title: Social control of childhood stealing in a public school: a case study.
abstract: Although a common problem encountered by mental health specialists, there are few published descriptions of behavior therapy intervention for childhood stealing. The present case study addresses the behavioral treatment of stealing exhibited by a child in a pubic school setting. A functional assessment suggested that the behavior was maintained by the social attention it elicited from school personnel and parents. Using an hypothesis-driven model of treatment formulation, intervention consisted of eliminating multiple sources of attention in an extinction paradigm. Intervention was associated with a systematic reduction in stealing and results were maintained through a 12-month follow-up. Issues related to functionally determined treatment of behavior disorders are discussed.
authors.affiliation: The May Institute Inc. and The May Center for Applied Research, Norwood, MA 02062, USA.
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Luiselli
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pine
mesh_terms: D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology; D002653:Child Behavior Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D004519:Education, Special; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D009771:Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D012927:Social Control, Informal; D012931:Social Environment; D013800:Theft / Q000523:psychology*; D014040:Token Economy