The therapeutic effect of reactive self-monitoring on the reduction of inappropriate social and stereotypic behaviours.

The effect of self-monitoring on the reduction of inappropriate social and stereotypic behaviour was investigated. Participants were three men and two women with mild to moderate learning disabilities. A multiple baseline design across participants was used. Participants were taught to monitor and record the frequency of their inappropriate behaviours. No extrinsic reinforcement was used throughout the study. Assessments of language ability and functional significance of behaviours were made. Significant reductions in target behaviours for all participants were observed. The findings suggest that individuals with learning disabilities have the potential to use self-regulatory procedures to control their behaviour with a minimum of external intervention. The implications of language development and functional covariation of behaviours are discussed.