Reducing latency of a child's responding to instructions by means of a token system.

One 8-year-old boy kept dragging his feet when told to do things. The team set up a token board. Each quick response earned a plastic chip. Five chips bought five minutes of play time.

They tested five everyday commands like 'Put the toys away.' A multiple-baseline design showed the tokens were really doing the work.

Four of the five commands got faster. Latency dropped as soon as tokens started. When tokens stopped, the boy slowed again. Tokens came back and speed returned.

Azrin et al. (1969) ran a similar system with a whole class of students with intellectual disability. Their token board raised hand-raising and quiet sitting. Fjellstedt et al. (1973) zooms in on one child and clocks how fast he moves.

McLaughlin et al. (1972) used tokens to cut talk-outs in a fifth-grade room. They saw big drops the same year N et al. saw big speed-ups. Same tool, different target — no conflict, just wider use.

Andzik et al. (2022) brought tokens to kids with autism who escape work. Tokens plus short breaks slashed problem behavior. The 1973 study planted the seed; 2022 shows the tree still bears fruit.

You don’t need fancy gear. A jar of poker chips and a sticky note chart can turn ‘five-minute stand-offs’ into ‘five-second starts.’ Try it first for transitions or clean-up. Watch the clock, not just yes/no, and you’ll see change fast.