Citation

Singh NN, Dawson MJ, Gregory PR. J. Ment. Defic. Res. 1980; 24(2): 87-97.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1980, Blackwell Scientific Publications)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

7411599

Abstract

Two experiments investigated the effects of behavioural interventions on the self-injurious behaviour of two profoundly retarded girls who had a long history of such behaviour. In the first experiment, response-contingent aromatic ammonia was used as the aversive stimulus to reduce the high frequency of face-slapping and face-hitting in a deaf and blind girl. In the second experiment an overcorrection procedure was used to control jaw-hitting in another girl. In both cases, the treatments resulted in near-zero levels of self-injury. However, complete suppression of self-injury was not achieved. The results are discussed in terms of clinically significant versus therapeutic control of self-injurious behaviour in institutionalised profoundly retarded persons.

Language: en