iRewards App

After watching the Webinar on the topic of Support or Enhance Executive Functions I chose to highlight the App called iReward. This App is $3.99 for the full App and the lite version is free. This App would be beneficial for students with ADHD, ASD, or those on behavioural modification programs. This App is a way to reward, track redeem rewards for exhibiting desired behaviours. It can be set up to monitor/track desired behaviours and/or goals at home or school or both. There is a large list of behaviours to choose from and a great feature is it also allows you to write in your own if you can’t find what you are looking for from the list.

The person monitoring the behaviours, in the lite version it is a maximum of four, adds a star as positive reinforcement if/when the desired behaviour is exhibited. The App keeps track of the amount of stars given each week on a calendar, which is a great way to look for patterns, and has a balance sheet for the child to monitor. The child gets a visual of how many stars they have and there is a checks and balances sheet to see how many stars it takes for their rewards. When they want to redeem their stars for a reward, they simply click on it. The App will let you know if there are enough stars, and calculate a new balance.

One of the many features of this App that I appreciate is the fact that you can share the results through email or social media (for privacy I recommend email). This past year I was writing in the agenda’s of four students at the end of each day to let their parents know how their behaviour was. The parents had set up their own reward system that if their child received a certain number of smiley faces they got a predetermined reward (a movie, additional screen time, etc,). I found that young kids could forget the reward they chose, or change their mind as to what they want as a reward. This App allows for that kind of flexibility. There are five rewards (again you can pick from a list or make your own) to choose from. You can change them whenever you want/need to. Children can save up for a big reward or spend their stars for smaller rewards more frequently. If I had this App I could have tapped the screen for each student and been done in a fraction of the time.

I believe the link between home and school is one that is similar to parents, you have to be on the same page or else the child will try to play one off of the other. Parents and teachers can decide on the desired behaviours/goals and work together as a team to teach and reinforce it. If I knew that last night my student used his/her manners or shared his/her toys with a sibling at home then I could offer praise and remind them that is the same behaviour I am looking for in class. It is a win/win situation that offers reinforcement and makes a connection between desired behaviours that are expected both at home and school. Plus everyone involved is kept “in the loop”.

I think this App could really help motivate students and be a great way to link home and school together as a collaborative unit.

Here is a YouTube video demonstrating how to use it.