Ds. Irvin et al., THE TREATMENT OF SELF-INJURIOUS HAND MOUTHING BY USING A MULTICOMPONENT INTERVENTION WITH INDIVIDUALS POSITIONED IN A SMALL-GROUP, Journal of developmental and physical disabilities, 8(1), 1996, pp. 43-59
Hand mouthing is a common and often chronic behavior problem exhibited
by individuals who have mental retardation. The prevalence of hand mo
uthing is highest among individuals who have profound multiple disabil
ities. Individuals with profound multiple disabilities also have exten
sive heath care needs. Treatment procedures designed to reduce rates o
f hand mouthing must be integrated with all other services care provid
ers perform for these individuals. This study evaluated the effectiven
ess of a multi-component intervention designed to simultaneously incre
ase the rate of engagement with alternative activities and reduce the
rate of hand mouthing with a group of individuals who demonstrated chr
onic hand mouthing behavior. Two groups of three individuals who engag
ed in chronic hand mouthing sewed as participants. Results indicated t
hat a single therapist could implement the intervention with up to thr
ee individuals simultaneously. Five of the six participants displayed
reduced rates of hand mouthing and increased rates of engagement with
alternative activities. These treatment effects were successfully main
tained during daily treatment sessions conducted by direct care provid
ers who were taught the intervention procedures. Usefulness of this st
rategy and future research needs are discussed.