#015: Talking about Tokens – Part 1

The Just 7 Steps Podcast

What is a token economy or system and why are they recommended by just about everyone who helps your child? Are they effective and if so, how? And why isn’t it working for you? In this three-part series, we’re covering all things token economies. By definition, a token economy is anything that is set up to allow you to offer a symbol as a promise of future reinforcement. It’s a great way to delay giving tangible reinforcers or splitting up larger reinforcers to make them more useful in the home or school settings.
In part one of this series, we introduce the concept of token economies, discuss the reasons why you might need one, and the major mistakes people make when trying to create them. We’ll start by talking about motivation and why it’s such a key component in reinforcing the desired behavior. Because we can’t always give immediate reinforcers to kids to build behavior, using tokens can help set up a contingency and motivate the child to engage in the desired activity or task. I also provide real-world examples of how to use a token economy so you can think about ways to implement them in your own life.
What’s Inside:

• What a token economy is and how it works.
• The importance of motivators when building behaviors.
• Examples of when you should put a token system in place.
• Common mistakes made when creating a token system.

Mentioned In This Episode:
Just 7 Steps YouTube
Just7Steps.com/course
RobertSchrammConsulting.com