Citation

Luiselli JK, Pine J. J. Behav. Ther. Exp. Psychiatry 1999; 30(3): 231-239.

Affiliation

The May Institute Inc. and The May Center for Applied Research, Norwood, MA 02062, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1999, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

10619547

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.

Language: en