Recent research on aetiology, development and phenomenology of self‐injurious behaviour in people with intellectual disabilities: a systematic review and implications for treatment

One dynamic in the development of SIB may be Pavlovian conditioning of aggression, originally elicited by aversive events or frustrative non-reward, to stimuli associated with such situations. Integration into operant technology of interventions based on Pavlovian principles such as graduated exposure (with or without counterconditioning) to aversive stimuli may enhance the effectiveness of behavioural interventions.