Abstract
We evaluated the effects of protective equipment on arm and scalp injuries caused by aggressive behavior in a child with autism. During intervention phases in a multiple baseline design, teachers wore arm guards and baseball caps. Wearing the protective equipment reduced the frequency and intensity of arm and scalp injuries. Overall daily frequency of aggression also decreased across baseline and intervention phases. The clinical implications of wearing protective equipment for injury prevention and reduction are discussed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th edition, text revision). Washington: Author.
Hill, J., & Spreat, S. (1987). Staff injury rates associated with the implementation of physical restraint. Mental Retardation, 25, 141–145.
Iwata, B. A., Pace, G. M., Kissel, R. C., Nau, P. A., & Farber, J. M. (1990). The Self-Injury Trauma (SIT) scale: a method for quantifying surface tissue damage caused by self-injurious behavior. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 23, 99–110.
Luiselli, J. K. (2009). Aggression and noncompliance. In J. L. Matson (Ed.), Applied behavior analysis for children with autism spectrum disorders (pp. 175–187). New York: Springer.
Luiselli, J. K. (2011). Staff injury prevention and reduction: Behavioral systems analysis and intervention in a human services setting for youth with intellectual disability. Manuscript submitted for publication.
McClintock, K., Hall, S., & Oliver, C. (2003). Risk markers associated with challenging behaviors in people with intellectual disabilities: a meta-analytic study. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 47, 405–416.
Moore, J. W., Fisher, W. W., & Pennington, A. (2004). Systematic application and removal of protective equipment in the assessment of multiple topographies of self-injury. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 37, 73–77.
Lowe, K., Allen, D., Jones, E., Brophy, S., & James, W. (2007). Challenging behaviors: prevalence and topographies. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 51, 625–636.
Singh, N. N., Lancioni, G. E., Winton, A. S. W., Singh, A. N., Adkins, A. D., & Singh, J. (2009). Mindful staff can reduce the use of physical restraints when providing care to individuals with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Applied Research in Developmental Disabilities, 22, 194–202.
Williams, D. E. (2009). Restraint safety: an analysis of injuries related to restraint of people with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Applied Research in Developmental Disabilities, 22, 135–139.
Acknowledgement
The authors acknowledge Britany Wojtysiak, Amy Breen, Nicole Morin, and Kim Kuchar for their contributions to the study.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Urban, K.D., Luiselli, J.K., Child, S.N. et al. Effects of Protective Equipment on Frequency and Intensity of Aggression-Provoked Staff Injury. J Dev Phys Disabil 23, 555–562 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10882-011-9248-y
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10882-011-9248-y