the study began, the subject wore a helmet all day and her arms were restrained to her chair. She would occasionally take her helmet off and slap her head until staff physically restrained her again. Unless she was under constant observation, she would eat her own feces and urine. The baseline rates of SIB ranged between 35 and 60 slaps per minute. Intervention included crushing an ammonia capsule and thrusting it under the subject's nose when she slapped herself and withdrawing it when she stopped. The rate of slapping during this phase ranged from 0.4 to 3 per minute. During return to baseline, the rate recovered to a mean of 42.5 slaps per minute. Re-intervention reduced SIB to zero occurrences (Tanner, Zeiler, 1975, p. 53-57).Although using noxious stimuli was proven to be effective in a clinical setting, it is unlikely that it would be used in a public school setting due to its drastic nature. An aversive stimulus such as physical restraint would be a more appropriate intervention in a school setting.Restraint. There are three categories of restraint: personal restraint, mechanical restraint, and self-restraint. Personal restraint is defined as movement suppression by the application of force or pressure by one person upon another, the most common being the baskethold. Mechanical restraint involves the use of a device such as arm splints to immobilize the individual. Some individuals that engage in SIB may need to be placed in arm splints to keep them from seriously hurting themselves. A self-restraint involves the individual restricting his or her own movements, such as sitting on hands or wrapping arms in clothing. All three types of restraint have been used successfully in decreasing SIB.Using unconditioned aversive stimulus can be effective when used properly. Bare in mind, these procedures may not work in every case; some individuals may find the procedure(s) reinforcing rather than punishing. Professional literature on the pr...
