Understanding and Managing Self-Injurious Behavior

Abstract

As handicapped students are placed in public schools in increasing numbers, teachers are challenged to teach students exhibiting many maladaptive behaviors that they have not previously observed in the classroom. One of these, self-injurious behavior, presents teachers with a unique behavior problem with a complex etiology. Selfinjurious behavior is reviewed in this paper to help educators understand the scope of this maladaptive behavior. The major emphasis of the review is intervention procedures in school settings. SELF-INJURIOUS BEHAVIOR (SIB) is not a behaviorrestricted to the back wards of large, custodial institutions. Nor is it a behavior limited to individuals having severe emotional disorders or mental retardation. Ross and McKay (1979) found self-injurious individuals in group homes, infant day care and senior citizen facilities, prisons, detention homes for children and adolescents, hospitals, university residences, and institutions for individuals having mental and physical handicaps. Investigators report SIB in males and females, in individuals 5 months and older, in nonhandicapped individuals, and in individuals identified as mentally and emotionally handicapped. Ross and McKay (1979) identified 33 terms that have been used in the literature to refer to SIB. The most common terms are self-injury, self-mutilation, and self-destruction. In the present analysis, we use the term self injurious behavior because it is most accurate; not all self-injurious behaviors are mutilative and only suicide is truly self-destructive. Favell, Azrin, et al. (1982) defined SIB as &dquo;a broad array of responses which result in physical damage to the individual displaying the behavior&dquo; (p. 531). Matson (1986) stated that &dquo;because of the repetitive nature of these acts they are similar to stereotyped behaviors in general. It has been hypothesized by many that self-injury probably constitutes a subset of stereotyped responding&dquo; (p. 224). CharacteristicsSelf-injurious behavior has been classified into two types: direct and indirect (

Navigating the Cycle of Dysregulation in the Inclusive Setting: A Guide to Prevent and Resolve Student Crisis Events

“…Specifically, although teachers may have knowledge of a variety of behavior management strategies, they may choose ineffective or more restrictive strategies, which could escalate the student’s behavior (e.g., providing attention to challenging behavior rather than appropriate behavior; Zirpoli, 2008). These behaviors often more greatly affect the amount of time the student is present in the general education classroom compared with minor challenging behavior (e.g., off-task behavior) due to the disruption to the classroom and threat of harm to self or others (Dunlap et al, 2010).…”