The use of a "token helper" in the management of classroom behavior problems and in teacher training.
A short coach visit can train staff to run a token economy that keeps working after you leave.
01Research in Context
What this study did
A coach walked into a classroom. She showed the teacher how to run a token system.
Ten disruptive pupils earned plastic chips for quiet work. Later they traded chips for fun items.
After the kids improved, the coach stepped out. The teacher kept the system running alone.
What they found
Disruptive acts dropped for every pupil. Gains stayed when the coach left.
The teacher kept handing out tokens and the room stayed calm.
How this fits with other research
Jimenez-Gomez et al. (2019) later used the same coach idea to train techs in naturalistic play. The coach model moved from teachers to front-line staff.
Keene et al. (2026) took it further. They broke coach training into parts and found modeling alone works. This update lets you skip long lectures.
McAdam et al. (2005) stretched the coach idea to group homes. Staff learned full behavior-support plans and cuts in challenging behavior lasted years.
Why it matters
You do not need to hover forever. Train, fade, and the system holds. Use a brief model-show-practice loop, then step back. Your next classroom, home, or clinic can keep running without you.
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Model one token delivery to the teacher, watch her do it, give quick praise, then plan your fade-out.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
A grade-four class teacher was trained in the use of token and verbal reinforcement by an experienced "token helper", who demonstrated the procedures in the classroom. The introduction of a simple token system resulted in significant decreases in the disruptive behavior of 10 pupils in two morning periods. When the token helper withdrew from the classroom, the teacher managed the token system and maintained disruptive behavior at lower than baseline levels.
Journal of applied behavior analysis, 1973 · doi:10.1901/jaba.1973.6-671