The ACHIEVE! program: A point and level system for reducing severe problem behavior

Abstract

Token economies are routinely used in residential programs for individuals with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (IDD), but research demonstrating the effectiveness of token economies has declined in recent years. Advocates of token economies argue that they provide children and young people with IDD a predictable structure that is effective in increasing prosocial behavior and reducing problem behavior. Critics have argued that they are too restrictive and not flexible enough to meet the needs of all individuals. We present a program description and correlational study of a variation of a token economy. It illustrates how a school‐wide points and level system that emphasizes and reinforces demonstration of important prosocial skills, without the use of punishment, can be inversely correlated with occurrences of severe problem behavior (i.e., aggression, harmful sexual behavior, and property damage) in students with IDD attending a residential program. Directions for future research on token economies is discussed.