Why use penny token boards?
Penny token boards are one of my favorite individual behavior support strategies! It takes some planning and managing on behalf of the teacher but can pay off big time!
Which students benefit the most?
A penny token board can help students with autism or other special needs stay engaged, learn and be successful in class. The board helps promote inclusion and ensures all students are successful. The penny token board is a great individual reward system for a student who does not respond to the classroom-wide behavior supports. This system is a visual representation of how the student is doing and when he or she will earn the reward.
A penny token board is one example of an individual token economy. The principals of this technique are grounded in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA).
I got the penny token board I share in the video at:https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Penny-Token-Board-Set-3039344
Target Behaviors
Pick a target behavior you would like to increase. One example of a target behavior is for a student to raise his hand with a quiet mouth. To increase the likelihood that this target behavior continues, you can reinforce it with the use of the penny token board.
How to use the penny token board?
The pennies are considered the “consequence” for performing a desired behavior. Start the board when the student has gotten away from a 1:1 reinforcement schedule. Each penny then represents about 4-5 times of the student performs the target behavior. Teach this board by starting out with 4 pennies on the board so students will quickly “buy into” this system. When the student earns the penny, provide positive and constructive feedback. This feedback informs the student about what behavior earned the penny an can serve as a rule for future behavior.
Make sure students have “strong” reinforcers after earning their penny token boards
The penny token board are only successful if students are motivated so use highly motivating rewards. Make sure reinforcers stay “strong” by conducting a “preference assessment”. This assessment helps you stay on top of what is most reinforcing for the student.
Offer a few choices on a choice board that you know are highly reinforcing.
Only offer reinforcer choices that are doable for you and your classroom. Earning candy or other primary reinforcers may not be appropriate but a quick 5 minute break in the peace corner may be more reasonable.
Please don’t take away pennies from the token board
Although “response cost” or taking away pennies is a behavioral technique, I would NOT recommend it. If the student doesn’t earn more tokens then they just don’t earn their reward… Using the board as a positive reward system will create the long term change in behavior that we all want!
I hope this is helpful and fun to start using with your students. If you have experience and success using penny token boards please share in the comments…
I can see this working for my daughter with chores and consistency in routine. She tends to forget things if there isn’t a list. She writes her routine on a whiteboard and checks things off for getting ready in the mornings, but I still have struggled with the consistency for chores and things that aren’t daily bit are as needed or part of a rotation.