MEASURING AND INCREASING THE HAPPINESS OF PEOPLE WITH PROFOUND MENTAL RETARDATION AND PHYSICAL HANDICAPS

Applied research in mental retardation has focused on skill training and education to the relative neglect of measuring and increasing happiness in the lives of people with mental retardation. Here we report the results of four preliminary studies that were conducted to develop and demonstrate methodologies for measuring happiness in people with profound mental retardation and other severe handicaps. These results suggest that: (1) facial expressions can provide a valid measure of happiness, and can be measured reliably by relatively untrained observers; (2) the rate of spontaneous smiling is highly variable across individuals; (3) some individuals’ happiness can be increased dramatically by very simple social interactions; and (4) clients’ differential emotional reactions to various caregivers may be useful in tracking the development of social relationships. Suggestions for future research include systematic replication of these preliminary findings with a larger number and variety of subjects, and demonstration of how these measures can be applied to quality assurance systems.     

A comparison of ready foods to institutional food

This study was conducted as a preliminary investigation of Ready Foods versus Institutional Food in a state residential facility serving approximately 500 mentally retarded residents. One administrative unit of the facility serving approximately 160 residents was used as the setting for the study. Along with residents in this unit, a variety of staff, client advocates, and volunteer workers participated in the investigation. Results were: (1) staff, client advocate, and volunteer worker responses significantly favored Ready Foods; (2) residents selected Ready Foods significantly more than Institutional Food; (3) residents displayed greater overall food waste with the Institutional Food as compared to the Ready Foods; (4) some residents displayed less choking or gagging with ready foods than with Institutional Food; and (5) out of 6 residents who were chronically overweight displayed statistically significant weight gain within one week after beginning Ready Foods and significant weight loss after the return to Institutional Food. Advantages of a Ready Foods System are discussed.     

The right to effective behavioral treatment

WE PROPOSE THAT INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE RECIPIENTS OR POTENTIAL RECIPIENTS OF TREATMENT DESIGNED TO CHANGE THEIR BEHAVIOR HAVE THE RIGHT TO: (1) a therapeutic environment, (2) services whose overriding goal is personal welfare, (3) treatment by a competent behavior analyst, (4) programs that teach functional skills, (5) behavioral assessment and ongoing evaluation, and (6) the most effective treatment procedures available.     

Control of preference in children by conditioned positive reinforcement

A preference measure was employed with children to evaluate the conditioned positive reinforcing function of a stimulus that preceded reinforcement. A match-to-sample procedure was arranged in which subjects could respond to either the form or color dimension of a compound sample stimulus. Intermittent token reinforcement was provided equally for color and form matches. Two stimuli were employed (Stimulus A and Stimulus B), each consisting of a distinctive tone and colored light. One of these stimuli (the paired stimulus) preceded each token delivery, and the other did not (nonpaired stimulus). The paired stimulus was dependent upon each response to one match dimension, and the nonpaired stimulus followed each response to the other dimension. Three of the five subjects responded primarily to the dimension that was followed by the paired stimulus. This effect was obtained regardless of which stimulus (A or B) was paired and on which match dimension (color or form) the paired stimulus was dependent. These results were unaltered by discontinuing the nonpaired stimulus. The other two subjects demonstrated consistent preferences for the form dimension and Stimulus A, respectively.     

THE USE OF PHYSICAL RESTRAINT IN THE TREATMENT OF SELF-INJURY AND AS POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT

Two experiments investigated the effects of a treatment package on the self-injurious behavior of three profoundly retarded persons who appeared to enjoy the physical restraints used to prevent their self-injury. The treatment package included physically restraining subjects contingent on increasing periods of time during which no self-injury occurred, and providing them with toys and attention during intervals between restraints. A reversal and multiple-baseline analysis documented that the rapid and complete reduction in self-injury by all subjects was due to this treatment package. Because these results suggested that physical restraint might function as a positive reinforcer, in a third experiment physical restraint was applied contingent on a marble placement response with one subject. A reversal design demonstrated that toy play systematically increased when each response resulted in restraint. The experiments have implications for the nonaversive remediation of self-injury in individuals who are restrained, as well as for the development and maintenance of self-injury in natural settings.