The 10-year followup study of a severely retarded man treated for self-injurious behavior with a multiphased behavioral and vocational program found the incidence of self injurious behavior remained infrequent and rarely resulted in tissue damage. (Author/DB)

The literature on the use of physical restraint with adults and children with mental retardation is reviewed, including person-to-person restraint, mechanical devices, and voluntary self-restraint. Conclusions regarding outcomes of contingent and noncontingent restraint, maintenance, reinforcing effects of restraint, and risk of injury are…

This review discusses the history of noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) and summaries findings from treatment research. It describes the use of NCR as a control procedure, NCR as a function-based treatment, considerations in the programming of NCR schedules, behavior-change mechanisms underlying NCR effects, and directions for future research.…

A study investigated the validity of the Questions about Behavioral Function, a checklist designed to assess antecedent behavior, using a sample of 398 persons with mental retardation and self-injurious behavior, aggression, or stereotypies. The checklist was used successfully to derive clear behavioral functions across all three target behaviors.…

A cognitive treatment intervention was used with four men with learning disabilities who had been convicted of indecent exposure. Treatment dealt with the issues of accepting that the offense took place, taking responsibility, accepting the intention of the offending behavior, and victim awareness. All the men responded to treatment. (Author/CR)

Forty-one special education professionals and classroom aides, 47 residential care staff, and 74 high school students rated the treatment acceptability of three forms of physical restraint. A chair method of restraint was rated as more acceptable than other floor restraint methods by all three groups. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Identifies four treatment techniques that may be applied when problem behavior is maintained by negative reinforcement: (1) functional communication training; (2) behavioral momentum; (3) differential reinforcement or an alternative escape behavior; and (4) errorless learning. Each of the techniques is defined, and applications and guidelines for…

Two adults with severe mental retardation were assessed for correct pointing responses to line drawings of required eating utensils. Following tact intervention, mands for two of three utensils emerged. Results suggest transfer from tact variables to the conditioned establishing operation may be facilitated by cultivating a minimal mand…

The study evaluated the indirect effects on stereotypic behavior frequency of several fixed-interval reinforcement schedules on behaviors of three profoundly retarded adults. Stereotypic behavior increased in direct relation to the interval length suggesting such behaviors may be partially controlled by reinforcement frequency for adaptive…

This study, involving a man having profound mental retardation and demonstrating severe self-injurious behavior, found that a Therapeutic Shock Device (TSD) worn by the client and remotely operated was more effective than a previously used handheld shock stick, and it did not cause tissue damage. The client did not appear to find the TSD aversive.…

This study involving five individuals (ages 5 to 21) with mental retardation and behavior problems, found that momentary changes in establishing operations can influence responding during the course of a functional analysis, and that comparisons of response levels associated with the presence or absence of putative reinforces can provide…

A study developed a systematic functional assessment package to reduce the stereotypy and self-injurious behaviors maintained by nonsocial reinforcement in two individuals with mental retardation. Differential reinforcement of zero rates of responding (DRO) procedures using stimuli within the targeted sensory classes were successful in eliminated…

A study examined the effects of mastery training and explicit feedback on the selection behavior of two adults with severe mental retardation across two different vocational task designs. Selection behavior was affected by task efficiency only when efficiency was made more salient by pairing task cues with work incentives. (Contains references.)…

This study evaluated a multicomponent treatment package with three adults having profound mental retardation who engaged in self-injurious hand mouthing. The intervention, which involved brief response interruption followed by the introduction of a preferred leisure item, was successfully implemented during both individual and small group…

A mindfulness-based, self-control strategy was developed for an adult with mental retardation and mental illness whose aggression had precluded successful community placement. He was taught a simple meditation technique that required him to shift his attention and awareness from the anger-producing situation to the soles of his feet. (Contains…