This study examined the efficacy of basing treatment interventions for self-injurious behavior on data gathered in functional assessment sessions designed to evaluate the environmental determinants that control the rate of responding. Two moderate and one severely retarded school-age children served as subjects in this study. Data from the assessments revealed that Subjects 1 and 2 emitted the highest rates of self-injury under positive reinforcement conditions, while Subject 3 exhibited higher rates during sensory-input alone conditions. Treatments, implemented by classroom teachers, consisted of differential reinforcement procedures that sought to replace the self-injury with functionally equivalent responses. Results of the interventions indicate that self-injury that is maintained by socially mediated reinforcers could be reduced through the training of alternative communicative responses. In addition, self-injury that functioned as sensory stimulation was reduced by the application of a mild restraint and differential reinforcement of incompatible response procedure. These results are discussed in relation to the identified motivational determinants of the responses and the limitations of such assessments.

This study assessed stimuli controlling requests during a snack routine after extensive request training with a delayed prompt procedure. During training sessions, one of three three-item snack groups was presented to 3 subjects with severe mental retardation. Assessment sessions involved (a) training conditions (all items were visible), (b) presenting two of three items from a particular group, or (c) presenting no items. One subject requested food items when no food items were present, 2 frequently requested a missing item when the two other items were visible, and all subjects requested visible items. Procedures for assessing stimulus control, such as those described in the current paper, should lead to a better understanding of the variables controlling behaviors that initially appear perplexing and unpredictable.