Computer- Assisted Measurement of Wound Size Associated with Self-Injurious Behavior.
We evaluated an inexpensive, efficient, and noninvasive technique for measuring tissue damageWe evaluated an inexpensive, efficient, and noninvasive technique for measuring tissue damageproduced by self-injurious behavior (SIB). The technique involved computerized measurement ofwound surface area (WSA) based on digital photographs. In Study 1, we compared photographicmeasurement to a more commonly used procedure, transparency measurement, in estimatingWSA of 20 wound models. Results showed that both methods were reliable and that there was ahigh degree of correspondence between the 2 sets of measures. In Study 2, we comparedphotographic WSA measures to direct-observation measures in documenting changes over time inthe SIB exhibited by a woman with Prader-Willi syndrome. Results showed that increases anddecreases in observed SIB during baseline and treatment conditions corresponded with changes inWSA measures, indicating that the computer-assisted photographic technique may be useful as acorroborative measure or as a primary measure when direct observation of SIB is not feasible.