Token Economy
A system where learners earn tokens for target behaviours that are later exchanged for preferred items or activities.
A token economy is a conditioned reinforcement system. The learner earns tokens - points, stars, chips, whatever - for performing target behaviours, and those tokens are later exchanged for backup reinforcers they actually want.
The delay between earning and exchanging is the whole point. It bridges the gap between a behaviour and a reinforcer that can't be delivered immediately, and it builds tolerance for deferred gratification. A learner who needs constant immediate reinforcement can be gradually shifted to working for longer stretches by expanding the token requirement over time.
Token economies fail most often because of two problems. First, the backup reinforcers aren't actually reinforcing - the system is built around what the adult thinks the learner should want. Second, the exchange rate is too lean too soon. If a learner needs to earn twenty tokens before accessing anything they want, and they're new to the system, you'll get problem behaviour around the token board before you ever get compliance. Start with a one-to-one exchange and build from there.