Habit Reversal Therapy for Body-Focused Repetitive Behaviors in Williams Syndrome: A Case Study. J Dev Phys Disabil 2013 Dec 01;25(6)
Date
12/21/2013Pubmed ID
24357918Pubmed Central ID
PMC3864825DOI
10.1007/s10882-013-9335-3Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84886597371 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 5 CitationsAbstract
Williams syndrome (WS) is genetic neurodevelopmental disorder with a well-characterized cognitive and behavioral phenotype. Research has consistently demonstrated high rates of psychopathology in this population; however, little research has examined the use of empirically-supported psychosocial interventions in those with WS. The current case study reports on the use of Habit Reversal Therapy (HRT) to treat multiple body-focused repetitive behaviors in a child with WS. Although HRT is a well-established cognitive-behavioral intervention for body-focused repetitive behaviors, it has been infrequently used in populations with developmental disabilities. An etiologically-informed approach was used to adapt HRT to fit the known behavioral and cognitive phenotype of WS. Results suggest that HRT may be beneficial for this population. Modified treatment elements are described and future research areas highlighted.