Treatment of hand mouthing in individuals with severe to profound developmental disabilities: A review of the literature

Cannella, HI; O'Reilly, MF; Lancioni, GE

HERO ID

1060417

Reference Type

Journal Article

Year

2006

Language

English

PMID

16188422

HERO ID 1060417
In Press No
Year 2006
Title Treatment of hand mouthing in individuals with severe to profound developmental disabilities: A review of the literature
Authors Cannella, HI; O'Reilly, MF; Lancioni, GE
Journal Research in Developmental Disabilities
Volume 27
Issue 5
Page Numbers 529-544
Abstract This paper reviews studies investigating the assessment and treatment of hand mouthing in individuals with severe to profound developmental disabilities. A literature search identified 101 studies carried out between 1969 and 2004. The trend in the studies indicated a shift away from aversive interventions in the last 10 years, so this review included studies conducted from 1995. Twenty-three studies were identified within this period and were included in this review. The 23 studies were sorted into seven intervention categories and one assessment category. The seven intervention categories included (a) antecedent interventions, (b) multicomponent interventions (e.g., differential reinforcement and response effort), (c) pharmacological interventions, (d) interventions that utilized reinforcement, (e) response blocking interventions, (f) response effort interventions, and (g) sensory stimulation interventions. The one assessment category included studies that investigated the function of hand mouthing. One main finding in these studies was that the various intervention strategies led to decreases in hand mouthing in individuals with severe to profound developmental disabilities. This finding is discussed in relation to its effect on issues of health, adaptive behavior, and social functioning. A second finding indicated that hand mouthing is often maintained by automatic reinforcement (i.e., non-social contingencies). The implications of this finding are discussed in terms of how assessments and treatments associated with automatically maintained challenging behavior might be more effectively linked. Potential issues for future research are also examined.
Doi 10.1016/j.ridd.2005.06.004
Pmid 16188422
Wosid CCC:000241132900004
Is Certified Translation No
Dupe Override No
Is Public Yes
Language Text English