09 | Point Programs: Using Token Economies to Build Positive Child Behaviors – with Dr. Alan Kazdin

Point Programs, also known as token economies, are a structured and effective way to encourage positive behaviors by awarding children tangible points or tokens they can exchange for rewards. Dr. Kazdin explains how this system works to build lasting habits by combining consistent praise with concrete incentives. Learn the key ingredients of successful point programs, common pitfalls to avoid, and how to phase out the system once behaviors become routine. This approach is a practical tool to help parents increase desired behaviors systematically when praise alone isn’t enough.

Uploaded 06-08-25

Discover how to specify target behaviors, choose and track points, create a reward menu, and use point programs as part of a broader strategy for lasting behavior change.

🎯 Learning Objectives
• Understand what point programs (token economies) are and how they work
• Identify the five essential components of an effective point program
• Learn how to specify concrete behaviors that earn points
• Discover ways to choose and track points/tokens systematically
• Create a reward menu with appropriate costs to motivate children
• Recognize common challenges and how to avoid them (e.g., giving too many points or rewarding distant outcomes)
• Understand how and when to phase out the program and rely on habits and praise alone
• Distinguish point programs from bribery by focusing on habit formation and consistent behavior reinforcement

📚 About the Course
Everyday Parenting gives you access to a toolkit of behavior-change techniques that will make your typical day in the home easier as you develop the behaviors you would like to see in your child. The lessons provide step-by-step instructions and demonstrations to improve your course of action with both children and adolescents. Among many techniques, you will learn how even simple modifications to tone of voice and phrasing can lead to more compliance. The course will also shed light on many parenting misconceptions and ineffective strategies that are routinely used.

The key to the course is practice. It is not enough to know the strategies; you have to do them to reap the rewards. Using the techniques on a temporary basis will lead to permanent change.

Chances are your parenting is perfectly fine and working the way you would like. But if you have any frustrations with your child or would like improve your effectiveness in changing your child’s behavior, these videos will be a very useful guide.

📺 Watch the full playlist on YouTube: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLh9mgdi4rNeyEGNxBvNdOVlianDYgWuc9&si=WvX4JltzYzj7faKi

🎓 Enroll on Coursera for assessments and a certificate: https://www.coursera.org/learn/everyday-parenting

🌐 Explore more learning opportunities on Yale Online: https://online.yale.edu/courses/everyday-parenting-abcs-child-rearing



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