Token System... changing it up.

I had a somewhat difficult start to my session with a client today. This client whom I will refer to as "C" is familiar with the "token system." The token system is a reward system in which the child receives a "token" for completing a task. The token can be anything that has value for the child (e.g stickers, play money, puzzle pieces, etc.). In C's case it was stars. I will usually attach a task to each star randomly, and C will need to get 5 stars in order to get a small break in which he can play a board game. This system has not been working as well as usual and so today I decided I needed to change it. I thought that maybe working for 5 stars was just too much. I needed a way to continue to achieve the same results without C having to work for so many stars.

And so what I thought was, maybe he needed to see right from the beginning the reason why he was getting a star. I also made it seem easier by having him work for 2 stars instead of 5, which I think is the reason for his high non compliance at the beginning of the session. And I attached a task for each and put it on the paper (my drawing skills are not so great)so he gets a visual.

The drawing means that C will stay seated the entire time and the 1 2 3 (with Xs through them) is how many programs he needs to finish. This worked well for me today and needless to say, I was very happy. C was also happy because he is able to visualize exactly what he needs to do to get the stars and to him 2 stars is easier to get than 5 stars.

Here's information regarding Token System/Token Economy...

http://www.kidsmakingchange.com/TokenEconomy/cms/Token_Economy.html