The Use of a Relaxation Curriculum and Biofeedback Training in the Classroom to Reduce Inappropriate Behaviors of Emotionally Handicapped Children

Abstract

This study assesses the effect of a relaxation curriculum including biofeedback training upon inappropriate behaviors of five severely emotionally handicapped boys aged 12 through 14. The five boys were assigned to a self-contained classroom for emotionally handicapped children in the Alpine School District in Orem, Utah, during the 1977–78 school year. The children involved were placed on a program of relaxation and biofeedback training over a 16-week period. Three times a week, under the direction of their teacher, the children were trained in relaxation procedures, including isometric exercises, autogenic training, and other mind-body relaxation techniques. Biofeedback therapy was conducted with each child once a week over the 16-week period using electromyographic training (EMG) procedures for muscle relaxation. A pre- and post-evaluation of each child's inappropriate classroom behaviors and level of muscle relaxation as measured by the electromyograph were obtained. Inappropriate behavior was reduced on the average by more than 50 percent in four of the five children. Muscle tension as measured by the electromyograph was significantly reduced. Implications of the study warrant further research into the use of relaxation therapy with larger populations of emotionally handicapped children.