Jeff Kinney

Feature Story
Doumanian got the idea for the
program after grappling with his
son Julian’s behavioral issues.
“Our troubles started when he was
three,” he says. “He was a smart
kid, but rebellious and a little
spoiled.” Wondering if Julian’s
behavior might stem from some
type of disorder, the Doumanians
brought him to a therapist. The
therapist found nothing wrong
with Julian and recommended
that the family implement a
rewards chart, assigning stars for
positive behavior and removing
them in response to negative
behavior. “The beauty of a chart is
that it’s visual,” says Doumanian.
“It lets kids see the consequences
of their actions.”
However, the chart didn’t work
for Julian. For example, it was
problematic if he acted up while
the family was out. “We’d have to
wait until we got home to remove
a star,” says Doumanian. “The
time that elapsed between Julian’s
actions and when they were
recorded on the chart made it hard
for him to make the connection.
Sometimes, by the time we’d get
home, we’d forget altogether.”
Doumanian looked for something
digital that would be more
portable and more manageable.
“I couldn’t find anything that
would do all the things we needed
it to do,” he says. So, Doumanian,
the CEO of tech firms Fresh
Element and Harvester Holdings,
spent two years developing and
building Fampoints. The program
launched in August to much
acclaim and great feedback from
parents and medical professionals.
“Fampoints is a great tool
for parents to help children
understand their expectations,
and to make sure the change in
behavior and work to achieve goals
and contribute to the family are
recognized and rewarded each
time, so that these sought after
behaviors continue to shape the
child’s positive participation in his
or her environment,” says Nikki
Miller, licensed psychotherapist.
“It’s easy to use, either at home or
on the fly, and offers options and
flexibility for individual/family
needs and preferences. It’s a win/
win for the whole family!”
Fampoints is based on the idea
behind those old-fashioned
behavior charts comprised
of stickers on posterboard,
but totally revamped for 21st
century families.
Parents simply create a Fampoints
account for each child and
generate a list of actions or
behaviors. Each item on the list
is assigned a certain number of
points. “It works both ways,”
Doumanian says. “Just as a child
earns points through positive
behavior, they lose points through
negative behavior.” Parents can
easily edit the list at any time.
Parents also create rewards and
determine how many points each
reward requires. “You can make
rewards something small like a
special snack, something bigger
like a movie ticket, or something
huge like a trip to Disneyland,”
says Doumanian. Since Fampoints
is completely customizable,
parents call the shots. “You create
the rewards that will motivate
your child,” says Doumanian. “The
only limit is your creativity.”
Children logging into Fampoints
can see how many points they
have, what kind of rewards they
can earn, and how many points
they need to redeem each reward.
“They aren’t able to see how
many points their siblings have,”
Doumanian says.
Every request to redeem points
for a reward requires parental
approval. “Mom or Dad receives
an email that their child has
requested a reward,” explains
Doumanian. “Parents can approve
or deny the request, and send
a message back to the child
explaining why. For example, a
parent might decline a request
to redeem reward points for a
movie ticket if a child has been
misbehaving. The Fampoints
system encourages parents and
StoryMonstersInk.com | NOVEMBER 2015 | Story Monsters Ink 11