| Abstract: | Mouthing of inedible objects maintained by automatic reinforcement can be particularly difficult to treat, given that the functional reinforcer is not socially mediated, and therefore it is difficult or impossible to withhold reinforcement. In the current investigation, response blocking was used to reduce automatically maintained object mouthing. Treatment effects were generalized to the natural environment. An attempt at schedule thinning was not successful; however, the participant's parents were trained to implement the treatment successfully in their home. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
