Praising children, particularly those with special needs, is extremely important for self-esteem as well as in changing behavior. Experience has shown me that punishment is rarely effective in changing behavior. With rising obesity rates, the need for rewards other than food is extremely important.

I teach children with special needs, including autism, and have found that some of the most unusual rewards are the most effective.

Suggestion Number One: Use pictures of the children as rewards. This school year I was fortunate enough to have a color laser printer and digital camera at my disposal. I discovered the student love taking pictures of themselves home. I discovered this by accident. I had some pictures left over from a project and they were so intrigued with them I started sending them home. They liked black and white ones also, but color ones were their favorite. I believe part of the reason this was so successful in my classroom was because many of the children in my classroom were economically disadvantaged and didn’t have a lot of pictures at home.

Suggestion Number Two: Use talking on your cell phone as a reward. One of my students can talk but gets very nervous when I try to get him to talk to me directly. I had tried numerous ways to get him to talk but nothing worked. One day the students were playing with dolls and other housekeeping materials. In the box were several toy phones. » Read more: Three Unique Ways to Praise a Child With Special Needs