Decreasing Self-Injurious Behavior

Abstract

A profoundly mentally retarded adolescent received contingent citric acid applied to his mouth for engaging in self-injurious behvior (SIB) and tantrum screaming. A combination multiple baseline across behaviors and reversal design was used. Citric acid was first introduced for screaming and then for SIB. When the solution was delivered for screaming, this behavior decreased while SIB remained high. Presentation of citric acid for SIB was also associated with a decrease in that behavior. Withdrawal of punishment for the SIB was associated with an increase in the behavior, while reintroduction of the citric acid resulted in a decrease in the behavior. Following this condition, proximity to and orientation toward the trainer was positively reinforced in addition to the punishment contingency. Reinforcement for these behaviors was then withdrawn and reintroduced. Those conditions in which positive reinforcement was presented and SIB was punished were associated with the most consistently low levels of self-injurious behavior. The data suggest that citric acid may be an effective punisher in decreasing a variety of behaviors.

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