THE TREATMENT OF SELF-INJURIOUS HAND MOUTHING BY USING A MULTICOMPONENT INTERVENTION WITH INDIVIDUALS POSITIONED IN A SMALL-GROUP

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.