Behavioural techniques to reduce self-injurious behaviour in children with autism

This paper is part of a special section on 'self-injurious behaviour and autism' and concentrates on behavioural treatment techniques available and useful to reduce self-injurious behaviour in children with autism (e.g. extinction, time-out, differential reinforcement, alternative forms of stimulation, sensory deprivation, physical restraint, crisis management, environmental modifications). It has become increasingly evident that the successful treatment of self-injurious behaviour requires, first, a systematic and detailed (functional) analysis of the variables associated with the behaviour and, second, a hypothesis-testing approach on an individual, naturalistic basis to increase the acquisition of alternative skills and self-control.