Ecobehavioral Organization of Developmental Day Care for the Chronically Self-Injurious

Abstract

The ecobehavioral organization of a day care program for severely self-injurious retarded persons together with a set of three complementary data-collection systems for assessment in group care environments was discussed. The systems proved to be easy to use, reliable, and valuable as a source of information about treatment effects, intra- and interpersonal behavioral changes. The combination of two interval recording systems with multiple coding categories and frequency counts of target responses represented a valid data system for day-to-day clinical decisions and also for ecologically-oriented research in a special unit for self-injurious retarded persons. An illustrative example of interaction of the effects of self-protective devices and behavior-control medication with behavioral intervention programs was given.