The token economy for children with intellectual disability and/or autism: a review.

Matson et al. (2009) read every token-economy paper they could find on kids with intellectual disability or autism. They did not run new kids; they simply told the story of what had been tried.

The review is narrative, not statistical. It maps where token boards, point cards, and penny boards had been used with this group up to 2009.

The authors say the method still shows promise. They do not give numbers, but they urge clinicians to keep token economies in the toolbox.

In short: the idea is alive and worth using for children with ID or autism.

Kaiser et al. (2022) later pooled 24 elementary studies and found large gains, giving hard numbers to the hope Matson et al. (2009) voiced.

Alba et al. (1972) and Weitz (1982) had already warned that gains vanish when tokens stop. Regnier et al. (2022) now show how to prevent that: thin the schedule and add social praise or self-monitoring before you fade.

Gutierrez et al. (2020) go one step further. They prove you can train new staff to run a token economy with just a manual, no live coaching. This fills a gap the 2009 review left open.

Token economies are old, but they still work. Use them with kids who have ID or autism, but do not stop at the board. Plan thinning, add praise, and teach staff with a clear manual. These simple moves turn a classic tool into a lasting one.