Abstract
A 24-year-old autistic man in the severe range of mental retardation, a 22-year-old profoundly mentally retarded woman, and a 25-year-old profoundly mentally retarded woman were treated. They were identified for longstanding and extreme aggression and self-injury with frequent assaults on staff and other clients. Many of these episodes resulted in physical injury to others and harm to the client. Prolonged use of behavior modifying drugs including major tranquilizers of various types and dosages, Tegretol and Lithium among others, had no noticeable positive effect on these problems. The behavioral treatment employed in this study consisted of DRO, highly structured activities during all waking hours, and contingent mechanical restraint. Treatment was presented in an ABAB design for the male and a multiple baseline design for the women. Restraining was the only absent treatment component in the A phase, while all components were provided in the B phase. Treatment effects were greatly superior in the B phase. The implications of these findings for policy makers are discussed, given the growing controversy over the use of aversives (e.g., restraint), and impending litigation and laws opposing the use of such procedures.
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Matson, J.L., Keyes, J. Contingent reinforcement and contingent restraint to treat severe aggression and self-injury in mentally retarded and autistic adults. Journal of the Multihandicapped Person 1, 141–153 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01098254
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01098254