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Eliminating chronic thumb sucking by preventing a covarying response
1University of Nebraska Medical Center, Meyer Children's Rehabilitation Institute, Omaha.
Journal of Behavior Therapy and Experimental Psychiatry
|December 1, 1988
Summary
Preventing a child's favored object manipulation, like doll holding, can effectively stop chronic thumb sucking. This behavioral intervention offers an efficient method for controlling thumb sucking in young children.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Psychology
- Child Development Studies
Background:
- Thumb sucking is a common childhood behavior.
- It often co-occurs with object manipulation, such as holding favored toys.
Observation:
- A five-year-old girl exhibited chronic thumb sucking exclusively when holding her doll.
- This co-occurrence suggested a potential link between the two behaviors.
Findings:
- An ABAB withdrawal experimental design was employed to test the hypothesis.
- Preventing the child from holding her doll successfully eliminated thumb sucking behavior.
Implications:
- Interfering with a covariant behavior, like doll holding, can be an effective strategy.
- This method provides an efficient approach to controlling persistent thumb sucking in children.