Tokens should not have a value of their own. The theory behind a token economy is to collect the tokens and exchanged later for something the child values.

Choose the Types of Prizes or Rewards

Rewards should be targeted to the child. They should provide motivation to change behaviors.

Rewards, however, do not necessarily need to be expensive. Some examples of rewards are:

• Having a friend sleep over
• Renting a movie
• Staying up late on the weekend
• Going out for ice cream
• A special toy or an item the child wants

Determine How and When the Exchange Happens

In order for the token economy to work effectively, there must be a set way for the child to exchange their token for the reward. This can be done on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Again, this should be catered to the individual child. For some children, waiting a month may be too long and will not provide any incentive, for older children, however, a month may work if they are trying to earn something they want.

Parent must also determine how many tokens a child must earn in order to exchange the tokens for the reward.

Implementing the Program

Parents need to be consistent when working with a token economy. Specific goals should be set up before the token economy is implemented and all family members should be aware of the exactly what behaviors will be rewarded with a token.

As children learn the correct behaviors, tokens should be decreased, allowing the child to incorporate the correct behavior in his or her daily life. For example, if tokens are given for handing in homework, for the first week or two, a token should be given each day homework is handed in. Once the child is completing this task on a daily basis, tokens can be decreased, maybe giving a token for handing in homework two days in a row, then three, then once a week. Eventually, rewards for this specific behavior can be eliminated. Parents can then choose a new behavior to begin working on.