Elimination of a child's excessive scratching by training the mother in reinforcement procedures

• Published in: Behaviour research and therapy 1966-01, Vol.4 (1), p.79-84
• Main Authors: Allen, K.Eileen, Harris, Florence R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Behavior Therapy; Child Behavior Disorders - therapy; Child, Preschool; Female; Humans; Parent-Child Relations; Reinforcement (Psychology)
• ISSN: 0005-7967; 1873-622X
• DOI: 10.1016/0005-7967(66)90046-5

It was hypothesized that one means of making professional service available to a greater number of individuals was through training the parents to use operant guidance techniques for dealing with the problem behavior of their children. A 5-yr-old girl whose face and neck as well as other parts of her body were covered with open sores and scabs from almost 1 yr of scratching herself was treated by the mother, who was trained to withhold all reinforcement contingent upon the child's scratching herself but to reinforce other, desirable behavior. As the scratching decreased, the mother was instructed in appropriate techniques for thinning out the reinforcement schedule. At the end of 6 weeks the child's face and body were clear of all scabs and sores. Four months later the scratching behavior had not recurred.