The application of sensory change to reduce stereotyped behavior.

A combined reversal and multiple baseline design was utilized to assess reduction of repetitive hand movements for three severely mentally retarded children. Stereotypy was assessed during baseline (reinforcement for on task behavior) and sensory change (rings and reinforcement, rings, and faded rings) conditions. The results indicated sensory change effectively reduced the target responses. These results were durable up to 4 hours. We conclude that the procedure used in this study is a non-intrusive intervention that is an extension of the current literature pertaining to sensory extinction.