OT: Token Boards, Reinforcers for NT daughter

[Guest guest]

I am on this group because my 3 1/2 year old son is autistic and

we are doing ABA. I have a question regarding my NT 9 year old

daughter. She is a little " flighty " and forgetful and needs constant

reminders with homework, practicing piano, etc. I have often

thought she is mildly ADD but it hasn't affected her grades (so

far) or friendships. We are just trying to " keep an eye on it " for

now. I am wondering what techniques some of you are using as

reinforcers to keep your older children on task. I have read about

token boards and am not sure how they work or what they even

look like. Or possibly a simple checklist. I want to give her the

skills to be more independent with some of these daily tasks

and to start taking care of herself a little more.

Thanks,

Laurel

[Guest guest]

You might want to check out:

Car, J.E., Fraizer, T.J., & Roland, J.P. (2004) Token Economy. In A.M.

Gross & R.S. Drabman (Eds.) Encyclopedia of behaviour modification and

cognitive behaviour therapy - vol.2: Child Clinical Applications. Thousand

Oaks, CA: Sage.

McClannahan, L.E. & Krantz, P.J. (1999) Activity Schedules for children with

autism: teaching independent behavior. Bethesda, MD: Woodbine House.

ISBN: 0-933149-93-X

* highly recomended

Baker, B.L. & Brightman, A.J. (1989) Steps to independence: a skills

training guide for parents and teachers of children with special needs.

Baltimore, MD: H. s Publishing Co.

ISBN: 1-55766-006-9

Also, business supply stores (Eg. Staples) and educational stores (Eg.

Scholars Choice) stock ready-made token reward pads with stickers (you write

in the chore, responsibility, etc.) that come divided into days/weeks. Very

handy!

Hope you find what you need.

Toby Stahlschmidt-Kah

Guelph, ON

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[ ] OT: Token Boards, Reinforcers for NT daughter

> I am on this group because my 3 1/2 year old son is autistic and

> we are doing ABA. I have a question regarding my NT 9 year old

> daughter. She is a little " flighty " and forgetful and needs constant

> reminders with homework, practicing piano, etc. I have often

> thought she is mildly ADD but it hasn't affected her grades (so

> far) or friendships. We are just trying to " keep an eye on it " for

> now. I am wondering what techniques some of you are using as

> reinforcers to keep your older children on task. I have read about

> token boards and am not sure how they work or what they even

> look like. Or possibly a simple checklist. I want to give her the

> skills to be more independent with some of these daily tasks

> and to start taking care of herself a little more.

>

> Thanks,

>

> Laurel

>

>

>

>

> List moderators: Jenn - ABAqueen1@...

> Steph - Stephhulshof@...

>

> Post message:

> Subscribe: -subscribe

> Unsubscribe: -unsubscribe

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

laurel740 wrote:

>I am on this group because my 3 1/2 year old son is autistic and

>we are doing ABA. I have a question regarding my NT 9 year old

>daughter. She is a little " flighty " and forgetful and needs constant

>reminders with homework, practicing piano, etc. I have often

>thought she is mildly ADD but it hasn't affected her grades (so

>far) or friendships. We are just trying to " keep an eye on it " for

>now. I am wondering what techniques some of you are using as

>reinforcers to keep your older children on task. I have read about

>token boards and am not sure how they work or what they even

>look like. Or possibly a simple checklist. I want to give her the

>skills to be more independent with some of these daily tasks

>and to start taking care of herself a little more.

>

>Thanks,

>

>Laurel

>

>

This is a funny story considering the ages of myself and my brothers at

the time, but it should answer your questions.

I started working as an ABA therapist when I was 22, and I moved out to

my parents' city to do it. I lived with them and two of my younger

brothers (then aged 18 and 16), and we all had chores plus three nights

of dishes to do every week.

Except, of course, we wouldn't do the dishes and they would just pile up

around the sink until finally we were threatened with death. (Or

something like that.)

Well, I'd been doing some reading (well a lot of reading) about ABA

techniques, and I belonged to a few lists, so I knew enough about token

systems to suggest and explain them to my Mom. She instituted a token

system that would get us on task, and it worked really well!

Every week, she printed off a page for each of us that had four squares

on it (and some cute pictures, she's like that). One square each for

our weekly chore and dishes nights. The rule was that we had to do the

dishes on our night before midnight (or before bed, at least). We'd get

a sticker for each time, and if we filled our chart, our parents would

buy us a Slurpee from 7-11. An interesting part of this was that if you

*didn't* do your dishes on your night, you had to do them the next day,

and the person whose night it was would get their sticker even though

they didn't have to do anything. And if you left the dishes until your

next time on duty, you didn't get a sticker for *either* night.

This worked pretty well, partly because we're Slurpee fiends in my

family, and even though the things don't cost that much, getting stuff

you love for free is very cool.

But *that* is, basically, a simple token system.

I would start small - say with three tasks on a list that she needs to

do each day; if she completes all three things, she gets a sticker, and

then if she has at least four stickers at the end of the week (I'm

thinking that's more than half the week she's done her chores), she gets

a reward - like an ice cream cone or a favourite candy or a colouring

book or something like that. Or she can save up her weeks until the end

of the month, and get something like a trip to the zoo. Once she's

consistently completing all three tasks every day, up the ante to five

items, then eight, and so on. After a while you should be able to stop

with the rewards and just have her complete the tasks every day.

-Janna (should institute something like that so I don't have to do

marathon cleaning anymore...)

--

Tech Tots Program Facilitator (special needs 1:1 preschool)

Calgary, AB, Canada

BMus, BAPsych

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