Fj. Symons et al., FUNCTIONAL COMMUNICATION TRAINING AND NALTREXONE TREATMENT OF SELF-INJURIOUS-BEHAVIOR - AN EXPERIMENTAL CASE-REPORT, JARID. Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities, 11(3), 1998, pp. 273-292
The self-injurious behaviour of people with intellectual disabilities,
autism, and related developmental disabilities remains one of the mos
t difficult behaviour problems to treat clinically. Two promising appr
oaches to effective treatment involve teaching the person communicatio
n skills that are functionally equivalent to the self-injury or admini
stering opiate antagonist medication. Here an experimental case study,
in which naltrexone was combined with functional communication traini
ng, is reported. Using a within-subject ABCDC experimental design, red
uctions in rate of self-injury were observed during the naltrexone alo
ne phase as well as during combined treatment phases. The implications
of conducting a functional assessment prior to behavioural and pharma
cological intervention are discussed.