Stereotyped behaviours as precursors of self-injurious behaviours: a longitudinal study with infants and toddlers at risk for developmental delay

Background The notion that stereotypic behaviours may be precursors of self-injurious behaviour (SIB) has been considered in the past, but the available empirical evidence is still inconsistent and ambiguous. Method In a longitudinal study, we collected data on stereotypic behaviour and SIB from 160 infants and toddlers who were at-risk for developmental delay. Interviews were conducted with parents at three time points during a one-year span using the Behaviour Problems Inventory-01 which contains subscales for SIB and stereotyped behaviour. We used growth modelling to estimate linear trends in several models. Model fit was evaluated according to a combination of fit statistics as is recommended in structural equation or latent variable modelling approaches such as latent growth modelling. Results In examining the relationship between stereotyped behaviours and SIB across time, the model that represented earlier stereotyped behaviour as predicting later SIB fit the data better than the other models. Conclusions The findings corroborate the notion that stereotyped behaviour can be a precursor of SIB. If replicated by other studies, it makes a case for considering early intervening with stereotyped behaviour as a SIB prevention strategy.