I must take exception to the comments in Ms. Kyli Rodriguez-Cayro’s Aug. 29 commentary regarding the implementation of “unethical token economies” and her comments attempting to disparage behavioral support procedures by comparing them with similar procedures used with nonhuman animals (i.e., pigeons).
There are literally thousands of empirical data-based studies demonstrating the positive impact of such procedures in supporting children and adults to both achieve desired behavioral goals and reduce the likelihood of less productive behaviors.
As with any category of intervention procedures, such strategies can be misused and abused in a variety of ways, as sometimes happens in various service settings such as schools, residential treatment centers, etc.
Such abuses are most often the result of incorrect implementation by poorly trained and supervised staff, due to inadequate funding levels.
But, when used appropriately in the context of a comprehensive positively oriented support and training program, they have the potential to be of great help to children and their families in achieving desired behavioral goals.
The fact that behavioral principles and procedures work with both nonhuman animals (pigeons, monkeys, dogs, etc.) and humans only demonstrates their importance and impact in potentially improving all of our lives.
Rob O’Neill, Ph.D., Sandy
