ABSTRACT
A significant aspect of a treatment program designed for the severely retarded is that of eliminating or reducing in frequency or severity specific inappropriate behavior patterns. Some treatment procedures which have gained recent consideration in work with the severely retarded are those having punishment or aversive components. Many of the reports describing experience with punishment have been products of relatively new clinical research programs aimed at creating a more effective total rehabilitation environment for the retarded. Punishment procedures are typically viewed as inhumane, deplorable, unethical, and nonprofessional. This attitude is perhaps understandable in relation to the mentally retarded in residential settings, as various punishment techniques all too frequently have been used as punitive measures instead of as treatment techniques used in a deliberate systematic fashion.
