RESUMEN
This study assessed the use of microswitch technology to promote mouth-drying responses and thereby reduce the effects of drooling by two adults with severe intellectual and multiple disabilities. Mouth-drying responses were performed via a special napkin that contained pressure sensors, a microprocessor and an MP3 to monitor the responses and ensure positive stimulation contingent on them. Initially, the responses produced 10 or 15 s of preferred stimulation. Subsequently, preferred stimulation was supplemented with matching periods of lower-grade stimulation to extend the inter-response intervals. Results showed that both participants (a) learned to dry their mouth consistently and reduce their chin wetness during the intervention, (b) stabilized their responding at lower frequencies as the lower-grade stimulation was added to the preferred stimulation, and (c) maintained the latter levels at a 3-month follow-up. Procedure and response conditions and outcome implications are discussed.
Asunto(s)
Equipos de Comunicación para Personas con Discapacidad , Personas con Discapacidad , Discapacidad Intelectual/rehabilitación , Microtecnología , Sialorrea/rehabilitación , Humanos , Discapacidad Intelectual/complicaciones , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Boca , Sialorrea/etiología , Sialorrea/prevención & control , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
This study assessed a simple behavioral strategy for reducing stereotypic tongue protrusion and forward head tilting displayed by a woman and a man with severe to profound intellectual disabilities. The strategy involved (a) auditory prompting (i.e., verbal encouragement to keep the tongue in the mouth or the head upright) delivered automatically at fixed intervals via a portable device, and (b) social approval delivered by a research assistant at adjustable intervals for the absence of the inappropriate behavior. The intervals arranged for the delivery of approval were extended if the inappropriate behavior occurred in concomitance with the expected delivery. Data showed that the intervention strategy was effective in reducing the stereotypic tongue protrusion and forward head tilting. Their occurrences dropped from above 40% (tongue protrusion) and close to 80% (head tilting) of the observation instances during the initial baseline to around or slightly above 10% of those instances during the second intervention period and the 3-month postintervention check.
Asunto(s)
Atención , Terapia Conductista/métodos , Señales (Psicología) , Discapacidad Intelectual/terapia , Trastorno de Movimiento Estereotipado/terapia , Adulto , Femenino , Humanos , Discapacidad Intelectual/complicaciones , Masculino , Esquema de Refuerzo , Refuerzo Social , Refuerzo Verbal , Trastorno de Movimiento Estereotipado/complicacionesRESUMEN
Many persons with developmental and physical disabilities experience drooling (i.e., loss of saliva from the mouth). Technology was recently developed to help two of these persons reduce the negative effects of drooling by increasing mouth-wiping responses. This study upgraded our initial approach and tested it with the two persons who we previously treated. Upgrading ensured that all technology components, including the stimulation sources, were on the participant's body and that stimulation for mouth wiping caused no (or limited) environmental disturbance. We also conducted a social validation assessment of the new technology and its effects, employing university students as social raters. Evidence showed that the participants used the upgraded technology successfully in settings attended by varieties of other persons. The university students involved in the social validation viewed the use of the technology as enjoyable, beneficial, and environmentally acceptable, and they largely supported it.
Asunto(s)
Terapia Conductista/métodos , Discapacidad Intelectual/complicaciones , Sialorrea/terapia , Adulto , Educación de las Personas con Discapacidad Intelectual , Educación Especial/métodos , Humanos , Sialorrea/etiología , Sialorrea/psicologíaRESUMEN
Two men with profound developmental disabilities used a mouth-wiping response instrumental to reduce drooling via a micro-switch-based program (i.e., a program in which the response was automatically monitored and followed by positive stimulation). The wiping response was performed via a napkin or a handkerchief placed inside a belt pocket. The micro-switch technology consisted of two mini-tilt sensors and a radio transmitter hidden inside the napkin, or an optic sensor and a radio transmitter fixed inside the belt pocket. The study was carried out according to a multiple baseline across participants and included a 3-month postintervention check. During the baseline, the participants' mean frequencies of mouth wiping were near zero, and mean percentages of wet chin intervals were about 45 and 50. During the intervention, the mean wiping frequencies increased to 1.6 and 1.9 per min, whereas the mean percentages of wet-chin intervals were mostly below 10. These values were maintained at the postintervention check. Implications of the findings and limitations of the study are discussed.