Make way for Tokens!

A token economy is one of the easiest and well-structured systems used to change habits. Think of the time you went to an arcade and wanted a teddy bear or a small gift from a basketball machine. The arcade asks you to play (actions) the game to get enough points or tickets. With enough scores, the old machine throws these tiny little tickets from the left. The more tickets you have, the better price or toy you get. If your tickets were less or not enough, you might have ended up getting some stationery items.

That's how token economy looks like. The arcade or carnivals never gives away prizes for free. There is always something you have to play and score enough tickets or tokens to get what you like from that store.

We use tokens at home or in school set up to increase the desirable habit of our kids. For instance, tokens can be given if we need our kids to develop a habit of following their routine, initiating homework, exercising, helping parents with home chores, and the list can go on. It can be used to improve language. For instance, using words instead of expressing their needs with aggression, using appropriate sentences while talking to parents, expressing their emotions, and practicing calming strategies when destressed.

Providing tokens is way easier than providing the child's reinforcers all the time. If the child asks for a video game, it is better to set up a specific amount of tokens he needs for access to video game time. Such a system helps in maintaining a balance between learning necessary skills and maintaining the value of the activities or items the kid likes to do.

"The world economy where people go to work, do their job to earn money and then spend this money for things they want or need is pretty much identical to a classroom token economy. " - Gavin Cosgrave

Token economy helps the kids to understand the concept of money. Kids with varied abilities can benefit from the token system. The parents and therapists working with the kid can set up a token system depending on the child's ability and needs. For example, a 4-year-old kid with limited language and vocal skills can be exposed to token boards in which he needs 1 to 5 tokens for music or trampoline. He can get tokens in engaging in activities that are difficult for him or are less preferred but important.

A kid with reciprocal communication who needs the motivation to initiate his daily chores might not need a token board but just a checklist and paper chips/plastic chips which he can collect in his box. Once he gets enough chips by doing chores, the kid can select his reward for the day.

Kids understand that redeeming tokens, tick marks, or chips provides them with something they value. The system teaches kids that some materialistic items have to be earned.

Tokens help the child to maintain the value of what he likes. If we give access to bubbles all the time, the kid eventually will be bored and will no longer show interest in bubbles. However, if the child learns that bubble time will be available when he earns tokens by doing 2 daily chores. The value for bubble and excitement is going to be intact for him. After all, earning the price is way more rewarding than getting free access to the item all the time!

Token economy helps parents to pinpoint good habits the child has done throughout the day. When you give tokens, it's always for habits or actions which the child is learning. It's always good habits.

In conclusion, the token economy might look complex. However, parents and the child can benefit from it in the long run. Once you know how to set it up and it's well planned, it saves time to time from arguments, helps develop negotiation skills, and helps keep track of your child's learning.

In our next blog, let's write in detail about:

• Types of token

• setting up tokens

• Planning the system

• "Watch outs" when token systems are in place.