The pilot study focused on the effective design of adaptive biofeedback equipment for use in the control of self-mutilating behaviors in individuals with Lesch-Nyhan syndrome, typically characterized by apasticity, mental retardation, and violent biting of the lips and fingers. Utilizing an electromyographic (EMG) monitor and a custom-designed…

People with mental retardation, autism, and related developmental disabilities who self-injure are treated with a wide array of behavioral techniques and psychotropic medications. Despite numerous reports documenting short-term and some long-term changes in self-injury associated with the opiate antagonist naltrexone hydrochloride, no quantitative…

Analogue functional analysis methodology was used to assess potential maintaining contingencies of episodic self-injurious behavior (SIB) of a 4-year-old child diagnosed with autism. Analogue conditions were presented within a multielement design when the child did, and did not exhibit signs of a possible sinus infection, and when the participant,…

Objective: To describe an adapted version of dialectical behavior therapy for adolescents with bipolar disorder. Method: The dialectical behavior therapy intervention is delivered over 1 year and consists of two modalities: family skills training (conducted with individual family units) and individual therapy. The acute treatment period (6 months)…

Results of prior studies (e.g. [J. Appl. Behav. Anal. 32 (1999) 285]) showing that participants chose alternative behavior (compliance) over escape-reinforced destructive behavior when this latter response produced escape and the former response produced positive reinforcement may have been due to (a) the value of the positive reinforcer…

This study compared differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) and noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) in the reduction of self-injurious behavior in three adult females with severe or profound mental retardation. Both procedures were highly effective in reducing self-injury, with NCR less limited than DRO. (Author/DB)

A functional analysis was performed on a five-year-old nonverbal Autistic female with severe self-injurious behaviors. The self-injurious behaviors (hand-to-head, hand-to-jaw, hand-to-face) and loud vocalizations were targeted. Two types of sessions, enriched environment and instructor controlled preferred stimuli, were alternated throughout the…

This case study examines a 13 year old adolescent male who engages in severe aggression, self- injurious and impulsive behaviors. He was treated with Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) for thirteen months. DBT had limited success in reducing his problem behaviors. He was treated with Mode Deactivation Therapy (MDT) for four months and his problem…

Method of treatment of self-injurious behaviors for three severely retarded students (ages six-seven) was selected by matching one of three hypotheses (self-stimulation, positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement) to a judgment concerning cause. Results supported the argument that treatment programs should be based on a functional analysis of…

Multi-sensory stimulation provided in a Snoezelen room is being used increasingly for individuals with mental retardation and mental illness to facilitate relaxation, provide enjoyment, and inhibit behavioral challenges. We observed aggressive and self-injurious behavior in three groups of 15 individuals with severe or profound mental retardation…

The response satiation model of instrumental performance was used in two experiments to establish contingencies which reduced the self-injurious behavior of two adults with profound mental retardation and multiple handicaps. Transfer and generalization of training effects were also observed. (Author/DB)

Assessed effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral school-based primary prevention psychological program designed to improve eighth-grade students' (n=237) distress-coping and prepare them as gatekeepers with regard to self-destructive behavior of peers. Program had positive effect on attitudes, emotions, knowledge, and awareness of distress coping…

Reducing therapeutic restraint is a desirable outcome for programs that serve individuals who exhibit challenging behaviors. This study investigated the effects of modifying the criterion for release from therapeutic restraint on frequency and duration. Release from restraint was changed from a behavior-contingent criterion (restraint terminated…

Background: Embedded instruction and discrete-trial training are both recommended for teaching children with autism, but there is little research available comparing the two. The present study compared embedded instruction with discrete-trial training for a 12-year-old boy with autism. Method: An initial functional analysis indicated that the…

In the last few decades, the field of dual diagnosis as applied to those with intellectual disabilities has boasted a monumental surge in assessment devices and treatment approaches. These relatively recent advances include those in the development of behavior modification principles and procedures that have had a dramatic impact on services for…