A pica box (containing items safe to chew) was used as an intervention with a 10-year-old autistic girl with pica behaviors in a special education setting. Evaluation using an ABAB design (varying in availability of the pica box) found a decrease in pica attempts when the pica box was available to the student. (DB)

Addresses methods of assessing social validity in interventions with individuals having behavioral disorders. Discusses three areas: (1) specific behavioral goals; (2) the social appropriateness of the procedures; and (3) the social importance of the outcomes. Issues of validity and utility are also raised. The paper concludes that application of…

Analog baselines are an experimental methodology for identifying the functions of maladaptive behavior of individuals with developmental disabilities in naturally occurring environments. This article identifies potential limitations of this methodology, including: fidelity of baseline design conditions, a narrow analysis of behavior, and limited…

Implementation of a token economy system with a time-out backup consequence in a highly structured self-contained elementary classroom for children with emotional and behavior disorders demonstrated a strong functional relationship between the intervention system and improvement in the students' behavior. (Author/DB)

A case study of a 25-year-old man with moderate mental retardation who engaged in self-injurious behavior included a functional analysis to determine the effects of the presence and absence of respite care. Results demonstrated a relationship between the presence of self-injury and the occurrence of respite care the previous evening. Altering the…

The report describes the successful treatment of trichotillomania (compulsive hair pulling) in a mentally retarded 11-year-old boy with autism and severe mental retardation. Administration of haloperidol resulted in complete cessation of hair pulling which reappeared when the dosage was decreased and ceased again when dosage was reestablished. (DB)

This study examined the effect of a videotape feedback intervention on the on-task behavior rate of a fourth grade male in a self-contained class for students with emotional/behavioral disorders. Results revealed an increase in percentage of on-task time during intervention, a sharp drop during return to baseline, and an increase during…

Addresses the use of functional assessment in making treatment decisions with students having emotional/behavioral disorders. Discussion covers indirect and direct measures of the relationship between the target behavior and variables maintaining the behavior. Strategies for selecting and verifying hypothesis-driven treatment decisions are…

This study with 65 individuals with mental retardation and additional seizure and/or psychiatric or behavioral disorders found that 9.2 percent experienced medication (carbamazepine) side effects, ranging from irritability to mania. More side effects were experienced by individuals with behavioral or psychiatric disorders than by those with an…

A reevaluation of data from Berkman and Meyer (1988), a study supporting the effectiveness of positive-oriented programing approaches with persons with mental retardation, suggests that medication, especially the introduction of Thorazine (with subsequent increases of dosage), may have been related to reductions in the client's self-injurious…

A function-based behavioral treatment package was developed for an 18-year-old male with mild mental retardation in a specialized inpatient unit for treatment of severe destructive behaviors associated with school refusal behavior. Treatment goals were achieved relatively quickly and follow-up data indicated treatment effects were durable.…

The effects of a warning procedure signaling exclusionary timeout as a consequence for inappropriate behavior during contingent observation timeout was evaluated with nine elementary students having emotional and behavioral disorders. The use of warnings was associated with a decrease in appropriate contingent observation timeout behaviors,…

High-probability requests were provided to two boys (age seven) with behavior disorders and severe disabilities as an antecedent to delivering a low-probability request. Results showed an immediate increase in appropriate responding when the intervention was delivered. Generalized responding and response maintenance were also exhibited.…

This response to a critique (EC 605 541) of the authors' case study, supporting the effectiveness of positive-oriented programing approaches with persons with mental retardation, offers follow-up information on the individual involved, including his complete medication history, and defends the view that the self-determination supported by their…