Examining the influence of social‐environmental variables on self‐injurious behaviour in adolescent boys with fragile X syndrome

Abstract Background Individuals with fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common known inherited form of intellectual disability, are at increased risk for showing specific forms of self‐injurious behaviour (SIB) such as hand biting and head hitting, suggesting that biological factors associated with the syndrome confers increased risk for SIB. Few studies, however, have examined the extent to which social‐environmental variables can influence the occurrence of these behaviours in this population. Method Twenty‐two adolescent boys with FXS, aged 10 to 18 years were systematically exposed to seven environmental conditions in functional analyses of SIB conducted over 2 days at our research centre. Results Fourteen (63.6%) boys with FXS engaged in SIB during the functional analyses. Ten (45.5%) boys engaged in SIB that was maintained by social‐environmental variables, that is, gaining access to attention/tangibles and/or escaping from social interaction, task demands and/or transition demands. For two boys, SIB was undifferentiated across conditions, and for two boys, SIB appeared to be maintained by automatic reinforcement. Conclusions Social‐environmental variables appeared to maintain SIB in a significant proportion of boys with FXS. Given that pharmacological treatments for SIB have limited efficacy in this population, the potential role of social‐environmental factors on SIB should be examined before pharmacological treatments are implemented for these behaviours.