While the principle of successive approximations (learning as a series of small steps) has its difficulties in application, it is an effective technique for improving teacher skills in observing student behavior and in changing that behavior. (MJB)

The review of the literature on aided communication illustrates the differences between "aided" and "normal" communication and outlines an intervention strategy which aims to modify the behavior of both interactive partners. (DB)

This article describes use of "comic strip conversations," a type of social story adapted for younger students or those with limited verbal communication skills. It utilizes simple symbols, stick figures, and color to identify key elements of a social interaction. Three steps to implementing the technique are explained and illustrated with…

Analysis of videotapes of training procedures with 12 developmentally disabled adults in a horticultural day work program found an overall staff emphasis on selectively attending to workers' successful behavior with evidence of both efficiency and effectiveness of this approach. (Author/DB)

The effects of the Program for Academic Survival Skills (PASS), a group behavior management program, on behavioral observation data and standardized achievement test measures were investigated. Results indicated PASS produced significant gains in survival skills during operation and one week following termination in reading and mathematics periods…

This paper presents a system consisting of report cards, instructions for students, parents, and teachers, designed to provide effective classroom behavior management techniques. Application of the daily report card in a regular fourth-grade classroom is presented. Results indicate rapid improvement with a minimum of teacher time and effort.…

This study, involving four staff members in an institution for people with mental retardation, found that a computerized system of prompts to improve staff-client interactions produced more positive statements, improved distribution of interaction among clients, and resulted in delivery of more positive reinforcement than a traditional…

This monograph describes the curriculum and teaching methods used to teach socialization skills at the Boys Town (Nebraska) special residential school for boys with behavioral disorders as well as replications of the Boys Town model in other locations. The model takes the basic techniques of the schools's Family/Home model and applies them to…

The nine readings in this monograph focus on ways to improve the social skills of students with emotional/behavioral disorders. The following readings are included: (1) "Analysis of Literature on Social Competence of Behaviorally Disordered Children and Youth" (Sarup R. Mathur and Robert B. Rutherford, Jr.); (2) "A Validation of Social Skills for…