Behavioral Treatment of Aggression and Self-Injury in Developmentally Disabled,Visually Handicapped Students

Abstract

Management problems are often encountered among developmentally disabled populations. The authors describe behavior modification treatment procedures that were applied by direct-care staff in a residential school to control severe aggression and self-injury in two developmentally disabled, visually handicapped students. In one case, the aggressive and self-injurious behaviors of an 11-year-old with vision and hearing deficits were reduced by positive-practice overcorrection. In the other, a blind adolescent's self-injurious behavior was eliminated by a combination of restitutional overcorrection, verbal command, and response-immobilization techniques. The practicality of applying behavioral treatment procedures in educational settings for visually handicapped students is discussed.