Token board

Five- and ten-token strips with cut-out tokens and a 'working for' box they choose themselves.

For: Parents, teachers, therapists · Free to print, copy and share · No sign-up

How do I use a token board with an autistic child?

Show what they are working towards, then add a token for effort as it happens, and hand over the reward the moment the last token lands. Start with three tokens, not ten. The board only works if the person chose the reward and the payout is immediate and never withheld.

Get the PDF See all printables

The PDF is built in your browser on the next screen — nothing is saved or emailed.

How to use it

Let them choose what goes in the 'I'm working for' box. Not negotiable.
Start with the three-token strip. Build up only once it is working.
Add a token straight after the effort, and say what it was for.
Never remove a token that has been earned. That breaks the whole system.
Hand over the reward immediately when the strip is full.
Fade it slowly by increasing the tokens needed, never by delaying the payout.

Things worth knowing

If it stops working, the reward is stale or the target is too big. Those are the only two causes.
This is for building a new skill, not for stopping distress. A dysregulated nervous system cannot earn tokens.

Want this made for your situation?

Nova can help pick a realistic first target and talk through what to do when the board stops working.

Ask Nova what to try

Other free printables

Visual schedule template

Blank picture-and-word boxes for a morning, school, or bedtime routine.

First / Then card

Two big boxes: what happens first, what happens after. The simplest transition support there is.

Sensory profile checklist

Work through each sense and mark what soothes, what overwhelms, and what's still unclear.

Social story template

A blank, first-person story frame for a new place, a change, or something that keeps going wrong.

This sheet is a practical support, not medical, legal, or diagnostic advice.