TOKEN ECONOMY (part 2)

     It was a "no brainer" determining what Charlie liked. Why he liked sound toys was unknown but the important thing was that spent TIME playing with them.  Like many students with autism he was nonverbal and even if he could speak he didn't have the vocabulary for an explanation.  Some people with autism are hypersensitive to sensory input.   They seek stimulation of sights, sounds, touches, smells and tastes to a higher degree than most people.  Charlie was one who liked sounds.

     The Exchange 

    The physical part of the exchange in the Economy was simple.  It was  basic, plain and easy.  It was the insertion of giving Charlie a "token", (in this case a green cardboard circle the size of a quarter) right before he went to the toy table and then physically prompting him to give it back to me before he took any toys.  Here is the sequence of steps.

1) We go to the toy table 

2) I give Charlie the green circle by physically putting it in his hand 

3) I physically prompt him to give me the token back ..take the token from his hand..

4)  Charlie picks out  toys from the table and is given time to play.

Understanding:

   This easy sequence of steps gives Charlie a motor memory providing ACCESSTo his toy purchase.  By providing this experiential movement we give him a sensory experience atrached to his purchase.  Here is how we get Charlie to learn the exchange. Here he is as a buyer learning to make a purchase.

   (To be continued)

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