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When Reinforcement Stops Working: The MO Mystery (EOs, AOs, and What to Do Next)

There are no affiliations with companies, products, and/ or services featured during this CEU/PDU/Workshop event.

Ever had a “perfect reinforcer” mysteriously stop working mid-session, like the iPad became a piece of cardboard overnight? This fast-paced, highly practical PDU teaches RBTs how to spot Motivating Operations (MOs) in real time and troubleshoot the most common reasons reinforcement collapses: satiation, competing motivation, effort issues, and environmental changes. You’ll learn the difference between EOs vs AOs, how MOs differ from SDs, and walk away with a simple, supervisor-friendly troubleshooting script you can use immediately, so sessions run smoother and your data actually reflects learning, not “reinforcer roulette.”

  • Level: RBT
  • Duration:  0.5 PDU hours 
  • Author: Sarah Heller, Ed.D., BCBA, LBA-NY
  • Learners: 95+

PDU Objectives:

By the end of this 0.5 PDU, participants will be able to:

  1. Define Motivating Operations (MOs), Establishing Operations (EOs), and Abolishing Operations (AOs) in plain language.

  2. Differentiate an MO from an SD using real-session examples.

  3. Identify at least 4 common reasons reinforcement “suddenly stops working” and name an appropriate RBT action for each.

  4. Use a quick, within-scope “MO Troubleshooting Ladder” to decide what to try immediately and what to report to the supervisor.

Instructor

Sarah Heller, Ed.D., BCBA, LBA-NY

Dr. Sarah Heller is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, special educator, professor, and committee chair with more than 20 years of experience helping children, families, and schools discover practical solutions that genuinely support learning and wellbeing. She has worked across early intervention, clinics, group homes, and public and private schools, developing programs that span infancy through adulthood. As a former District-Wide Behavior Specialist, Dr. Heller became known for creating systems that people could actually use by blending current research with trauma informed and neuroaffirming practices that made classrooms calmer, safer, and more predictable for everyone. In higher education, she brings that same grounded and compassionate approach to mentoring future educators and BCBAs, always prioritizing scientific integrity and real-world application over rigid formulas. Now as the Founder and Executive Director of Meaningful Metrics, Dr. Heller continues her mission to empower families and schools with training and support that are accessible, sustainable, and deeply respectful of neurodivergent identities.

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