Programming Maintenance in Token Economies: Procedural Strategies and Ethical Implications

Token economies are widely used interventions that reward desired behaviors with tokens exchangeable for preferred items or privileges, with applications ranging from psychiatric facilities to classrooms. Gradual removal of token economies is crucial for fostering independence, with maintenance procedures including thinning, fading, transfer of control, and combinations of strategies, each with its ethical considerations and effectiveness. This presentation from the 2023 Michigan Autism Conference aims to educate learners on implementing these maintenance procedures, their benefits and drawbacks, and future research directions.