Contingent glove wearing for the treatment of self-excoriating behavior in a sensory-impaired adolescent.

A teen with vision and hearing loss kept picking at her skin until it bled.

The team tried something simple. Each time skin picking started, staff slipped thin cotton gloves on her hands for a few minutes.

They tracked three spots: left arm, right arm, and face. The glove rule started at different times for each spot to be sure the gloves, not luck, made the change.

Skin picking almost stopped. Left arm drops from 30 picks per hour to zero. Right arm and face fell the same way.

One month later, and again three months later, the teen still rarely picked. No new sores were seen.

Rayfield et al. (1982) did the same idea first. They used helmets and mitts plus treats for good behavior. Luiselli (1989) shows you can skip the treats and still win.

Thakore et al. (2024) took the idea further. They added response blocking for a young child with autism. The combo beat hand mouthing faster than gloves alone.

Kohler et al. (1985) look opposite at first glance. They used extra arm exercises after self-hit and saw big drops too. Both studies punish the act right away, just with different tools. The shared key is immediate, contingent follow-through.

You now have a low-cost, low-risk option for skin picking that is automatically reinforced. No meds, no loud reprimands, no extra reinforcers needed. Try gloves first before heavier tactics. Track each site separately so you know the effect is real.