Behavioral contracting to increase chest physiotherapy. A study of a young cystic fibrosis patient.

Doctors asked an young learners girl with cystic fibrosis to do chest physiotherapy twice a day. She hated it and often skipped it.

The team wrote a simple contract with her. If she did both sessions, she picked a prize. If she missed one, no prize. Parents signed too.

Her compliance jumped from a large share to over a large share in weeks. Lung tests got better. Parents fought less about treatment.

Wright (1972) first showed adults will lose personal items if they miss weight-loss goals. J et al. moved the same idea to a sick child fifteen years later.

Baer et al. (1984) used parent-run token boards to cut TV time in half. The CF study used one simple contract instead of daily tokens, yet still worked.

Lydersen et al. (1974) proved tokens for schoolwork wipe out class disruption. The CF case adds medical tasks to the list of kid behaviors you can fix with a contract.

You can write a one-page contract tonight and turn a hated health routine into a win. Pick a reward the child wants. Make the rule clear: task first, prize after. Parents must track and pay up fast. This cheap tool beats lectures and protects lungs.