Free or Low-Cost Reinforcers for Appropriate Behavior (Hardcover)

Dr. Riffel and Dr. Eggleston have been asking students/children/teens: “What would mean the world to you. What could an adult give you that would let you know you did a good job, but it can’t cost any money?”  They began this journey in 2004 and have continued ever since.  They have compiled the answers in this 75-page booklet and categorized them by age and reinforcement.  Since 2004, when asked this question only one student has broken the code and named something tangible.  It was a little girl in Wyoming who said: “Food would be nice.”  When I asked the school about her they said, “Her mother sells the weekend backpack for drugs and she doesn’t eat from Friday afternoon to Monday morning.”  They were working to get her out of the home.

This can be used in conjunction with your PBIS program or your group contingencies/reinforcement programs in your classrooms.

Dr. Riffel compiled all the answers into categories. She found the following:

1. Privileges
2. Attention
3. Leadership
4. Praise
5. Assistance
6. Touch
7. Escape
8. Supplies

No student actually said: “School Supplies”; however, Dr. Riffel works with many students who are really poor and when you are poor a hand out does not feel very nice.  Being able to cash in tickets for school supplies can be very important for children’s egos.