Use of negative reinforcement in the treatment of self-injurious behavior.
Behavioral assessment procedures were used to determine the maintaining conditions of self-injury exhibited by 2 children with severe multiple handicaps. For both children, negative reinforcement (escape from grooming activities) was determined to be the maintaining reinforcer for self-injury (hand/arm biting) within an alternating treatments design. The treatment packages involved the use of negative reinforcement (brief escape from grooming activities) contingent upon a behavior that was incompatible with self-injury (reaching and pressing a microswitch that activated a pre-recorded message of "stop"). Treatment was evaluated with a reversal design for 1 child and with a multiple baseline across grooming activities for the 2nd child. The treatment led to a marked decrease in self-injury for both children. At follow-up, high rates of self-injury were reported for the 1st child, but low rates of self-injury and an increase in task-related appropriate behavior were observed for the 2nd child.
Steege
M W
MW
University of Iowa.
Wacker
D P
DP
Cigrand
K C
KC
Berg
W K
WK
Novak
C G
CG
Reimers
T M
TM
Sasso
G M
GM
DeRaad
A
A
D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012054:Reinforcement, Psychology; D012652:Self Mutilation / Q000628:therapy*