A Descriptive Study of Pica Behavior in Persons with Mental Retardation

Individual variables of 45 persons residing in an institutional setting who displayed pica behavior were studied. Included in the analysis were the demographics of the sample, the types of materials being ingested, the sample's psychiatric diagnoses, and social skills deficits in persons with pica. Pica was prevalent in all age ranges of lower functioning clients with mental retardation. Furthermore, subjects in the study engaged in pica for predominantly nonsocial reasons (automatic reinforcement). Persons who displayed the mental disorders of pica, autism, and stereotypic movement disorder were more likely to exhibit pica. Implications of these results are discussed.