the more difficult task.  Behavioral momentum is a strategy most used with children who engage in work refusals and noncompliance and those with ADHD who struggle to maintain motivation for low-interest tasks.

How Can I Use Behavioral Momentum?

This strategy is simple to implement.

For Myself:

Start with tasks you easily do or like to do (try not to choose something you’ll hyperfocus on). Also, choose the task(s) you need to do that you’ve been avoiding. Take the following example: You have a report you need to do for work by the end of the day. You’ve been avoiding this task for 2 weeks and it has to be done today. You could utilize behavioral momentum by starting your morning at work with some HP tasks, like making coffee, checking your calendar, and writing out your To Do list. Once you’re engaged in these tasks, you might then open your word document (as a micro step toward your report writing task) and fill in the contact information on your report (your LP tasks). If you need to repeat the sequence by doing more HP tasks before continuing on the next steps to completing your report. Oftentimes, however, I end up doing the entire LP task once I have started it and behavioral momentum really helps get me in the zone!

For My Kids:

This strategy is particularly effective for kids with non-negotiable tasks, like chores or hygiene tasks. As the adult, you brainstorm the HP tasks you know your kid will perform without issue (maybe have them brainstorm with you depending on their ability). HP tasks don’t need to be related to the LP task – you could do silly things like do a 1-minute dance party, have a snack, or play Simon Says as your HP requests before asking for the LP task to be completed. I use this with my toddler a lot with clean up by asking her to touch her head, give me a high five, and then jump like a frog over to the blocks. Once she’s at the blocks, my next request would be “pick up the purple blocks and run back to me”. Once she’s with me, I direct her to put the block in the bin. Once she’s done that successfully, instead of doing all those HP requests again, we just continue cleaning up the blocks (I’m still probably breaking down this task for her, but we’re still focused on cleaning). If I still have her focus and momentum, we’ll move onto another area to clean. If I need to repeat the behavioral momentum sequence again to keep cleaning other areas of the room, I do.

For older kids doing chores, it might be something like: Have a snack, hang up coat, wash your hands (all HP requests that they typically do, unique to your kiddo, obviously), and then unload the dishwasher (LP task).

Tips and Tricks

• Pair this strategy with other strategies for even more success such as, using visual lists or schedules, micro-steps, arranging your environment for success, and habit stacking
• If you do not gain compliance with your HP requests, you need to demand easier or more preferred tasks, which means starting the sequence over before presenting the LP demand.
• Get creative – you HP requests don’t need to be “work” or “chore” related – they could be getting a latte, getting dressed, and putting on lotion before making a call to your doctor that you’ve been avoiding. Whatever will help give you the momentum to keep the behaviors going, do it. Remember: an object in motion stays in motion (you are the object here), so get going!

Below is an image I created over at Mindful Rambles for the steps to implement behavioral momentum with students, if you’re interested. It’s a much more comprehensive look at the specific behaviors and reinforcement needed to ensure effective behavioral momentum in a more clinical setting, but the steps can apply for your children as well. Check it out or pin it for later if you’re interested!