Hi Morgan,
So glad you liked the post.
To answer your questions about offering a stuffed animal as a reward for answering questions I have a couple thoughts.
First of all, that is going to get very expensive! If you work in a school setting where funds are usually tight, it will have to come out of your pocket. I guess if you think you can afford that, you could offer a reward.
Second, once they are used to expecting a pretty big toy or reward, to keep them motivated you are most likely going to have to up the ante so to speak! What is next? Stuffed animal, larger toy, DVD, Video Game, etc. etc. It might be hard to keep up that type of reinforcer.
Third, my personal opinion is keep the “rewards” based on something like attending speech, being positive, working hard, staying focused. Use lots of verbal praise for saying sounds correctly using a reinforcement schedule that will help strengthen their correct responses.
Does that make sense? let me know your thoughts!
heather