The Value Token of Children with Autism - Case Study Example

Token Economy Name: Unit: Course: Supervisor: Date of submission: Token Economy In the education of children, positive reinforcement of behaviour has been acclaimed to condition children to adopt the desired behaviours. One o the acclaimed positive reinforcement behaviours is the use of the token economy. The token economy is a system that is designed to provide the reinforcement of positive behaviour in which the children involved earn tokens if they behave in a desired manner (Filcheck, McNeil, Gracelo & Bernard, 2004). The tokens earned can be redeemed for some benefits as designed by the teacher; the benefits include activities of interest to children or play items for the children (Boniecki & Moore, 2003). This paper provides a program of token economy for children with autism. Children with autism Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a general term for a group of complex disorders of brain development (Larkey, 2006). Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a life-long mental disability that affects a person’s cognitive ability.The disorder is characterized by varying degrees, for instance, the children with the autism have challenges in social interactions, verbal and non-verbal communication and other have repetitive behaviours. In addition to the challenging the challenges, the people with autism have been found to experience difficulties in understanding the things they hear and see. This has been attributed to impaired speech that is common among the children with autism. In school the children have poor organizational skills and their interaction with other children is limited (Larkey, 2006). The children with autism psycho-educational profiles significantly differ from those of other students. Strengths and Weaknesses Individuals with autism have varying levels of intelligence; some are of normal intelligence, while others have intellectual disabilities that can range from mild to severe. The varying levels of intelligence are unique to each child; some of them have exceptional capabilities in given skills e.g. music and academic skills. Others have significant disabilities and need a lot of assistance to carry out their daily activities (Pellicano, 2010). Therefore, to improve the quality of life for the students with autism, there is need for activities that reinforce their positive behaviours such as their organizational skills and concentration skills. Parents and teachers should build on the positive aspects portrayed by the students with autism. To achieve best teaching results, teachers are supposed to understand the strengths and weaknesses of the children with autism and reinforce the positive behaviour and discourage the negative behaviours (Larkey, 2006). Required Behaviour The implementation of token economy is aimed at reducing or increasing behaviours that the teachers have identified as positive or negative. The people who best understand the children in the classroom normally do the identification of the behaviours, hence it mainly falls upon the teachers’ discretion (Matson & Boijoli, 2009). The reduction in the negative behaviours and improvement in the desired behaviors normally improve the children performance, addresses the common challenges with children with autism. The reinforcement of behaviour as employed in the token economy system rely on operant conditioning in which the tokens are used as stimulants to the desired behaviour (Doll, McLaughin & Barretto, 2013). The tokens are awarded if the set behaviour is demonstrated. The targeted behaviours are set putting into consideration the unique needs and challenges faced by individuals with autism. The children with autism normally engage in challenging behaviour more than their peers (Bushbacher & Fox, 2003). If students with autism are not closely monitored, their challenging behaviour can prevent them from receiving academic instruction and can negatively influence their social life in school. In teaching the students with autism, there is the need to identify the behaviours that need to be reinforced. For instance, the children with autism have deficits in some, but not all, cognitive functionalities. For this economy program, the required behaviours that will be reinforced will include: Attention span, Planning skills, Solving tasks that seem complex Language masterly and expression List of Reinforcers and Token Cost The reinforcers are used to create interest among the children, which motivates them to earn the points. (Boniecki & Moore, 2003) The reinforcers include activities and privileges that the participants (children) enjoy. The background reinforcers are selected in relation with needs of the children; they should be attractive affordable and only accessible to the participants who can afford them by purchasing using the earned tokens. The reinforcers for the economy will include: Opportunity to collect more play toys from the school play store Free time on a computer games Reinforcer Cost Free time on a computer games (10 minutes extra) 5 points Collecting extra toy for play (1 toy) 3 points There are varieties of tokens that can be used in a token economy system. In this economy, the children targeted are those with autism. Bearing in mind some of the risks of the challenging behaviours that can result to the children harming themselves, the token selected will be done putting into consideration the safety of the children. The items selected will thus be safe for the children and will be dispensed twice a week. The economy will use two types of tokens which include: Happy face stickers Punch cards The tokens will be valued as follows Token Value (points) Happy face sticker 1 Punch cards 2 The target behaviours that will need to be reinforced include the following and the respective points. Behaviour Points Being on time in class 1 Answering questions 2 Being attentive in class 2 Giving turns to other children 3 Checklist (Bank) The accumulation of the points will be recorded in a board mounted on the back of the class in a height that the students cannot reach to interfere with the points. The board will contain the name of the child with disability and the accumulated points earned on daily basis. This will serve as a bank in which after three days the overall reward will be given to the students who earned many points. A teacher’s copy will be kept by the teacher as backup record in case of the children tampering with the bank records. Class Points earned Name of student Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Business Hours The tokens will be exchanged for the back up reinforcers on daily basis. However, three days time will be used to accumulate points. The students who will have accumulated many points at the end of the three days will get double the back up reinforcers at the end of the three days. In token economy, consistency ensures that students are motivated and eager to get the reinforcers (Matson & Boisjoli, 2009) at the end of the day. Therefore, the program will incorporate other teachers so that incase of absence of one teacher the program does not halt. Program Implementation This token program will be aimed at improving the students’ behaviours both in the classroom and also during the other outdoor activities. This will ensure that the students are motivated to participate in the class work activities and in interaction activities at the field. This will help to improve their socialization, improve their attention in class and generally impact positively on their behaviour. Therefore, the token economy will run all day as it targets holistic positive behaviour in the children. Rules and regulation for the economy 1. Tokens will only be awarded for the listed behaviours. 2. The tokens will be awarded by discretion of the teacher monitoring the children. 3. Exchange of tokens is prohibited and it will result to the involved students losing the acquired points. 4. All tokens should be returned at the end of the third day. 5. The children without the autism disorder are ineligible; however they will be encouraged to help the students with disability reinforce the positive behaviour. This will be done by placing them in groups where they will join the children with disability after the three days in participating in the back up reinforcers by being paired to the children. Parents The parents of the students with disability will be invited for a meeting to explain the token economy and thereafter participate in the launching of the program in the school. The inclusion of the parents in the program will help the students to continue reinforcing the positive behaviours and discouraging the negative ones at home (Matson & Boisjoli, 2009). This will make the child understand that the positive behaviours are not a preserve of the school only. Awarding Tokens As noted the child with autism if he/she demonstrates the desired behaviour with be awarded with the value token. On awarding the token, the teacher will tell the child ‘congratulations’ and give the token. This should be done in manner that it does not disrupt the class ongoing activities. The token given will be based on the required points for the positive behaviour. For instance, a student who has shown positive planning skills for being in class in time will be awarded with happy face sticker. The tokens will be given every time the positive behaviour is portrayed. After the masterly of the behaviour, a mechanism for gradual diminishing of the reward will be used. Note: The prices (value) of the tokens will be renewed depending on the needs of the students. This will be depended on need adjustment in which the difficulties in behaviour will be determinants of the demand and hence influence the supply. If the demand is high the supply should be limited, i.e. price of the tokens should be made higher if many students are acquiring the given behaviour and subsequently raise the cost of the back up reinforcers. References Boniecki, K. A., and Moore, S. (2003). Breaking the silence: Using a token economy to reinforce classroom participation. Teaching of Psychology, 30 (1), pp. 224-227. Bushbacher, P.W., & Fox, L. (2003). Understanding and intervening with the challenging behaviour of young children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 34, 217–227. Doll, C. and McLaughlin, T. and Barretto, A. (2013). The token economy: A recent review and evaluation. International Journal of Basic and Applied Science, 2(1), pp. 131-149 Filcheck, H. A., McNeil, C. B., Greco, L. A., & Bernard, R. S. (2004). Using a whole-class token economy and coaching of teacher skills in a preschool classroom to manage disruptive behavior. Psychology in the Schools, 41, 351-361. Larkey, S. (2006). Strategies for teaching students with Autism Spectrum disorder and other students with special needs. Sydney: Peakhurst Publishers. Matson, J. L., & Boisjoli, J. A. (2009). The token economy for children with intellectual disability and/or autism: A review. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 30, 240-248. Pellicano, E. (2010). The development of core cognitive skills in autism: A 3-year prospective study. Child Development, 81 (5), pp 1467-1503. Read More