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A Reward System

Parents are often reluctant to put a reinforcement system in place at home. Some believe you should have to buy or earn reinforcers or the child will become dependent on a reward every time he does something. Put things in perspective. Everyone reacts to positive feedback and tangible reinforcement. Our paycheque is an example, or the compliments that we receive from our boss. For children, it’s the same thing! Also, using a rewards system can quickly improve a problem a child has been having for a long-time.

A reinforcement system can be used to help the child become more independent (toilet training, making the bed) or to help with improving behavior (talking calmly when angry, not trying to negotiate at bedtime). Moreover, for some children whose success isn’t a reinforcer alone (e.g. pride), or when verbal reinforcement (e.g.”! Bravo”) has little impact, it may be necessary to add more extrinsic reinforcement.

What reinforcers should you choose?
The reinforcer can be simple and free. Ask your child what he would like and you’ll have a better chance of your system working. You’ll be surprised by their ideas!

Here are some examples:
– A special outing (restaurant, movie theatre etc.)
– Extra time before going to bed at night
– Being able to dip into a basket full of rewards (e.g. candy, stickers, tattoos)
– TV or computer time
– A special activity with the parent (e.g. massage, go to the library)
– A special dessert, choosing the meal
– Renting a movie
– Sleeping with the parent

How do you implement it?
– Involve your child in the preparation of the plan and choice of rewards.
– Target a small number of goals, so that the child experiences success
– The system must be done in a consistent manner, that is to say, the parent should respect the agreement made with the child (e.g. give the right reward, meet the deadline )
– The child must know what is expected of him, what he will get as a reward and when. It is important to clearly define the purpose and that it’s clear to the child. For example, “Be kind to your brother” is not specific enough. It should be clarified
like; “Ask your brother before taking his toy and tell him you’re not happy.” Explaining the goal is positive; allowing the child to know what is expected of him.
– Only the goal determines the reward or not. For example, if the goal is to turn off the television without negotiating when the parent asks and the child did not clean his bedroom as required, he still gets his long-term reward in connection with turning off the television without negotiating.
– Do not take away what has been earned.
– It may be necessary to adjust the time required to obtain the reinforcer due to the age or peculiarities of the child. For one child, it may be easy to wait for 5 stickers to earn rewards while for another child, it may be necessary to offer the reward right away.
– By the time the goal has been achieved, the criteria for achievement may gradually decrease until it is faded away.
– Make the system visible (e.g. on the fridge) which encourages the child and helps the parent to remember.

Reward System Examples
The system must be adapted to the child’s level of understanding. You can tap into the child’s interests in order to build a system.
– A character that moves toward the reward object (e.g. Shrek moving towards the picture of the book that the child wants at the library.)
– A token system (e.g. 5 tokens in exchange for 20 minutes of additional TV time) or dollars / good points (beloved characters of the child printed on a coupon, Monopoly money) and child buys his rewards (ex: 3 dollars goes towards a special dessert)
– A traffic light system red – yellow – green or sun, cloud, storm.
– Put stickers or stamps on a calendar.
– Puzzle pieces and the reward is given when the puzzle is completed.
– Put beads in a glass jar. When the jar is full, a reward is given.
On Google Image and the internet, you’ll find interesting ideas and pictures for implementing your rewards system.
A step in the right direction!

 

Martine Dugas, Psychoeducator-martinedugas@live.ca

 
By |2017-07-04T13:34:35-04:004 July 2017|Child Development|0 Comments

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