Citation

Sigafoos J, Penned D, Versluis J. Educ. Treat. Child. 1996; 19(2): 101-123.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1996, West Virginia University Press)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

An extended case study on the assessment and treatment of self-injurious head banging in an 11 year old boy with multiple disabilities is described. In Phase 1, the amount of self-injury was compared across six classroom conditions. Self-injury was nearly continuous under conditions of low attention and low stimulation, but there was almost no self-injury when the child was engaged in an activity or receiving attention from the teacher. The results from this naturalistic assessment suggested that self-injury was occasioned by low attention and low stimulation and maintained by tangible and social reinforcement. Consistent with these interpretations, access to certain types of toys reduced self-injury (Phase 2), and head-banging was subsequently replaced by teaching an alternative means of requesting toys and attention (Phase 3). These results suggest that naturalistic assessment can effectively guide the selection of behavioral interventions for the treatment of self-injury.

Language: en