Reward Effort, Not Compliance: Autism Sticker Chart Alternative
3 min read
Map Your Day
Choosing Rewards Worth Earning that are not all screen time.
Every reward in your store is a screen, because that is the only thing your child reliably wants. Which means every success ends with a transition you know is going to be difficult.
Free 7-day trial · No email or credit card to start · Built by an autism dad and a licensed SLP
Why it works here
Why a day map helps with choosing rewards worth earning
A reward only works if your child genuinely wants it, and a reward store made entirely of screen time buys each success at the cost of a hard ending. Widening the menu is worth the effort of finding out what else actually motivates your particular child.
You will recognize this if
- Screens are the only thing your child will work for.
- Every reward is followed by a difficult transition.
- Rewards you thought would appeal are ignored entirely.
The setup
How to set it up for choosing rewards worth earning
Takes about five minutes. Use it as written, or keep only the steps your family needs. A short setup that gets used beats a complete one that gets abandoned in week two.
- 1 Watch what your child chooses when nothing is required of them
- 2 Build the store from that list, not from what you think should motivate
- 3 Include time-with-you options, which are undervalued surprisingly often
- 4 Add special-interest rewards, which are usually the strongest available
- 5 Mix small frequent rewards with occasional larger ones
- 6 Refresh the store when a reward stops working rather than raising the price
The mistake most families make
Raising the cost of a reward that has stopped working assumes the problem is price. Usually the reward has simply lost its appeal and needs replacing.
In the app
Built into the routine, not bolted onto it.
The Map Your Day lives inside the same routine your child already follows, so choosing rewards worth earning is a step with a visible length rather than a separate tool somebody has to remember to open.
- Attach it to any step in any routine
- Works for pre-readers, gestalt language processors, and AAC users
- Same setup at home, at school, and in therapy
Set this up for your child.
Five minutes to build, and your child sees it every time choosing rewards worth earning comes around.
$6.99/month after the free trial · Cancel anytime · Also at app.vizyplan.com
Common questions
About choosing rewards worth earning
What if my child only wants screen time?
Use it, and add one or two alternatives alongside it rather than removing it. Special interests are usually the most promising place to look for a second option.
Can time with a parent be a reward?
Very often it is the strongest one available, and it is consistently underused. Twenty minutes of undivided attention beats most purchasable rewards.
How often should rewards change?
Whenever one stops working. A store that never changes stops being interesting, and interest is the entire mechanism.
VizyPlan supports routines and communication at home and school. It is not a medical device and does not diagnose or treat any condition. Talk to your child's care team about clinical questions.
