Treatment of hair pulling and hair manipulation maintained by digital-tactile stimulation

Treatment was provided for the hair pulling and hair manipulation of a 19-year-old woman (Kris) diagnosed with mental retardation across multiple settings in her home. Treatment probes conducted prior to our formal treatment evaluation indicated that hair pulling was suppressed when Kris wore either a 2.5-lb wrist weight or a golf glove. However, these interventions did not produce sustained reductions of hair pulling during the treatment evaluation. Therefore, a procedure involving response interruption and differential reinforcement for the absence of hair pulling and hair manipulation was implemented, which produced near-zero levels of hair pulling. The results of this intervention were socially validated and recommendations for further research are provided.