The Treatment of Self-stimulation of a Serverely Mentally Retarded and Deaf-blind Client by Brief Physical Interruption — A Case Report

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Abstract
The subject's self-stimulation consisted of high frequent shouting and varied finger, hand and arm stereotypies. The target self-simulatory behavior was shouting. The first part of the treatment was designed to strengthen alternatives to shouting by using hand/arm stereotypies as reinforcers. The subject could self-stimulate by use of hands and arms when he did not shout. Contingent on shouting, the hand/arm stereotypies were briefly interrupted. This treatment did not reduce the frequency of shouting. The brief physical interruptions, however, seemed to reduce the hand and arm stereotypies. In the second part of the treatment, the treatment design included brief interruptions of the target behavior. Contingent on shouting, the shouting behavior and the hand and arm stereotypies were briefly interrupted. The frequency of shouting was considerably reduced. In this treatment, the reduction of stereotypies seemed to be related to brief physical interruptions of the self-stimulatory behaviors.