Pica, the ingestion of inedible materials, often leads to increased lead ab-sorption in young children living in substandard housing. The present study investigated the use of behavioral procedures to reduce pica in young children with lead poisoning. Four children hospitalized for high blood lead levels received a sequential training program of discrimination training and DRO. In two cases, a third phase involving DRO and overcorrection was used. The results showed a reduction of pica during hospitalization. Contact with materials remained similar across conditions in all children, indicating continued environmental exploration. The results are considered in light of developmental, ethical, and educational concerns involved in be-havioral treatment for young children. Pica, the ingestion of inedible materials, is exhibited by about 80 % of children with serious lead poisoning (Sachs, Blanksma, Murray, & O'Connell, 1970) and clearly increases the risk of lead poisoning for children exposed to environmental lead hazards. It has been suggested that 60 to 80 % of the cases of severe childhood lead poisoning occur as a primary result of pica behavior (de la Burde & Reames, 1973; Lin Fu, 1973).
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Finney et al. (1982) studied this question.