Would those work for practically nonverbal children? And how do I get them to understand if/then, or first this THEN this. I would love to try a rewards chart or something along those lines, but I have a challenge of them just not getting the idea.
My son's educational consultant made him a first then chart and put it on a small manilla envelope and laminated both. When he finishes the job he takes the pic off and puts in the envelope and then gets the reward (whatever he chose on the then side) then we set the timer for a couple minutes, then he willingly stops and takes the then card off and puts it in the folder then throws a fit because he still wants the reward.
The rewards changed all day~sometimes vhs, edibles(pics of chips, mm's, apple juice ect..), free time(pic of backyard)or computer time.. You can do brushing teeth, dressing, eating, cleaning up mess ect..we also did a pic of a treaure chest (tackle box filled with toys, stickers, candy) and a lock!! and she would have to work for a "treasure" :)
The key in reward charts for us was finding the right reward she was motivated to work for! She got bored fast so they changed all the time:) Getting him used to a kitchen timer is good to start right now because they will have a hard time transitioning from the reward back to work again:) Good luck!!
My son is nonverbal and his teachers use a reward chart for him. He gets tokens and at the end he gets the reward. He understands perfectly. The biggest problem is finding a reward that he is motivated to get. They have to do a reinforcer assesment, I think that is what it is called, to find out what he is most interested in. Rewards have to change constantly for him.
And yes the giving up that reward when the timer goes off is a BIG problem for him. Still working on that one.
They also uses First Then and we use that at home .