An 11-year-old spastic quadriplegic girl functioning at the profound level of mental retardation was exposed to contingent reinforcement for holding her head in an upright position. The subject, who had minimal voluntary movement and had to be properly positioned to inhibit abnormal reflex patterns, was observed while prone over a wedge bolster and while in her adaptive wheelchair. A mercury switch attached to a headband was connected to a cassette tape recorder which played a favorite tape while her head was held up. Though the first position, over a bolster, was judged to be too difficult for her to maintain head control for any period of time, she made significant increases in holding her head up in the wheelchair. When the switch was disconnected, the amount of head upright time decreased, indicating that the music provided motivation for her to attempt independent head control. (CL)