Positive practice has several components that may function within the procedure including the following: (1) the contingency aspect of the procedure, (2) the extensive reeducative practice of alternate, correct responses, and (3) the period of timeout from positive reinforcement. A single case reversal design was used to determine if the contingency component of positive practice was necessary to reduce the frequency of SIB. The results showed that positive practice was not effective when applied noncontingently but highly effective when administered contingently. Because practice alone was not sufficient to reduce the frequency of SIB, positive practice appears to be a punishment procedure. Also, because timeout is a component of contingent positive practice, it is still unclear whether or not time-out is a necessary component of positive practice.
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