Choosing Reinforcers for Token Boards

A token board is only as strong as what the tokens are traded for. If the backup reinforcer stops being motivating, tokens stop mattering. Here is how to choose well, check that it works, and keep it fresh.

Make a Token Board With a Reward Menu

A Favorite Is Not Automatically a Reinforcer

In ABA, something is a reinforcer because of what it does to behavior, not because the learner likes it. If the behavior increases when it follows, it is working. If it does not, it is not, however much the learner enjoys it.

That is why it helps to choose with data, and then keep checking. What motivated a learner last month may be ordinary now, and what works in one setting may not in another.

Four Ways to Find Preferred Items

Interview or checklist

Ask parents, teachers and the learner (when possible) what they like. It is quick and a good starting list, but it should be verified, since reports and actual choices do not always match.

Free-operant observation

Put out a range of items and watch what the learner approaches and engages with, and for how long, without prompts. It is simple and works well with learners who find choice tasks hard.

Paired-stimulus (forced choice)

Present two items at a time and record which one the learner picks, across every pairing. Items picked most often rank highest. It is thorough but takes more time.

MSWO (multiple stimulus without replacement)

Present an array of items, let the learner pick one, remove it, and let them pick from what remains. Repeating this gives a ranking in less time than paired choice.

Your BCBA can tell you which fits the learner. Whichever you use, the result is a ranked list you can build the board's rewards from.

Turning the Results Into a Board

Use highly preferred items as the backup reinforcers, and choose the item based on how much effort the board asks for. A short board with a quick turnaround can use a smaller reward; a longer board can use something bigger.

A reward menu lets the learner choose from two or three options at the end of the board. Choice makes the board more motivating, and it protects you from guessing wrong on a day when a favorite has lost its pull.

Offer a few, not a lot Two or three choices are enough. More can be overwhelming and slow things down.
Only available through the board While you are teaching the system, keep these items for earning, so there is a reason to work for them.
Match the size to the effort Longer boards or harder targets can earn bigger rewards.

Keeping Reinforcers Fresh

Watch for satiation

If the learner has had a lot of the item recently, it will be less motivating. Rotate rewards, and save the strongest for hard targets.

Reassess often

Preferences change. Re-run a quick preference check every few weeks, or when a reward stops working.

Look at the data

If tokens are being earned but the behavior is not improving, or the learner stops engaging with the board, the reward is the first thing to review.

Pair the reward with praise

Specific praise alongside tokens and rewards builds social reinforcement, which is easier to use in everyday life.

A Choice Board Makes Picking Quick

A choice board with pictures of the preferred items gives the learner a fast way to say what they want at the end of a board. It also builds a record over time of what they choose, which tells you what is working.

You can add the same pictures to the token board's reward area, so the learner can see what they are working for.

Build the Board Around Their Rewards

Start a token board with a reward menu, add your learner's top choices with pictures, and print it.