Kudoz to you!
Reinforcement is one of the most effective tools in this world. When we are rewarded with things, praise, or not having to do something (chores) we are generally happy and are more likely to do the behavior that gave us that reinforcement again! One thing that I absolutely love to do with my clients and my children at home is use a token economy, specifically Kudobanz! This is a very simple thing that you have seen in many different forms. Basically you get tokens for engaging in a desired behavior. Once you get a certain amount of tokens, you can exchange those tokens for your reinforcer.
Personally, I love using Kudobanz as my token board. It is a bracelet that the child put on their arm and they can earn Kudoz (tokens) for desired behavior. Once they earn all of their Kudos then can either gain a predetermined reward or spin the spinner on the app for a random reward. These rewards need to be ones selected by the child (toy, snack, extra tv time, outside time, bubbles, etc). I love it because it is super easy to keep up with, it doesn’t make your child stand out, and it's so fun for them!
What is so great about the token economy? You can use it however you want! The key is to start with real easy things and move up as the child catches on. Below I will provide two examples using Kudobanz, one within the home and one in the community.
Example 1
Your overall goal is for your child to clean their room. You want them to do so without whining, arguing, tantruming, etc.
Show them their Kudoban and explain the rules. Remember, start simple. Rules could be getting a Kudo for saying “thank you, ok mom, yes ma’am”. If that is too difficult, you can make it even simpler (I like how you are walking, sitting, etc). They need simple things to understand that desired behavior gives them reinforcement.
Once they start catching on to this, you need to make it a little more difficult. You can do this by giving small instructions (put this in the trash, close the door, etc).
We want to reach the point where they earn a token for complying with your instruction (clean the room), staying on task (check after 5 minutes to make sure they are still cleaning), and completing the task (the room is clean).
Example 2
Your overall goal is for your child to walk with the grocery cart at the store without walking away, grabbing toys, screaming, etc.
As before, start simple. State your expectations before leaving the house, in the car, and when you get to the store. Reward quick (I like how you are holding my hand in the parking lot, I like how you are walking through the door, etc).
Give them a special spot to hold on the cart, and instantly reward them for holding that spot.
Praise them while walking in the store and holding that spot.
You want to reach the point where they do not need as many praises or tokens. Increase the difficulty as time passes until you can span out the tokens for the amount of time you are in the store.
Keep in mind, that this does not work overnight. Your child will more than likely try to push back, don’t give up here! Give it some time for them to adjust to it and keep trying. Be consistent!
How can ABA help?
When parent’s first try to implement something new, the child will typically resist. We can help the child learn about the reward system while learning new ways to engage in appropriate behaviors. We then transfer that over to the parent with parent training.
Check out https://kudobanz.com/ for your banz and more tips!
