Abstract
The effects of haloperidol and a mild punishment on the severe self-injurious behavior and several collateral behaviors of a 17-year-old profoundly retarded male were assessed. A 12-month analysis using a withdrawal design suggested that neither the medication nor the behavioral intervention alone was effective in significantly reducing the frequency of self-injurious behavior. When combined, however, these interventions produced dramatic reductions in the subject's self-injurious behavior. The haloperidol may have acted as a “setting event”for the successful use of the punishment. Suppression of this behavior was maintained at 6 months and 1 year following the end of the analysis. The collateral behaviors were differentially affected by the behavioral and pharmacological interventions. Time spent in bed and the appearance of drooling increased with the introduction of the haloperidol, while percent correct on a fine-motor task increased only when the interventions were applied simultaneously. The results point out the importance of a careful behavioral analysis for both pharmacological and behavioral interventions and their possible combined actions.
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Durand, V. M.Assessment of self-injurious behavior in a retarded male: A case of multiple motivations. Paper presented at the 13th Annual Convention of the Association for Advancement of Behavior Therapy, San Francisco, 1979.
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The author wishes to thank Deborah Herriford, James Mikesell, Gil Langley, Joseph Higgins, Jim's parents, and the staff of Unit 3C of the Northern Virginia Training Center for their continued faith and efforts. The author gratefully acknowledges Paul Dores and Edward G. Carr for their invaluable comments on the manuscript. Special thanks go to Wendy Spiewak Durand for her editorial assistance and inspiration.
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Durand, V.M. A behavioral/pharmacological intervention for the treatment of severe self-injurious behavior. J Autism Dev Disord 12, 243–251 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01531370
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01531370