Self-injurious behavior: a state-wide prevalence survey of the extent and circumstances

A state-wide prevalence survey was conducted to determine the extent and circumstances of self-injurious behavior (SIB) among institutionalized mentally retarded individuals with 13.6% of the population (1,352 individuals) identified as being self-injurious from the approximately 10,000 clients in Texas' 13 residential facilities serving the mentally retarded. It was found that: (a) 89.8% of the clients were severely and profoundly mentally retarded; (b) differential therapeutic treatment modalities may have occurred according to the sex of the client; (c) 58.4% of the clients engaged in more than one SIB response topography; (d) 57% of the clients emitted SIB at least once per day; (e) 55% of all clients were aggressive toward others, with a higher incidence of aggression, property destruction, and sleep disturbances among clients who received psychoactive medication; and (f) 33.1% of the clients were on formalized positive treatment programs and 6.8% of the clients were on formalized aversive programs. Discussion highlights the extent and circumstances to which SIB exists and the need to implement effective and appropriate programming.