Psychotherapy Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Psychotherapy, including details on psychiatry, psychoanalysis, methods, outcomes.

Behavioral treatment of drooling: a methodological critique of the literature with clinical guidelines and suggestions for future research.

Van der Burg JJ, Didden R, Jongerius PH, Rotteveel JJ

Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. j.vanderburg@pwo.ru.nl

Many children with mental retardation and developmental disabilities suffer from the consequences of chronic drooling. Behavioral treatment for drooling should be considered before other, more intrusive treatments such as medication and surgery are implemented. However, empirical studies on behavioral procedures are scarce. This article reviews 19 behavioral studies published since 1970. Treatment procedures are (a) instruction, prompting, and positive reinforcement; (b) negative social reinforcement and declarative procedures; (c) cueing techniques; and (d) self-management procedures. Although these procedures yield positive results, critical examination of experimental methodology of the studies reveals several methodological shortcomings. Guidelines for clinical use of behavioral treatment for drooling are presented, and recommendations are given for future research in this area.

Published 16 August 2007 in Behav Modif, 31(5): 573-94.
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