A comprehensive, interdisciplinary review of the research on etiology and treatment of this chronic condition for which there is no known apparent cure. With an estimated prevalence rate of 13 per cent. SIB occurs most frequently among persons who are retarded and autistic. In this volume, the field's leading researchers examine a new generation of models and theories with a level of specificity far beyond what was heretofore imagined possible. From the burgeoning area of research on functional assessment and the behavioural and biological antecedents of SIB, to the role of Lesch-Nyhan Syndrome and opioid peptides, the work of these foremost basic, applied, and behavioural researchers is sure to greatly enhance feloow researchers', teachers', and clinicians' understanding of this devastating condition.