Lesson AFF 4
Task: Does not hurt self. Prerequisites: None
Concept: The concept of physically hurting oneself, referred to frequently as "self-abuse," is usually the by-product of an unmet need to communicate something, the environment itself, or a physical problem. A student may be experiencing discomfort, hunger, anxiety, boredom, or similar feelings and be unable to express them. Self-abuse can be a communication of these feelings. Experimenting with different activities or offering different opportunities may be help. If self-abuse reduces or disappears during one of these changes, it is possible that self-abuse occurred to communicate the desire for that outcome. In these cases, alternate forms of communicating (saying a word, indicating a sign, or pointing to a picture) need to be developed. Sometimes the environment itself is too noisy, is too bright, or has too much stimulation. If changes in the environment change the rate of self-abuse, the physical characteristics of the setting obviously need to be changed. Finally, in rare cases self-abuse can cause the opiate receptors in the brain to produce a pleasurable sensation. Medical professionals can sometimes prescribe specific medications to stop this effect. The results should be almost immediate. The assumption made in this training is that the self-abuse behavior exists at a high frequency. Adjustments to the actual objective described here may need to be made.
Behavioral Objective: The student will demonstrate no more than two occurrences of self-abusive behavior in a 1-month period.
Materials: Objects or activities known to provide pleasure to the student.