A review of behavioral interventions for the treatment of aggression in individuals with developmental disabilities

Abstract

Aggression can present as a significant problem behavior in individuals with a diagnosis of developmental disability. Much research has focused on the prevalence of aggression in individuals with varying degrees of severity of intellectual disability (AD), autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and co-morbidity of ID and ASD. Research has also focused on the impact of aggressive behavior on individuals' development including cognitive, adaptive and social functioning. The literature on Applied Behavior Analysis provides abundant examples of various interventions that are effective in reducing or eliminating aggressive behavior across a range of ages and degrees of developmental disabilities. Many interventions report success using antecedent alterations, reinforcement-based strategies and consequence manipulations. The current review provides a focused, comprehensive examination of aggressive behavior intervention research for individuals with developmental disabilities aged 3-18 years published between 1980 and 2009.