Suppression of pica by water mist and aromatic ammonia. A comparative analysis.
Water mist beat ammonia for pica, yet later studies show you can get the same drop without any punishment at all.
01Research in Context
What this study did
One teen with autism and intellectual disability kept eating non-food items.
The team compared two punishers: a quick water-mist spray versus a sniff of ammonia.
They switched the punishers day-by-day until pica stopped.
What they found
Water mist worked faster and kept pica near zero for three months.
Ammonia caused a brief spike in pica before it dropped.
No new problem behaviors showed up.
How this fits with other research
Lord et al. (1986) got rid of pica without any punishment at all. They only changed staff attention and removed a safety helmet.
Thomas et al. (2023) later showed parents can do the same with a home package of toys, brief interruption, and small fines.
These studies seem to clash, but they differ in two ways: the 1987 study tested single punishers in a clinic, while the later work used multi-part plans at home or school.
All three papers show large pica reduction; the newer ones prove you can reach the same goal without aversives.
Why it matters
If you face dangerous pica, start with a functional assessment and positive supports first.
If you must add punishment, a quick water mist can work, but newer parent-friendly packages give the same drop with no social fallout.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study compared the effects of water mist and aromatic ammonia for the suppression of pica behavior in a severely retarded, autistic adolescent. The water mist program reduced the target behavior rapidly and effectively, whereas the ammonia program did so only after a strong increase during the first two sessions. No negative collateral effects on other inappropriate behaviors occurred during either one of the two treatments. Water mist maintained almost complete suppression of pica behavior during 3 months of daily follow-up sessions in the subject's natural environment.
Behavior modification, 1987 · doi:10.1177/01454455870111005