We’ve been using token boards with Josiah for a few months.  His ABA therapist made the first one using characters from Toy Story, his favorite Disney iPad read-along.

Of course, Mama Odie made it on the board even though she doesn’t belong with these guys. She’s been one of Josiah’s favorites for a while. Once he got used to the whole token board concept, we added a second.  Token boards are an exchange system in which tokens are given for each appropriate response to a request. Appropriate behavior is token worthy also.  In short sessions, Josiah is able to earn a Toy Story character or an adorable dog face to fill up his board.  These small velcro pieces are an immediate reward for a job well done with the full token board allowing him access to something extra exciting.  Most often for Josiah, that is time with his beads.

When the board is full, Josiah hands it to us. We immediately hand him his beads and set the timer for a short 3 minute break.  Sometimes he stays at the table during the break and sometimes he lays on the carpet in the family room nearby.

Josiah is so conditioned to this routine, when he hears the timer ring, he pops up and walks back to the table.  Not always, but most of the time he’s ready to work and relinquishes his beads until the board is full again.  We pull the tokens off the board and start in with the next task or activity.

It has taken months to get to this point.  It doesn’t always work well.  Some days Josiah has no interest in doing what is asked.  Some days, tokens go flying.  But more often than not lately, he is compliant when the token board appears because he has learned cooperation equals rewards and a break.

For many, many months, Josiah’s hair has been growing long.  Way too long.  We tried desensitizing him to hair clippers.  We tried taking him to a local salon back in April, where a very sweet, extremely patient stylist who actually took appointments on her day off to assist clients with disabilities, spent over an hour trying to help Josiah through the hair cutting process.

In the end only a small patch in the back of his hair was trimmed.  It stayed that way for more than 6 weeks. Long in the front, over the ears on the sides, long in the back and then one tiny area on the back left, trimmed neatly.

Josiah started to look a little like John Lennon.  It was almost time for a pony tail or at the very least a generous supply of hair products to coax it all out of his face.

For years Rick would just hold Josiah in a death grip during the hair cutting process.  The poor women who took turns racing through his hair cuts were tipped generously for their efforts. It involved screaming, thrashing about and determined attempts to rip the clippers from their hands. It wasn’t pretty.  Josiah’s hair was always buzzed super short in hopes it would be months before we’d have to put anyone through that agony.

Then one night I had a light bulb moment.  I pulled the 6 piece token board out of the drawer, set up the iPad timer and called Josiah over to the table.  He came right away.  One token. I explained what we are going to do and showed him the clippers.  He touched them tentatively. Another token. I turned the clippers on and let Josiah hold them.  He did.  Third token.

I was careful to explain exactly what was about to happen before each step. Each time he received a token it was paired with verbal praise, high fives and lots of encouragement.

Just letting me put the clippers close to his head earned the fourth token.Very quickly, Josiah earned all 6 tokens, exchanged the board for his beads and was happily enjoying his break.

It took a few full token boards to get half of the job done.

And about 6 or 7 boards and a long break til the next morning to finish the cut.

If you’ve never used a token board, I’d highly encourage you to try it. There’s no end to the possibilities for shaping behavior and encouraging cooperation. I’m thinking token boards are going to transform our lives.

Bet they would even work on me.