The National Center for Leadership in Intensive Intervention (NCLII), a consortium funded by the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), prepares special education leaders to become experts in research on intensive intervention for students with disabilities who have persistent and severe academic (e.g., reading and math) and behavioral…

Rehabilitation professionals working with students with disabilities and the families of those students face unique challenges in providing inclusive services to special education student populations. There needs to be a focus on adaptive teaching methods that provide quality experience for students with varying disabilities to promote student…

Educators today are challenged with the task of designing curricula and standards for students of varying abilities. While technology and innovation steadily improve classroom learning, teachers and administrators continue to struggle in developing the best methodologies and practices for students with disabilities. "Models for Effective…

The authors describe a remedial technique for teaching letter formation to students with handwriting difficulties. The approach blends traditional procedures (modeling, physical prompts, tracing, self correction, etc.) with cognitive behavior modification principles. (CL)

Differential reinforcement of low rates of responding was used to reduce the disruptive behaviors of a blind 12-year-old boy with a learning disability. The subject earned reinforcers by not exceeding the established criterion of disruptive behaviors. An overall 88 percent reduction in target behaviors was observed across a 26-day period.…

Cognitive behavior modification (CBM), Direct Instruction (DI), and holistic approaches to the education of students with learning disabilities are compared for purposes of identifying similarities and differences in instructional practice. Comparative discussions are organized around four distinctions: specific vs. general, bottom-up vs.…

The study investigated the effects of training two learning and behavior disordered elementary students to ignore the inappropriate behavior and to reinforce the appropriate behavior of three peers who were also learning and behavior disordered. Results indicated the students were able to utilize extinction and reinforcement procedures…

Teaching the cognitive behavior modification technique of self-instruction to students with learning disabilities involves seven steps: (1) cognitive modeling; (2) overt external guidance; (3) overt self-guidance; (4) modeling of faded overt self-guidance; (5) fading overt self-guidance; (6) modeling of covert self-instruction; and (7) covert…

A program in which behavior management plans are systematically demonstrated can help parents of learning disabled students carry through the plan at home. When parents are involved in deciding on target behaviors, record keeping, and actually implementing the program, the likelihood of success is increased. (CL)

Learned helplessness is an insidious condition involving undeveloped executive functioning, lack of persistence, and an undeveloped sense of connecting new words or concepts into a web of meanings. Remedial teaching in most small-group, diagnostic/prescriptive settings encourages continued learned helplessness because students are dependent on the…

Five ways of preventing behavior problems in children with learning disabilities are described: (1) consider the classroom environment; (2) develop effective methods for managing behavior, including a workable set of classroom rules; (3) use scheduling to prevent behavior problems; (4) use lesson planning as a behavior management tool; and (5)…

A modified operant design demonstrated the effectiveness of the feedback procedure. Significant changes were evidenced by all groups of subjects. Initial results and follow-up observations indicated that the attending behavior of the experimental subjects increased and was maintained, without the use of tangible reinforcers. (Author)

Four alternative strategies to enhance learning-disabled students' learning and improve their self-concept include creative writing, peer tutoring, creative teaching, and behavior modification. (DB)

The authors suggest a preventive program for behavior problems in potentially learning disabled students prior to referral. This preventive program should include teacher workshops on behavior modification, affective training in the classroom, parent education on children's emotional development, inservice courses for all elementary teachers, and…

This article presents answers to common questions about use of contingency contracts for behavior management with students needing individualized programs in academic or social-emotional areas. A methodological format for developing contracts, a planning worksheet, and a sample contract are included. (DB)