mikey_asleepMikey can be very stubborn. Lately we had difficulty getting him to get on the bus. He would refuse to go out and when we drove him to school he would refuse to get out of the car. When we went to his Saturday recreation program he would also refuse to get out of the car. It was becoming increasingly difficult and frustrating to the point where we were ready to pull our hair out.

A couple of weeks ago when I took him to the Saturday program I couldn’t get him out the car and I was getting frustrated at the idea of carrying him in because he tends to hit and throw himself around when you try that. Mikey was screaming at me because he just wanted to go for a ride and didn’t want to get out. Finally in frustration I reached into my pocket and as a joke I took out a dollar and said, “I’ll give you a dollar if you go in.” Immediately he stopped screaming. He unbuckled himself, took the dollar, walked in to the school, and went right to the candy machine. It was like a miracle.

Michel talked to Mikey’s therapist and she said, “Let’s try it at school too.” They set up a little shop for him where he could use his dollar to buy things like Fruit Loops and milk. In the morning I offered him a dollar to get on the bus. He took the dollar and went right out, handing the dollar to the bus driver. She was a bit confused but I explained what was going on and so the aide held the dollar for Mikey until he was buckled in. Mikey held onto his dollar until he got to school, went right to his classroom without any trouble and then strolled over to the little market area. He picked out his treat and paid with his dollar.

It has worked every day since we started doing it. Who would have figured that Mikey was just looking for a little cash to behave!