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jim, a 10-year-old boy with intellectual developmental disorder, has a habit of hitting himself when he gets excited. which approach might be particularly useful in reducing his self-injurious behavior?

1 Answer

6 votes
One approach that might be particularly useful in reducing Jim's self-injurious behavior is positive behavior support (PBS). PBS is a proactive approach that focuses on teaching and reinforcing appropriate behaviors, rather than punishing inappropriate behaviors. This approach involves identifying the function of the behavior (i.e., why the behavior is occurring), developing a plan to teach and reinforce appropriate behaviors that serve the same function as the problem behavior, and systematically fading out the problem behavior. In Jim's case, the function of his self-injurious behavior may be to regulate his level of excitement. A PBS plan for Jim might involve teaching him alternative ways to regulate his excitement, such as deep breathing, and reinforcing these behaviors when they occur. The plan might also involve gradually reducing the frequency and intensity of the self-injurious behavior by gradually increasing the reinforcement for the alternative behaviors.
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User Steampunkery
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