| Abstract: | The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence and characteristics of habit behaviors exhibited by individuals with mental retardation living in the community. Two hundred and fifty-nine direct care staff and parents from the upper mid-west and northeast regions of the country completed a survey measuring the prevalence of major habit disorders (bruxism, trichotillomania, motor/vocal tics, and stuttering) and habit behaviors exhibited by individuals with mental retardation being served by community residential agencies. Habit disorders were also subjectively evaluated according to the respondents' perception of the severity and noticeability of the behavior, and naturalness of appearance of the individual. In addition, respondents indicated their usual reaction to the habit disorder. Overall, stuttering was found to be the most prevalent habit disorder (32%), followed by tics (16·6%), bruxism (13·1%), and trichotillomania (5%) for the sample surveyed. Furthermore, differences were found in the prevalence of habit disorders and other habit behaviors by level of mental retardation and age (adults versus children/adolescents). The implications and limitations of the data, as well as suggestions for future investigations of habit disorders and habit behaviors exhibited by individuals with mental retardation, are discussed. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
