A study to investigate whether differential reinforcement of incompatible behaviour and extinction burst reduces self injurious behaviour

Marta Enemor, Brittany Farnan, Yu Jin Kim

ABSTRACT: Self-injurious behaviour (SIB) can have lifelong physical damage on individuals and their quality of life. The purpose of this study was to establish whether SIB (head hits) could be replaced with behaviour that is less damaging (hand clapping).

The aim of this study was to investigate whether SIB presented by a six-year-old child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) was reduced and replaced with an incompatible form of behaviour; hand clapping. The interventions involved differential reinforcement and an extinction procedure. The results show there was a decrease rate of SIB and an increased rate of hand claps. Future suggestions were discussed in this study.