Lemon Juice Therapy

Contingent lemon juice for the treatment of behavior problems when combined with positive reinforcement for desirable behaviors can produce immediate, positive, and enduring change of clinical significance when applied judiciously by trained personnel or family members. It can be applied quickly in brief, convenient time intervals, resulting in little interference with the child's activities and ensuring close supervision of treatment. However, as with all aversive procedures, contingent lemon juice should only be used when positive reinforcement and less restrictive approaches such as differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO), overcorrection, and time-out have been tried unsuccessfully. Approval from ethical boards and the family is needed before initiating treatment, and staff and child care workers should agree that the aversive procedure is less harmful than providing ...