Covert self-injurious behavior (i.e., behavior that occurs in the absence of other people) can be difficult to treat. Traditional treatments typically have involved sophisticated methods of observation and often have employed positive punishment procedures. The current study evaluated the effectiveness of a variable momentary differential…

Although delusional statements in people with intellectual disabilities and traumatic brain injury can be treated using behavioral interventions, none have demonstrated long-term treatment effects. In the current study, a functional analysis demonstrated that delusional statements were maintained by attention. Differential reinforcement of…

Five students (13-18 years old) classified as profoundly/multiply handicapped were trained to use microswitches to indicate reinforcer preferences. When the microswitches activated the devices during training, a substantial increase in the duration of motoric responding occurred for all students. In addition, some students performed differentially…

Four experiments involving 18 individuals (ages 14-55) with profound multiple handicaps found that 12 stimuli used in a preference assessment represented a comprehensive stimulus set for identifying preferences, though the utility of the set could sometimes be enhanced by caregiver opinion. Results also indicated that preferences identified were…

This study examined effects of providing attention (the presumed reinforcer) both noncontingently and contingent upon either self-injurious behavior or self-restraint with a 12-year-old female with multiple disabilities including profound mental retardation. Results were consistent with the hypothesis that both responses were maintained by…

Two experiments combined the assessment of reinforcer preferences and the functional analysis of behavior to prescribe treatment of self-injurious behavior in two severely handicapped children, aged four and eight. The treatments reduced self-injurious behavior when the child was alone as well as during instructional training activities. (JDD)

A systematic assessment procedure successfully identified stimulus preferences of seven profoundly and multiply handicapped individuals (ages 12-34). Preference rankings based on caregiver opinion did not consistently coincide with these results. Systematically assessed student preferences were a likely, though not certain, source of reinforcing…

An adolescent with severe mental retardation and cerebral palsy who displayed attention-maintained destructive behavior was exposed to noncontingent reinforcer delivery (NCR) with a high-preference or a low-preference stimulus while reinforcement for destructive behavior with attention remained in effect. NCR without extinction was effective only…

The study examined the extent to which momentary DRO (differential reinforcement of other behavior) maintained suppression (following initial treatment with whole-interval DRO) of the maladaptive behavior of nine severely multihandicapped elementary aged students. Results indicated that momentary DRO maintained response suppression comparable to…

Three individuals with multiple severe disabilities were taught an appropriate response to problem behaviors, but the response was less efficient than the problem behavior on physical effort, schedule of reinforcement, or stimulus-reinforcer time delay. The response did not compete successfully with the problem behaviors until a new, more…

The relationship between compliance with "do" and "don't" requests was examined with six developmentaly disabled children with severe behavior disorders. Generalized compliance occurred only with requests of the same types as the target exemplar ("do" or "don't"). (Author/SEW)