Self-injurious behavior in schizophrenic and retarded children.

Self-injurious behavior is a problem with some children who are primarily nonverval and low-functioning. This behavior has resulted in management difficulties far out of proportion to its incidence. In the present paper, we have considered possible operant and respondent paradigms instrumental in the acquisition and maintenance of several different topographies of self-injurious behavior. Support for these paradigms was gathered from existing epidemiological literature dealing with humans and primates and from the literature concerned with treatment of self-injurious behavior. Immediate outcome and results of subsequent follow-up were presented as a function of type of intervention, the nature of positive reinforcement utilized, and the topography of the self-injurious response involved. Implications were drawn for future research and treatment.