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THE USE OF SELF-CONTROL TECHNIQUES WITH A DUAL-DIAGNOSED (MENTALLY RETARDED/MENTALLY ILL) POPULATION
Abstract
Adult persons with mental retardation (MR) generally make a good adjustment in institutional settings where they usually are cooperative with basic care procedures. However, some MR persons experience severe difficulty adjusting in any care environment, sometimes due to a mental illness (MI). Their behavior is marked with evident interpersonal skill deficits and aggressive acting out which sometimes results in harm to themselves and others or property damage. Utilizing an ABCDE multiple baseline format consisting of baseline, self-control (SC) instruction, independent practice, and supervised practice and withdrawal, the effects of SC procedures were assessed with MR/MI adults. The specific questions addressed were whether MR/MI adults with conduct problems could learn SC techniques and independently practice their use in relation to specific behavioral responses, and whether the use of SC techniques promoted learning generalization. The study found the MR/MI patients learned the procedures with difficulty. However, each demonstrated competently how self-monitoring, self-evaluation, and self-reinforcement procedures are applied to a specific behavioral response. Patients showed considerable difficulty in independently practicing these approaches. However, with assistance consisting of verbal guidance and daily feedback, as needed, they applied the procedures with significant positive effects to modify specific behavioral responses. Positive effects on behaviors not specifically treated were also observed. A 90-day follow-up under different conditions indicated that treatment gains in relation to target responses were maintained. The major conclusions based on the results of the study are that MR/MI patients can learn SC procedures, implement SC subroutines in a structured setting, effect specific behavioral changes, and maintain significant treatment gains across time and in different environments. The results of the study suggest that use of SC procedures adds a useful dimension to treatment approaches available to clinicians who work with similar populations.
Subject Area
Educational psychology
Recommended Citation
SOOKRAM, LILCHANDRA, "THE USE OF SELF-CONTROL TECHNIQUES WITH A DUAL-DIAGNOSED (MENTALLY RETARDED/MENTALLY ILL) POPULATION" (1986). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI8706250.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI8706250