Contingent observation definition
Contingent observation means an unregulated intervention and involves instructing the child to leave the school activity during the school day and not participate for a period of time, but to observe the activity and listen to the discussion from a time-out area within the same setting.
Contingent observation means a method of decreasing a challenging behavior by telling the person what they are doing wrong and asking the person to not participate in the ongoing activity for a short period of time, to be seated nearby, and to observe others engaging in a specific appropriate behavior and receiving positive reinforcement for it. The person who is observing the behavior may rejoin the activity group when the person agrees to behave appropriately. The person's appropriate behavior is then reinforced when the person exhibits the appropriate behavior.