As you may recall, in the previous episode I mentioned that I would be interviewing Dr. Timothy Vollmer about self-injurious behavior, aggression, and automatic negative reinforcement (or as I refer to it, “the forgotten function”). I explained in-depth what that function, along with the others, means in preparation for this interview, so if you haven’t listened to that episode yet, I highly recommend that you do so.
When asked about his fall into the autism world, Dr. Vollmer explained that he always had an interest in human behavior. He finished his degrees at the University of Florida, and it was while he was completing his doctoral degree that he met his mentor. Each decision he made brought him closer and closer to working with those with autism.
Dr. Vollmer shares incredible insight on self-injurious behavior, specifically why a person with autism might bite themself or someone else if they are scared, startled, or in pain. He compares it to an animal’s natural instinct to bite or lash out whenever they feel threatened. It could also be compared to a woman going through labor, and they squeeze somebody’s hand when in pain.
As you know, self-care is a very important topic to me. I asked Dr. Vollmer if he could share any advice about self-care or just feeling less stressed, and he said that applying differential reinforcement has made an impact on his life.
To watch Dr. Vollmer’s three hour workshop, click on the link below.
Check out the top 10 autism resources and episodes here.
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