Date of Defense

12-12-2014

Date of Graduation

5-2015

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Richard Malott

Second Advisor

Lauren DeClaire

Third Advisor

Brandon Kline

Keywords

autism, SIB, precursor behaviors

Abstract

Self-injurious (SIB) behavior is a common problem among the autism population, and often those who engage in SIB have done so since a very early age. There was a nine-year-old boy named Jack who was diagnosed with ASD and engaged in the self-injurious behavior of biting his hand. A functional analysis was conducted and it was found that the behavior was multiply controlled across three main conditions: alone/play, demand, and attention. The goal of this case study was to review previous interventions that did not eliminate the target behavior, analyze and revise the current protocols in place, and eliminate the problem behavior. There were four main protocols implemented during this case study using behavioral techniques such as DRI/DRA, blocking, and a FR1 break schedule. The average rate of bites per hour decreased dramatically during the case study, though the behavior was still ongoing when this case study came to a close. Interventions must be constantly revised and adapted to a particular individual and the situation they are in, and when the environment or the participant changes, the protocol has to change as well.

Access Setting

Honors Thesis-Open Access

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