Teaching Materials for Children with Special Needs: Token Economy Systems
Chapter from the book: Saygıner, Ş. (ed.) 2025. Academic Research in Educational Sciences.

Mahmut Celalettin Keçeci
Ministry of National Education

Synopsis

Attention and motivation are some of the prerequisites for learning to occur. For the learning process to be effective, the individual must focus their attention, participate in the activity, and maintain the desired behavior. All of this process is directly related to motivation. In children with autism spectrum disorder, limited attention span, low motivation towards learning, and behavioral problems negatively impact the teaching process, increasing the need for structured learning environments. The convertible symbol reinforcement system is a system aimed at increasing the individual's motivation. This system can be used when working with both children with special needs and typically developing children. Its use in improving children's behavioral or academic performance and its adaptability to individual differences are among the reasons for its preference in general and special education practices. Especially when working with children with autism spectrum disorder, making instruction concrete is of great importance. Making instruction concrete involves creating individualized designs to make the learning process more effective, efficient, and engaging. In this regard, visual aids, the use of materials, and structured teaching practices increase the retention of learning. This section describes the definition, objectives, embedded instruction, symbol board design examples, how and how many symbols to start with, the appropriate language to use, its association with behavior and points to consider in practice of the convertible symbol reinforcement system, which is used to increase desired behaviors and support the learning process in educational settings and reinforced with examples. In this context, the convertible symbol reinforcement system is presented as an effective and evidence-based method in terms of both instructional design and behavior management. Planning the implementation of the convertible symbol reinforcement system while considering individual characteristics will improve the quality of the learning process. Furthermore, incorporating embedded instruction will support and accelerate the child's learning. The aim of this section is to shed light on future research in the field and contribute to the improvement of teachers' practices.

How to cite this book

Keçeci, M. C. (2025). Teaching Materials for Children with Special Needs: Token Economy Systems. In: Saygıner, Ş. (ed.), Academic Research in Educational Sciences. Özgür Publications. DOI: https://doi.org/10.58830/ozgur.pub1082.c4283

License

Published

December 28, 2025

DOI

Categories