Flexible arm splints in the control of a Lesch-Nyhan victim's finger biting and a profoundly retarded client's finger sucking.

The team tested flexible arm splints on two clients. One was a child with Lesch-Nyhan disease who bit his fingers. The other was an adult with profound retardation who sucked his fingers.

They used a simple case-series design. They put the soft splints on, then took them off, then put them back on. They counted how often each person put fingers to mouth.

Finger biting and finger sucking stopped the moment the splints went on. The behaviors returned as soon as the splints came off. Putting the splints back on stopped the behaviors again.

The splints worked like a light switch. No drugs, no harsh restraints, no side effects.

Mueller et al. (2000) also used a reversal design. They gave a multivitamin to cut pica in one child. Both studies show single-case reversals can give clear yes-or-no answers fast.

Honig et al. (1988) asked teachers to rate different punishment tools. Teachers worried most about restrictiveness. The arm splints in Ball et al. (1985) are less restrictive than soft-tie restraints, so they fit the 'less is more' idea.

Dwyer et al. (2025) found that stereotypy drives family stress in Angelman syndrome. Quick tools like splints can calm the behavior first, giving families immediate relief while you plan long-term help.

You now have a low-cost, low-restriction option for hand-to-mouth SIB. Keep a few pediatric-size and adult-size splints in your kit. Try them the same day you see finger biting or sucking. If it works, you can write a quick 1-page protocol for parents or staff. The splints buy you time to build a full behavior plan without resorting to tighter restraints.