This issue of "EDJJ Notes" contains the following articles: (1) "In the News: The Policy of Prosecuting Juvenile Offenders as Adults: A Summary of Key Issues" (Jeffrey M. Poirier); (2) "Youth Transition from a Secure Care Facility" (Megan McGlynn); and (3) "Research to Practice: Self-Management" (Part II of…

This TIP, on the best practice recommendations for the treatment of substance abuse, presents guidelines for ensuring continuity of care as offenders with substance use disorders move from incarceration to the community. Research indicates that treatment gains may be lost if treatment is not continued after the offender is released from…

The effects of teacher praise, ignoring, time-out, and parental contingencies on the number of inappropriate behaviors of two mentally handicapped (IQ's 55 and 51) male students ages seven and nine were investigated in a one-year study. Both students reduced inappropriate noise and behavior, and the frequency of inappropriate behavior remained…

Practical techniques for the teacher to help the child deal with behavior problems and learn to establish self-control include: (1) positive reinforcement; (2) ignoring unpleasant behavior; and (3) setting realistic short-term goals. Methods for helping the student to develop better work habits and for squelching disruptive behavior are described.…

This report describes a database, Database Problem Behavior, which provides professionals in the area of problem behaviors and developmental disabilities with accessible information beyond their own disciplines. The current machine-readable database encompasses 885 empirical studies on the functional analysis and behavioral and pharmacological…

The study reduced the disruptive behaviors of students in 2 elementary physical education classes, including an alternative education class containing 14 fourth and fifth grade boys with severe behavior problems. A modified time-out procedure was used to reduce frequency of disruptive behaviors by 95 percent. (Author/DB)

The study found significant improvements in behavior when a profoundly mentally retarded blind subject was reinforced with music. The young woman also discriminated among different types of music, and behavior rates varied accordingly. (Author/DB)

Sixteen hearing-impaired adolescents received instruction in the graphics mode of the LOGO computing language. Eight of the students also received strategy training to enhance reflective problem solving and subsequently demonstrated fewer programing errors and improved problem-solving ability with LOGO, compared to controls. Highly impulsive…

Four preschool boys learned to conduct self-assessments of their independent work behavior and compare their ratings with teacher ratings. The treatment produced immediate and substantial improvements in child behavior, and it was possible to systematically withdraw each treatment component while maintaining a high level of appropriate child…

Two kindergarten boys with behavior problems were given "happy faces" at the beginning of each period, which were removed contingent on inappropriate behavior. Retention of a number of "happy faces" earned a large "happy face," redeemable for privileges at home. Low rates of inappropriate behavior were observed while the system was in effect.…

This study examined the relationship between the level of self-stimulation and the rate of correct task-related responses in 2 multiply disabled (severely retarded, deaf and visually impaired) individuals (ages 16 and 12). Findings suggested that self-stimulation does not always need to be suppressed to promote adaptive responding. (DB)

This article highlights how instructional management differs from behavior management in terms of common practice, and demonstrates how an instructional strategy used to address persistent academic errors, called "precorrection," can be applied to change chronic problem behaviors. Seven basic correction and precorrection steps are…

The process of "functional assessment" is recommended to establish a basis for individualized behavior management programing for students with special needs. The approach is based on identifying the functions of the challenging behavior and involves systematically collecting information about the behavior and developing an intervention…

This review focuses on correspondence training procedures, in which a subject makes statements about intended positive behavior and the statements are reinforced. The paper examines early research, generalization, maintenance, application to mentally retarded individuals, and the concept of self-control. (Author/JDD)

Describes a classroom demonstration using differential reinforcement to shape student participation in a small psychology laboratory. Concludes that the technique was useful for illustrating how reinforcers shape behavior. Suggests that the demonstration facilitated understanding of operant conditioning procedures and encouraged more equitable…