Level-Up

We have struggled for years on how to encourage our boy to pursue his potential. It has been so hard to find a consistent plan that actually encouraged him to keep going. We finally found one that seems to fit. He is working on a long-term level system. This system places the responsibility on him for earning what he wants, and keeps very easy track of his progress. There are a few tiers to this system, each one a step toward maturity and his best self!

The first step toward the next level is a Successful Day. We have a chart of 6 weeks with an initial line for each day of those weeks. There are certain expectations he has to meet to get a signature for a Successful Day. Chores need to be done, behavior needs to meet our standards, timeliness on waking and sleeping needs to be prompt, etc. If he does not meet all of the criteria, he does not earn a signature. Certain major behaviors (such as aggression) will also earn one signature removed in response to that day. If he has fulfilled our expectations; the next morning, I bring him to the chart to show him that he has earned a signature for the previous day.

The next step is a Successful Week. Once he gets a full week of Successful Day signatures (we do not make these consecutive days in our home); he has achieved a Successful Week, and receives a reward. At the end of every Successful Week, he gets another reward. This reward can be anything from a toy, to an outing, to dinner, to a family activity! A few things our boy has earned are ice cream, going to a friend’s house, and getting his bike fixed. It is totally up to what motivates him in that time period and what budget we have decided to put on it.

Now comes the final step: the Level-Up Application Process! On a new level, he is given a large reward. Our boy is working for increased privileges and a gaming system with his next level. The main objective is that this reward is a bigger privilege, an outing, a toy- just something more extravagant than normal to show how proud we are of him, and let him know that his hard work was worth it.

When he reaches six weeks of signatures, he is able to arrange a meeting with us to request an application for the next level. This application includes an essay on his growth, plans for growth, and why he thinks that he deserves to Level Up; and a paper for all of his caregivers to sign (us, therapists, teachers…) to let him know if they believe he has earned it. When he gets their signatures, he needs to listen to their feedback, positive or negative, with respect and attentiveness.

The final signature is the head of household. He will meet with us and discuss the essay and feedback from his signatures (or lack thereof). If he is denied a signature on his form, he needs one more week of daily initials; to work on the feedback he received. After earning one more week of signatures, he may try the Application Process again. If he has received all of his signatures, including the head of household, he may request the Level-Up.

I’m so excited as my boy gets closer to his next level. I love seeing him get excited about his growing maturity, and meeting those milestones that seemed so far away at the beginning. I’m proud of the hard work that he is putting in, and look forward to him being able to have accomplished this level! What rewards do you look forward to giving your kids when they have earned them? What goals do you look forward to them achieving?

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