Graduation Year

2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

M.S.

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

Degree Granting Department

Child and Family Studies

Major Professor

Catia Cividini-Motta, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Committee Member

Kimberly Crosland, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Committee Member

Paige Talhelm, Ph.D., BCBA-D

Keywords

autism spectrum disorder, emotional and behavioral disorder, Good Behavior Game with tokens, interfering behavior

Abstract

Challenging behavior in school settings can negatively impact academic engagement, social relationships, and access to instruction. Previous research has shown that the Good Behavior Game (GBG) can improve academic performance and decrease challenging behavior. Generally, to play the GBG, the teacher establishes a set of rules (e.g., “remain seated during the lecture”) that the students should follow and divides the class into two teams. When a student on either team breaks a rule, the teacher gives that team a tally or hatch mark. The team with the fewest tallies at the end of the game wins a prize. The current study evaluated the effects of the Good Behavior Game (GBG) combined with a token economy on interfering behavior in a special education classroom. Three elementary-aged students with autism and their teacher participated in the study. Results from the current study indicated that all participants showed decreases in interfering behavior during the GBG with tokens condition relative to baseline. Caleb showed the largest reduction in interfering behavior while Lucas and Maya also demonstrated decreases in interfering behavior, but interfering behavior occurred with some variability. Overall, findings suggest that the GBG with tokens may be an effective and socially acceptable intervention.

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