Using Reinforcement and Token Systems for Behavior

As many of us know all too well, getting our kids to participate in non-preferred activities can be incredibly challenging, and often requires reinforcement and motivation. Nobody knows motivation techniques better than an ABA therapist, so we talked to Dr. Faye Carter, regional clinical director of ABA services at STAR of CA , which provides behavioral and psychological services to children, adolescents, and adults.

Dr. Carter tells us that at STAR of CA, they use a token system, where the child earns access to something they’ve agreed on beforehand with the family. This can take many forms, including verbal praise. “If the child can read,” Dr. Carter says, “we’ll use a token economy system and agree on who will use it — us or the parents. There are virtual platforms where kids can see how many tokens they have, or you can design them so the child can see what is being reinforced.” She adds that they also use parent reinforcement: “We’ll text the parents and say, ‘Hey, he’s doing a really good job, can you go reinforce that?’”

You can get creative with reinforcers, such as finding a video that’s of high interest that your child can watch after completing an non-preferred task. “The most preferred thing for most kids is a device, so we create visual schedules that have icons representing what will happen that day and incorporate times when parents can allow device use,” Dr. Carter explains. (More on visual schedules below.)

STAR of CA therapists also work with parents on extinction strategies. Dr. Carter says that if a child has meltdowns about denied access to a device or an activity, parents need to hold their ground and continue to deny access rather than reinforce the behavior by giving in. “This will help kids get to a point where the behavior is no longer reinforced and they stop engaging in it,” she says.

In Dr. Carter’s experience, visual schedules work really well; at STAR of CA, therapists create visual schedules that include icons of what will happen that day and apply them at different times. For more information about visual schedules, check out our article with tips and resources for creating or purchasing visual schedules that include schedule boards, self-regulation visuals, emotions and associated behaviors, self-help tasks, classroom routines, and more.

Transitions from preferred activities to less-preferred ones are often challenging, especially for our kids. Dr. Carter says it helps to build routines and consistency around the transition itself, and to describe what’s coming next with a timed countdown (“Okay, five more minutes and then we’re doing X”). This has been echoed by other clinician and therapists. Read more about transitions and emotional regulation here.

There are several apps that can be used for reinforcement and reward systems. Dr. Carter tells us that apps with a gaming element seem to have greater longevity because the child has a desire to keep earning. Here are a few we rounded up:

Points Kids Behavior Tracker

This free app allows parents to give children a visual tool for improving their behavior. You can create custom tasks for kids to complete in exchange for points, and they can redeem points for prizes set by the parents. The app lets you add multiple family members so you can track points for more than one child. Available on Apple and Android.

Neat Kid

This free app is specifically designed to help young kids complete chores and other tasks at home by turning it into a game. Kids earn stars that they can exchange for rewards. They can also save up stars to practice delayed gratification. Available on Apple and Android.

Chores, Rewards, and Allowance

If your child is primarily motivated by their device, this free reward app has a timer integrated into it so that your child can complete tasks to redeem for screen time. You can toggle between earning points or earning cash depending on what works for your family. Available on Apple.

Kiddy

For kids who enjoy games and challenges, this free app lets you assign tasks and rank their difficulty, with harder challenges earning more points. As a family, you can decide on rewards to be earned with points. Available on Android.

Chores 4 Rewards

This app makes it easy to track and reward behaviors across multiple days, so your child can build good daily habits. In addition to custom tasks, the app has a section where kids can play educational games to earn points. Available on Android.

Thumsters

Parents can use this app for positive reinforcement and encouraging their kids for a behavior that's in line with family values. The app has colorful screens and motivating sounds as they get a thumbs up. Thumsters allows you to set goals for your children to work toward, and kids can track their progress and choose what goals receive thumbs from their “thumb bank.” Available on Apple and Android.