Self-Injurios Behaviour in an Adult with Autism Spectrum Desorder

Self-injurious conduct is a highly maladaptive behaviour that is often associated with severe mental retardation and autism. Research has highlighted the complexity and multifactorial nature of the aetiology of the disorder. In this paper we present, after careful analysis, the treatment of an adult subject with autism spectrum disorder to reduce self-injurious behaviour and teach him more effective and less disabling ‘coping strategies’. The experimental design used is of the criterion-variant type. The analysis of the data showed that the goals set were achieved. In the post-treatment sessions, we achieved extinction of the target behaviour.