Long, E. S., Miltenberger, R. G., Ellingson, S. A., & Ott, S. M. (1999).
Augmenting simplified habit reversal in the treatment of oral-digital habits exhibited by individuals with mental retardation.
Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis,
32, 353-365.
We investigated whether a simplified habit reversal treatment
eliminates fingernail biting and related oral-digital habits
exhibited by individuals with mild to moderate mental
retardation. Although simplified habit reversal did little to
decrease the target behaviors for 3 of 4 participants, simplified
habit reversal plus additional treatment procedures decreased the
behavior to near-zero levels for all participants. These
procedures included remote prompting, remote contingencies
involving differential reinforcement plus response cost, and
differential reinforcement of nail growth. Limitations of habit
reversal for individuals with mental retardation along with
directions for future research involving therapist-mediated
treatment procedures, particularly those involving remote
prompting and remote contingencies, are discussed.
DESCRIPTORS: _habit disorders, nail biting, habit reversal,
differential reinforcement, mental retardation