Suppression of pica by overcorrection and physical restraint: a comparative analysis.
Brief physical restraint beat overcorrection for instant pica suppression, but later work shows you can shorten overcorrection to 30 seconds and add reinforcement for lasting effect.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team compared two ways to stop pica in clients with intellectual disability.
They switched back and forth between overcorrection and brief physical restraint.
Each method was tested in the same clients during the same sessions.
What they found
Both tactics cut pica, but physical restraint worked faster.
Restraint gave stronger immediate suppression than overcorrection.
How this fits with other research
Nasr et al. (2000) later showed 30-second overcorrection works just as well as 8-minute versions.
That finding supersedes the 1984 dose, so you can save time and still get results.
Allan et al. (1994) extended the idea by adding chosen reinforcers to punishment, giving bigger, longer-lasting drops in pica.
Diz et al. (2011) and Ganz et al. (2004) both count overcorrection as evidence-based, placing this study inside today’s best-practice packages.
Why it matters
You now know brief restraint gives the fastest stop, but short overcorrection is still solid and easier to use. Pair either one with reinforcement, as later studies show, to keep gains and build adaptive behavior. Try a 30-second overcorrection first; if pica stays high, add a brief restraint component while you teach a replacement skill.
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Join Free →Run a 30-second positive-practice overcorrection after each pica instance; if suppression is weak after one day, layer in a 10-second gentle arm restraint while you reinforce toy play.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Overcorrection and physical restraint procedures have been shown to be effective in controlling certain classes of maladaptive behavior in mentally retarded persons. In the present study, an alternating treatments design was used to measure the differential effects of overcorrection and physical restraint procedures in the treatment of pica. Changes in collateral behaviors were also monitored. Each occurrence of pica was followed by either an overcorrection procedure or a physical restraint procedure. Although both procedures reduced the occurrence of pica and had a similar effect on the occurrence of collateral behaviors, physical restraint was clinically more effective in terms of immediate response reduction.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 1984 · doi:10.1007/BF02409583