Whether you were awarded stickers, stars or candy you’re probably all too familiar with behavior charts from your own childhood. Your parents may have used them at home to encourage good behavior or you were accustomed to them in your classroom as a way to promote listening and completing assigned work. Regardless of the reason or situation, behavior charts can have many benefits. This is particularly true when working with a child who has autism. Language delays and problematic behaviors such as physical aggression or self-injury can be effectively addressed using behavior charts. The versatility of this particular training tool means they can be used as either antecedent interventions (in which they function as cues, or reminders, for children to engage in specific tasks) or consequence based interventions (they provide a method for reinforcers to be delivered for appropriate behavior). The key is identifying your goal and then letting the chart help you to achieve it.
Behavior Charts for Antecedent -Based Interventions
Simply put antecedents are people, things or events that happen immediately before problem behavior occurs. Problem behavior can be related to a range of things including a child’s physical environment, or the people who were present, or the time of day. Examples of antecedent events are a reprimand,, having a toy taken away, being told to stop engaging in a preferred activity or being teased by other children. Antecedent interventions can also include the absence of something including attention from an adult, a change in schedule, or being ignored by friends. Once you’re able to identify the antecedent that precedes the problem behavior then you can choose from a variety of available interventions including behavior charts. For instance, if a child gets irritated every afternoon when story time ends because they don’t know how to properly ask for more time with the story, a behavior chart is an ideal tool. In this case, the antecedent is the end of the reading period. A chart containing a series of pictures describing the end of story time, the next step in the schedule, and appropriate behavior could stop this problematic behavior in its tracks.
Behavior Charts for Managing Consequences
The use of behavior charts for managing consequences is perhaps the most common use of this tool.  Often referred to as a token economy in the field of ABA, these types of visual supports typically have spaces on them for children to place stars or stickers (or any other type of token) on them for preselected absences of problem behavior or occurrences of good behavior.  For example, a teacher may decide to reinforce a student’s capacity to follow directions. Each time they follow directions he or she may then place a token on the behavior chart. When it is completely full with stickers or tokens, the child may then be allowed access to a highly preferred reinforcer, such as a favorite snack or a beloved activity.   By using the chart the parent, teacher, or therapist is able to spend time encouraging appropriate behavior on a regular basis without the need to manage problem behavior as it occurs.
These tools have also been useful for parents on outings with their children; it is an easy way to reinforce appropriate behavior without the need to carry a bag full of snacks or preferred toys. Additionally, children are often less motivated to engage in tantrums while in public when appropriate behavior is reinforced with a token.
One last token
Though there are many considerations when developing behavior charts, this type of tool provides the much-needed structure and reassurance a child with Autism requires. Whether you choose to use stars, pennies, or stickers, the goal remains the same: to promote positive behavior change. Â