The Florida Senate

393.0641  Program for the prevention and treatment of severe self-injurious behavior.--

(1)  Contingent upon specific appropriations, there is created a diagnostic, treatment, training, and research program for clients exhibiting severe self-injurious behavior. As used in this section, the term "severe self-injurious behavior" means any chronic behavior that results in injury to the person's own body, including, but not limited to, self-hitting, head banging, self-biting, scratching, and the ingestion of harmful or potentially harmful nutritive or nonnutritive substances.

(2)  The program shall:

(a)  Serve as a resource center for information, training, and program development.

(b)  Research the diagnosis and treatment of severe self-injurious behavior, and related disorders, and develop methods of prevention and treatment of self-injurious behavior.

(c)  Identify individuals in critical need.

(d)  Develop treatment programs which are meaningful to individuals with developmental disabilities, in critical need, while safeguarding and respecting the legal and human rights of the individuals.

(e)  Disseminate research findings on the prevention and treatment of severe self-injurious behavior.

(f)  Collect data on the type, severity, incidence, and demographics of individuals with severe self-injurious behavior, and disseminate the data.

(3)  The program shall adhere to the provisions of s. 393.13

(4)  The agency may contract for the provision of any portion or all of the services required by the program.

(5)  The agency may license this program and adopt rules to administer the program.

History.--s. 9, ch. 89-308; s. 8, ch. 93-200; s. 25, ch. 2001-62; s. 99, ch. 2004-267; s. 12, ch. 2006-227.