Token Economy

Managing high activity levels among preschool children

 

What is a token economy system?

A token economy is an intensive, in-class positive reinforcement program for building up and maintaining appropriate classroom performance and behavior. A token program may be needed when other strategies, such as selective use of teacher attention or redirection, are insufficient to help children who display high activity levels or noncompliance. When this is the case, a tangible reward program, managed by the teacher and the parent (or by the teacher), may be needed. Tangible rewards can be conveniently managed through a token reinforcement program. Token programs involve the distribution of physical tokens (for example, poker chips, stickers, stars, smiley faces, etc.) or points following appropriate behavior. The tokens or points can be accumulated throughout the day and exchanged for designated rewards at a specified time. A predetermined goal is set for the number of tokens or points required to earn a reward. The teacher or classroom aide is responsible for distributing the tokens. The teacher, the classroom aide, or the parent can be responsible for providing the reward.

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Advantages

A token program is one of the most powerful behavioral interventions for improving classroom behavior. Token economies allow the educational staff to label appropriate behavior; which increases appropriate behavior (Shores, Gunter, & Jack, 1993; Horner & Sugai, 2005). The changes in classroom behavior can be comparable to those obtained by stimulant medications (O'Leary & O’Leary, 1976). Token programs allow for the use of more powerful incentives than are typically in place in the classroom. In addition, token programs have the advantage of providing immediate rewards.

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Implementing the System

Step 1: Select behaviors to target for change.

When working with preschool aged children, the teacher should choose 1-2 of the most important problem behaviors to target for change at a time. Additional behaviors can be substituted in as the child’s behavior changes. It is important for these behaviors to be defined clearly. The characteristics of well-defined behavior are important for these behaviors to be defined clearly.

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First, the behavior should be defined in such a way that it is clear to the child and everyone else involved when the behavior occurs. The behavior should be clear, specific, and observable. A good rule of thumb is: if the behavior can be counted and two different people observing the behavior can agree when it occurs, then behavior is probably well-defined. Vague target behaviors make it difficult for teachers to monitor them and children to know when they have performed them.

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Second, a token reinforcement program is designed to be positive and motivational, focusing on increasing desired behaviors. Behaviors targeted for change should be defined in terms of what the child should do, rather than what the child should stop doing.

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Step 2: Develop a method for keeping track of tokens or points.

The teacher must develop a method for keeping track of the tokens or points. It is recommended that physical tokens be used for young children such as poker chips, stars, stamps, or stickers (Barkley 1990). These tokens can be given to the child to place in a container.  Some young children may get distracted by these chips and it may be necessary to place them out of reach.

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Step 3: Identify powerful rewards.

The identification of powerful rewards is critical to the success of a token program. In order for the reward to be motivating, it must be perceived by the child as desirable and worth working for. One way to assure that the rewards are meaningful is to involve the children in the process of way to assure that the rewards are meaningful is to involve the children in the process of generating a list of potential rewards. Another method of identifying meaningful rewards is to observe what the children do in their free time. Behaviors that children engage in frequently can be used as rewarding activities. Parents also can be helpful in identifying favored activities. In addition, there may be some classroom responsibilities that children may find rewarding, such as assisting the teacher or erasing the whiteboard or reading a story to the class. New rewards should be continually rotated into the reward "menu" in order to keep the rewards meaningful. What may be rewarding to a child one week may be less so the next week. Examples of potential rewards are listed below.

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Classroom Reward Examples:

Access to Ipad
Computer time
Small toys

Being in charge of a part of circle time

Passing out books
Acting as a line leader
Leading songs
Helping the librarian or music teacher
Snacks

Extra recess time
Playing games
Legos
Art projects
Erasing the whiteboard

Feeding the fish or animals

Giving message over the intercom

Going to the library
Cutting paper

Helping in the school office

Watering plants

Working with playdough

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Step 4: Establish goals.

The next step is to determine an appropriate goal, or number of tokens or points needed to obtain the reward. It is important to initially set the goal at a level that is easily achieved. If the goal is set too high, the child may perceive it to be unachievable and may not put forth the effort. The best way of establishing an appropriate starting goal is to keep track of how often the child performs the desired behaviors for a one-week period prior to starting the program. The starting goal should be set just above this "baseline" level of performance. For example, if a child kept their hand and feet to themselves for 1 circle time per week, the appropriate goal might be 2 per week. This reasonable starting goal will allow the child to obtain success and experience the reward of appropriate behavior early in the program. The goal can be gradually increased over time.

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Step 5: Explain the program to the child.

The program should be explained to the child at a neutral time. The behaviors targeted for change and how to successfully perform the behaviors should be discussed, in a manner that is understandable by the child. In addition, the goal for earning the rewards and when the rewards will be given should be discussed.

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Step 6: Teacher provides feedback.

The teacher should decide how the tokens will be distributed. For preschool children, the should be given for each occurrence of a desired behavior. It is essential that the teacher reward the target behaviors with tokens in a consistent and accurate manner. In addition, the teacher should use frequent praise and social attention for appropriate behavior throughout the day and when dispensing the tokens.

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Step 7: Teacher or Parent provides reward.

At a predetermined time, the teacher or parent should review the child's progress toward the goal. If the child obtained the goal for the day, the child should be allowed to choose a reward from the reward menu. If the child fails to obtain the goal for the day, the child can be informed in a matter-of-fact manner that s/he did not earn the reward for the day. Avoid reprimands or "corrective" critical statements.

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Step 8: Changing the program.

When the child's behavior improves to a desired level for a period of time, the program can be changed in a number of ways. The number of tokens required for a reward can be increased. For example, initially, a child may be allowed to exchange tokens several times per day. As the behavior improves, the tokens can be exchanged once per day. In addition, after progress has been made on the original target behaviors, new problem behaviors can be substituted in as needed. When making changes to the program, praise the child for the success and explain the changes and expectations. If the child's behavior worsens during these changes and does not improve after a period of time, return to the previous system.

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A Brief Note on Misbehavior

If a child exhibits behavior impeding their learning or that of others, the educational staff can then have a discussion with the child about the targeted behavior and have them earn extra tokens for the preferred payoff. In other words, if a child is working on a token economy and 5 tickets equals 15 minutes on the computer, a preferred activity, and then the child has a behavioral learning opportunity ( a misbehavior), the staff should use the following intervention: “It’s a bummer that you chose to throw paper towels on the ceiling in the bathroom. We have discussed how this is not respecting others and property and we have a plan for how we will conduct ourselves in the restroom the next time. Due to this behavioral learning opportunity you will have the opportunity to earn six tickets instead of 5 to earn your computer time. I believe behavior change can be effectively mastered when we up the ante requirement for inappropriate behavior rather than taking away a previously earned privilege such as recess or field trips.

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