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How to Use Token Economy to Manage Behavior

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More examples of how to implement the use of Token Economy with an individual student or with a whole class.

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Dave Cornell (PhD) and Peer Reviewed by Chris Drew (PhD)

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10 Token Economy Examples (For Teachers) (2023)

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A token economy is a behavior modification technique that uses rewards (tokens) as reinforcers to shape behavior. The tokens can be exchanged later for other reinforcers that are highly appealing to the recipients. By reinforcing desired behaviors with tokens, the student is more likely to exhibit that behavior again.

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Details on the implementation of PBSP for students with behavioral difficulties or disabilities and the steps to getting a PBSP in place for a student.

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Edmonton Regional Learning Consortium - ERLC

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Positive Behaviour Supports in Practice - Developing and Implementing a Behaviour Plan

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Explanation of Positive Behavior Support Plan and how to use as an intervention to support students with behavioral disabilities/difficulties.

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If your child's school conducted a Functional Behavior Assessment to help identify and manage interfering behaviors, they may have included a recommendation to develop and implement a Positive Behavior Support Plan. In this article, you'll learn what a Positive Behavior Support plan is and how educators and support staff can use this tool to help manage your child's interfering behaviors at school.

Using the analysis collected in the Functional Behavior Assessment, a behavior specialist or consultant can build out the components of the PBSP in collaboration with your child's Individualized Education Plan (IEP) team, of which family members are a part.

Positive Behavior Support Plan / Behavior Intervention Plan

A Positive Behavior Support Plan (may also be referred to as a Behavior Intervention Plan) is a formalized document which outlines the following:

The student's interfering behaviors. What action(s) is the student taking that may be disruptive to their learning or their peers' ability to learn?

Reasons behind the behaviors. Why is the student doing the behavior? Is it in response to a particular task or activity? What are they trying to communicate?

Interventions to replace and reduce the behaviors. What skills or behaviors can be taught to the student to replace the interfering behaviors?

Measurable behavior goals and strategies to teach and reinforce appropriate behaviors. These goals should be appropriately tailored to the student's needs and abilities and should set reasonable and realistic measurements for success.

This information will be documented comprehensively in three main parts of the behavior plan:

1. A definition of the interfering behavior and ABC analysis

2. Measurable behavior goals

3. A plan for how to teach and reinforce new skills

Definition of Interfering Behavior(s) and an ABC Analysis

The initial section of the Positive Behavior Support Plan should summarize the findings of the Functional Behavior Assessment. The author should clearly describe the interfering behavior(s) using observable language and describe what commonly occurred before (antecedent) and after (consequence) the interfering behavior. Most Positive Behavior Support Plans / Behavior Intervention Plans include a table such as the one below:

Notice how the interfering behavior is described in observable terms rather than a generalized statement such as "the student got mad". The description of the behavior and surrounding events assists in summarizing the current information.

Finally, this section will include a potential hypothesis/theory as to why the student engages in the interfering behaviors. In behavior analysis, the hypothesis describes the potential "function" for the behaviors (escape, tangibles, attention, automatic). In other words, the "why" of the behaviors. Knowing the "why" helps the plan to develop potential solutions to minimize the interfering behaviors and maximize news skills.

Measurable Behavior Goals

The Behavior Support Plan should outline measurable behavior goals for the student to work towards. For example, if the student stands up from their desk to get the teacher's attention, a matching replacement behavior goal could be teaching the student to raise their hand to request attention instead. The plan should identify a new, appropriate skill to teach that directly relates to the function of the interfering behaviors.

Similar to the previous section, all goals should be measurable and align with the student's current abilities and skills. Many behavior plans fail because they do not take into account the student's strengths and needs. For example, if a student hides under his desk during math class, not only does the student need to learn new ways to escape and avoid unpleasant situations, but also the team needs to evaluate why the student may hide during math. Does the student have the correct supports in place to complete the assignments? Does he understand the material? Addressing an interfering behavior means assessing and addressing a student's needs across many domains.

All of the behavior goals should have measurable components to them so that the teacher and staff can collect accurate data. The data will help your student's educational team identify if the interventions work or if they need revisions.

In addition to collecting data on the interfering behaviors, teachers and staff should collect data on any replacement behaviors as well. This will allow the IEP team to assess whether a student is both decreasing the inappropriate behaviors as well as learning new skills.

Teaching Strategies for Behavior Interventions

The final piece of the Positive Behavior Support Plan/ Behavior Intervention Plan outlines how teachers and staff will implement each component. It is important for this section of the plan to very specifically outline how the student will be taught the new skills. The team should answer the questions of where the student will be taught, when, by whom, and how.

The plan should clearly lay out the consequences for using the replacement skill AND for engaging in the interfering behaviors. What will the teacher do when the student uses the replacement behavior or continues to use the interfering behavior? The goal is for the student to access desired reinforcement for using the replacement behaviors instead of engaging in the interfering behaviors. If we use the example of the student in math class, a replacement behavior may be to request help or to ask for a break. The teacher would instantly reward the student by either giving help immediately or allowing the student to take a break. In this example, the teacher is reinforcing the use of the replacement skill, making the behavior of hiding under the desk less powerful.

Knowing what to look for in your child's Positive Behavior Support Plan can help you better understand the methods and strategies being used by their educators to help your child be successful at school.

The Watson Institute's educational consultants share insights and resources on a variety of topics for families and educators, including more information on Positive Behavior Support Plans.

Dr. Rachel Schwartz, BCBA-D is an Educational Consultant at the Watson Institute. She received her Master's Degree in Teaching and Applied Behavior Analysis from the University of Georgia and her Ph.D. in Special Education from the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Schwartz has worked internationally creating supervising programs for individuals with developmental disabilities and conducts research on the importance of sexual education and expression for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

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What is a Positive Behavior Support / Behavior Intervention Plan?

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If your child's school conducted a Functional Behavior Assessment to help identify and manage interfering behaviors, they may have included a recommendation to develop and implement a Positive Behavior Support Plan. In this article, you'll learn what a Positive Behavior Support plan is and how educators and support staff can use this tool to help manage your child's interfering behaviors at school.

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Great article an explanation of token economy!

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" One of the most commonly used behavior management interventions, especially in settings for students who have learning or behavioral challenges" (McIntyre, 2014).

Definition/Description: The way this strategy is usually used is to give students a token for good behavior. The student(s) work toward a reward in which you or they have already chosen. If they do something good or complete homework or whatever the criteria is, then they receive a token. When they reach the number of tokens needed for their reward then they get whatever it is. However a way I would modify this to fit for my student who misuse certain things, such as the bathroom, would be to give them three tokens a day to use.

Example of a Token Economy : Activities and Discussion Questions
"1. List twenty-five items that could be used as tokens in a token economy. (paper clips, poker chips, raffle tickets, etc.)
2. Make a reinforcement inventory to determine the rewards desired by your students. Use open-ended sentences (e.g., "If I had 15 minutes of free time, I would like to...") and choices (e.g., "Given free time, which would you rather do? (a) talk with a friend; (b) play a game; (c) read; (d) listen to music). List only those choices that you would allow in your classroom.
3. Complete steps 1 through 9 in the above section titled How to Use Token Economies/Point Systems. Make all the materials and indicate which items you would use for tokens and back-up reinforcers. Write your spoken introduction of the system to the students.
4. With another person, role play the introduction to the youngsters regarding the new program.
5. A parent feels that your token economy is bribery. How do you respond to this parent?
6. Hamilton comes to you to report that someone stole his tokens. How can you prevent theft from occurring in the future?
7. You caught Jeff bringing poker chips from home that look like the ones you use to reinforce students. You had this problem once before when you gave check marks and the students made their own. How can you prevent this behavior?
8. Is it fair to take away tokens that have already been earned by the student? Shouldn't s/he be able to keep tokens s/he has earned previously by displaying appropriate behavior?" (McIntyre, 2014).

Content Areas:
Since this is a behavioral strategy it can be used in all content areas and students can work towards receiving the tokens throughout all content areas. It can be used individual, small groups, or as a whole class.

Above are template Examples teacher can use for the Token Systems.

References:
Behavior Week Surprise Addition: The Dos and Don'ts of a Token Economy (2012). [Image]. Retrieved from http://theautismhelper.com/dos-donts-token-economy/
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Gunning, T. G. (2012). Creating literacy instruction for all children in grades pre-K to 4. 2nd Edition. Boston: A and B.

Hallahan, D. P., Kauffman, J. M., & Pullen, P. C. (2015). Bacon. Exceptional learners: An introduction to special education. Boston, MA: Pearson/Allyn &
http://www.slideshare.net/JohnsonNW/classroom-part-1-school-wide-positive-behavior-support-all-settings-mo-swpbs-si-2008-presentation
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Johnson, N. (2008). Classroom Part 1: School Wide Positive Behavior Support All Settings. [Image] Retieved from

McIntyre, T. (2014). Point Systems & Token Economies. Retieved form http://www.behavioradvisor.com/

Toohey, R. (2014). Token Economy Demo. [Web video]..Retieved form https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4ODrkklXQI

What I'm Working For (n.d). [image of colorful path to free time]. Retieved from https://www.pinterest.com/explore/token-economy/
​
What is a token economy? (2013). [Web video]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvpLpt39c2A

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" One of the most commonly used behavior management interventions, especially in settings for students who have learning or behavioral challenges" (McIntyre, 2014). Definition/Description: The way this strategy is usually used is to give students a token for good behavior. The student(s) work toward a reward in which you or they have already chosen.

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Way to support students with ED and a way that students can use their "reward" for token economy. Creating a sensory space in the classroom could be a great way to reinforce coping strategies and also encourage the use of them.

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A sensory room-a therapeutic space with a variety of equipment that provides students with special needs with personalized sensory input-helps these children calm and focus themselves so they can be better prepared for learning and interacting with others. In April, Edutopia published the story of Meriden Public Schools in Connecticut, including a video about the district's sensory room at Hanover Elementary School, which provides support services for students with a wide range of special needs.

This article includes detailed information about how to create a sensory room for your own community, as well as answers to some of the questions we received after publishing the video. If you're interested in finding an existing sensory room in your area, we suggest calling a local occupational therapist for a referral.

What Are the Benefits of a Sensory Room?

Improved services: Meriden Public Schools students with special needs were previously sent outside the district to receive services. According to Patricia Sullivan-Kowalski, Meriden's director of pupil personnel, this resulted in students feeling less connected to their community. By creating their own sensory room, administrators gained the ability to keep students in their community and provide them with a safe place in a least restrictive environment.

Improved student outcomes: Sullivan-Kowalski says the sensory room at Hanover has had a positive impact on students, who "are better able to follow directions and spend more time on task," she says. "With that, we see a decrease in negative behaviors. The students are very motivated. They want to go to the sensory room."

Cost savings: Setting up a sensory room costs less than sending students out for support services. To pay for Hanover's sensory room, Mark Benigni, the Meriden district superintendent, reallocated support services funds, covering the room and its equipment, staff, and professional development.

How Is the Sensory Room Used? What Student Objectives Does It Meet?

The Hanover sensory room was designed primarily for autistic students, but over time it has expanded to support all students, including those with vision difficulties, language difficulties, learning disabilities, emotional disturbances, all kindergartners, and any student who needs a safe, quiet room to calm their body. "We often find that practices designed to meet the needs of the most challenging students in a school are effective for all kids," says Peter Poutiatine, Edutopia's school selection coordinator, who researches successful school practices.

When creating the sensory room, Meriden educators focused on incorporating proprioception, the awareness of where your body is in space, and the vestibular system, the sense of balance. Students with challenges in proprioception appear clumsy-they're not able to get in line without being right on top of the next student, for example. The educators give these students a lot of so-called heavy work, like bouncing and jumping, to help develop this sense. Students with vestibular challenges have trouble balancing, so they use a platform swing that helps improve this sense. Having students work on their proprioceptive and vestibular systems helps them become aware of how their bodies move and how they can control their movements.

A sensory room can be used to meet multiple objectives, depending on each student's needs. The Hanover room in the video above has a variety of stations that were designed primarily to help students with proprioceptive and vestibular issues be better able to self-regulate. The room measures about 1,200 square feet-it was previously a kindergarten.

Working with an occupational therapist and a physical therapist, special needs students attend the sensory room for a half hour a day. Meriden educators adjust the following program to meet individual students' needs:

Bouncing ball: Students always start by bouncing on a ball in time to a metronome. It's very important to provide consistency, and starting (and ending) each session on a bouncing ball allows for ease of transition and provides predictability. Next, students either do a set rotation among the stations or make their own choices.

Circuit rotation or chosen activities: After the ball, a student may do a set rotation, visiting several stations for three to five minutes. This provides a great deal of sensory input and exposes students to the different areas of the room. Or a student may choose a desired activity and stay there for a directed amount of time. It's very important that students have enough time in a chosen station to feel the desired effect.

Yoga: The occupational and physical therapists have posted images of yoga poses on the walls in the Hanover sensory room, and make themselves available to help as needed.

Bouncing ball: Students end each session by bouncing on a ball.

Who Designed the Room?

Meriden Public Schools' head of occupational therapy, Kathleen Fritz Romania, and lead physical therapist, Heather McDonnell, designed the room. They worked with others, including the district's lead behavior analyst, the speech and language pathologist, and the special ed teacher, to ensure that the programming supported specific goals concerning behavior, communication, and academic skills.

What Do You Need to Get Started With a Sensory Room?

The team at Meriden agrees that you don't have to spend a lot of money to get started. "If you put down carpet, paint the walls a calming color, and put light fabric over the lights, your students will feel a change right away when they walk into the room," says McDonnell, the physical therapist.

You can also use equipment that doesn't cost a lot: Therapy balls, battle ropes, and scooter boards are very inexpensive and have numerous applications with students. You can also make your own sensory bins-plastic dishwashing containers filled with rice and dried beans will work.

What Equipment Does the Sensory Room Have?

The sensory room at Hanover Elementary has equipment that's designed to give students a variety of sensory inputs. For example:

1. Bouncing balls: When students enter the sensory room, they go directly to the bounce area for opening circle-an exercise in which they bounce on balls in time with a metronome. This provides full body input, but can easily overstimulate some students, so this activity should be closely supervised. Staff members also use the balls to "squish" students, pressing into their backs as they lie on the floor, which provides deep pressure. Meriden educators recommend the Bosu (half ball), therapy balls, and Lily Pads. The balls are for therapeutic use only, not for play.

2. Whiteboard: After bouncing, students go to the whiteboard station, where they can use magnetic letters or do Lazy 8s with markers to develop fine motor skills. This station is also the choice area, where students decide which stations they want to visit. Once they choose a station, they remain there for three to five minutes and then either transition around the room or return to the whiteboard to make another choice.

3. Light wall, punching bag, and battle ropes: The light wall allows for heavy work, which gives students the safe proprioceptive input they need to calm their body and feel more oriented in space. The students may use heavy red balls to hit the lights. There are many games, including Simon and Connect Four. At Hanover, students use the light wall either individually or in pairs. A punching bag and thick battle ropes also provide opportunities for heavy work.

4. Mirror wall: This station allows students to use visual feedback while playing. You can create one by attaching shatterproof mirror tiles to a wall. Students can write or draw on the mirror with a small dollop of shaving cream, which provides an opportunity a calming tactile input.

5. Lego wall: The Lego wall is a great fine-motor-skills activity for students, made by screwing Lego bases onto the wall so that students build out from the wall instead of the floor or a table. Students love Legos, and according to Sullivan-Kowalski, Meriden's director of pupil personnel, "Occupational therapists love them, too." Building things is a great way to organize a child and provides a calming activity.

6. Bubble tube: The sensory bubble tube-a glass tube that's lit from within and has bubbles that create shifting patterns of light-is located in a quiet area and adds to the relaxing environment with calming visuals and sounds. Students may bring a book or quiet activity into this area, lie in a beanbag chair, and just relax as they organize themselves and prepare to go back to class.

7. Body socks: Used in the quiet area, body socks are full-size suits that provide students with deep joint input that is calming to most children. When using the socks, students can see out but cannot be seen from outside. This is great for those students who require quiet time, prefer being in small spaces, and require very little hands-on support. Sullivan-Kowalski notes that "students should be asked if they would prefer not to be enclosed in the sock, and their wishes must be respected."

8. Tactile center: At Hanover, educators put out plastic bins and containers of beans, rice, and sand. Students work on their own or use activity cards to make sequences and patterns-using only one material at a time to prevent mixing. The feel of the materials in this section is very calming and therapeutic, and this activity presents a very low demand for students while providing a great deal of sensory input through the hands.

9. Rowers: As students work the oars on a rowing machine, they get safe heavy work, which improves their focus and orientation, and helps them calm their bodies. If the oars are too heavy, staff members allow students to push and pull the oars with their legs. Meriden's lead physical therapist, Heather McDonnell, cautions that educators should take care that rowers are used appropriately to ensure that students get the desired effect and to prevent damage to the machines.

10. Platform swing: The swing provides the appropriate vestibular input necessary to calm and orient a student. At Hanover, students may sit or lie on their belly on the swing-no standing. Only one child is allowed to use it at a time. Some students may think it's for recreation, so it's important to enforce the rules: "If your student has not been identified with needs that require a specific protocol, use of swings outside is recommended," says Sullivan-Kowalski.

When Do Students Use the Sensory Room?

At Hanover, there are five classes of eight or nine students with autism. Each of these classes comes to the sensory room for half an hour a day. Specialists can also schedule time with the physical and/or occupational therapists for one hour a week. The physical therapist and occupational therapist collaborate with each specialist to provide programming, music, and lesson plans.

Does the Sensory Room Benefit Kids Who Have Lived Through Trauma?

Meriden has three sensory rooms in all, and each is designed to meet different student needs. When working with students who have experienced trauma, it's important to have input from a team-typically including the school psychologist or a social worker who is trained in trauma-based services-as to what is appropriate and what is not.

Who Manages the Sensory Room?

Trained staff members take care of each of the three sensory rooms. Meriden Public Schools' head of occupational therapy, Kathleen Fritz Romania, and lead physical therapist, Heather McDonnell, train these staffers.

Best Practices and Things to Avoid

Make sure your facilities team is on board. "They were able to help us with construction early in the process and give us information about what we could and could not move," says Romania. "It made the logistics of the actual physical space go much more smoothly."

Develop a program and protocol for how staff should use and maintain the room-and make sure your staff is trained. "Everyone needs to understand the purpose of the room, what each piece in there is for, and how to put it away after use. Students also need to follow a routine, so that they don't come in and act like they're at Disneyland, bop all around, and then leave it in total devastation," says Romania.

Reinforce the right behavior. Especially with students on a behavior plan, you should work closely with the school team and the behavioral specialist to make sure kids get the right message from their time in the sensory room. Sullivan-Kowalski, the director of pupil personnel, cautions that children should not be sent to the sensory room for acting out, "because you've just reinforced, 'Act out in your classroom, you'll come out and do this.' The sensory room needs to be a part of a behavioral plan as either a reward or a break."

Locate your sensory room in a central location within your building if possible. At Hanover, the sensory room is directly across from the school office, which makes it easy to keep tabs on the room and to ensure that the staff is using it correctly and that equipment is being maintained properly. In the other two schools in the district with sensory rooms, those rooms are located in the farthest corner from the office, making them more difficult to monitor.

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A sensory room-a therapeutic space with a variety of equipment that provides students with special needs with personalized sensory input-helps these children calm and focus themselves so they can be better prepared for learning and interacting with others.

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Explanation of Emotional Disturbance and what to look for or how to help students with ED.

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Building Resiliency

The encouraging news is that young people have the innate capacity to bounce back from adversity. You can create an environment that feels safe and connected by helping students understand how negative emotions hijack our learning. I am currently teaching young adolescents, many with significant emotional and behavioral challenges. To facilitate a predictable and consistent environment, we create class guidelines, procedures, and engagement systems so each student knows the class expectations and routines. Here are four strategies that have really worked with my students.

1. Brain-Based Learning Centers

In my classroom, students can go to one corner to recharge and calm down from negative emotion. This corner is called the "amygdala first aid station" as the amygdala is the fight/flight/freeze center in the brain. Students needing a quiet area with tables to study or to complete work can go to the "hippocampus area," named after the part of the brain that memorizes and connects new information to what we already know. Finally, the "prefrontal cortex area"-named after the problem-solving center of the brain-includes tables and collaborative spaces for students who are ready to discuss projects or ideas, watch documentaries, and collaborate. When we teach students about their brain functions and connect them to specific activities, they become more self-aware and fluent in their own cognitive processes. Check out my post " Brain Labs: A Place to Enliven Learning " for a helpful resource as you think about how to design predictable and safe spaces to learn, socialize, and recharge.

2. Personalized Check-In Notes

If students are in a negative brain state, we must regulate behaviors before any learning will occur. The best way I have found is to first attend to their emotional temperature, to let them know I am present and available no matter the negative behaviors. To connect with and create consistency for a diverse array of students with different needs, I use waiter and prescription pads as a way of personalizing communication throughout the day. These are particularly effective for reaching those students who don't respond to spoken communication. Share notes, small goals, affirmations, and requests to maintain individualized consistent connections. Once the task or goal has been ordered and received, you can create fun ways to make a payment or incentivize.

3. Structured Emotional Support

The "2x10 Strategy" developed by psychologist Raymond Wlodkowski is an excellent brain-aligned strategy to implement with our most challenging students. For two minutes each day, 10 days in a row, teachers have a personal conversation-either written or in-person-with a student about anything the student is interested in, as long as the conversation is G-rated. Wlodkowski found an 85 percent improvement in that one student's behavior. In addition, he found that the behavior of all the other students in the class improved.

4. Locked Journal for Safe Self-Expression

When we write out our thoughts and feelings, we clear space in the frontal lobes for positive emotion and higher cognitive processes. A locked journal can give students a safe place to release anxiety while maintaining control over their own privacy. If a student chooses to write or draw their feelings and thoughts through this format, we discuss how this journal can become a trusted friend, and how they might be able to use it to prototype creative forms of expression to be shared under the appropriate circumstances.

Delivery Matters

In working with students, your method of delivery will make a big difference. Students who are emotionally shut down and unresponsive to words may respond better with written notes. You can create note cards for directions, choices, or explanations, and give students the opportunity to write their responses rather than speak. All behavior is communication. Although I might not get a verbal response from a student, I always keep trying with the option of sharing notes and letters.

What I am learning every day-even as a seasoned educator-is that I must regulate behaviors before any learning will occur, and the strategies above have helped immeasurably. Students who struggle with emotional disturbances are some of our most vulnerable, but when we can create predictable and consistent supports for them, their inner resilience can shine.

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Reaching Students With Emotional Disturbances

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A seasoned educator shares four ideas for supporting students who have suffered emotional trauma.