Premium
Case study: Initiating and maintaining a nonruminative response in an adult male who is profoundly retarded
Author(s) -
Steuart Watson T.,
Scott Judith Herbert
Publication year - 1994
Publication title -
behavioral interventions
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.605
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 1099-078X
pISSN - 1072-0847
DOI - 10.1002/bin.2360090306
Subject(s) - rumination , psychology , prosocial behavior , developmental psychology , clinical psychology , psychological intervention , intervention (counseling) , audiology , psychiatry , medicine , cognition
Abstract A 51‐year‐old male with profound retardation and an 11‐year history of rumination was treated using a simple intervention that included shaping, time‐out, and stimulus control. An A‐B‐A‐B design was used to evaluate treatment. Results indicated that the mean rate of rumination decreased from an average of 16.1 times per day during baseline to less than once per day at the conclusion of treatment. The potential prosocial effects of eliminating rumination and the implications of using less aversive interventions for serious and potentially life‐threatening disorders in individuals with developmental disabilities are discussed.