Treatment of severe self-injurious behavior by the mentally retarded using the bubble helmet and differential reinforcement procedures.
We examined the effectiveness of a bubble helmet and differential reinforcement procedures in the treatment of the self-injurious behavior (SIB) of three adult residents of a state hospital for the developmentally disabled. A multiple-baseline design across settings and an ABC design were used to assess the effectiveness of these procedures. Results indicated that the introduction of the bubble helmet in conjunction with differential reinforcement procedures produced notable reductions in SIB for all three participants. These reductions were significantly greater than those produced by using the differential reinforcement procedures alone. Social validity, generalization and follow-up data further documented the efficacy and acceptability of the bubble helmet plus differential reinforcement procedures. The advantages of the bubble helmet over other forms of restraint and the theoretical implications of these findings are also discussed.
D000328:Adult; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000517:prevention & control*; D004495:Education of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities; D005260:Female; D006260:Head Protective Devices; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011482:Protective Devices; D012055:Reinforcement Schedule; D012652:Self Mutilation / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology