The authors discuss the nature, use, and application of behavioral rating scales for students with behavior disorders. An annotated list of eight behavioral rating scales is included. (CL)

When culturally different children are referred for suspected emotional/behavioral disorders, their native cultural customs and beliefs must be considered. Examples of withdrawn, defensive, disorganized, and aggressive behaviors are cited. (CL)

A review of the use of psychotropic medications for people with developmental disabilities is presented. Results suggest that prescribing drugs based on topographical features of the problem behavior, without considering the function the behavior serves for the individual, contributes to variability in clinical response. Functional analysis of a…

The manual examines issues in determining eligibility criteria for students with serious emotional disturbance (SED). Educational and clinical definitions of SED are compared, components of the educational definiton are examined, and the issue of differentiating behavioral disorders from serious emotional disturbance is considered. The assessment…

Using excerpts from structured interviews conducted by teachers, this paper discusses three thought and behavior patterns commonly used by students with behavior disorders to justify behavior teachers consider inappropriate: (1) denial, (2) projection, and (3) rationalization. Suggestions are made about how to respond to these defensive behavior…

This videotape recording and accompanying program manual are intended to provide a review of current knowledge about defiance in children, a behavior pattern that research suggests may be increasing in prevalence and that is a known precursor to serious disorders such as oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder. The manual provides…

This article explains Family of Origin Education, a cognitive approach to helping students change maladaptive behaviors through understanding the historical and environmental contexts of such behaviors. Three phases of the approach, including staff preparation, student training (an eight-step process), and application to nonadaptive behavior, are…

This monograph examines the special educational needs of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) children and youth who are also diagnosed as having behavior disorders (BD). Following an introductory chapter, chapters 2 and 3 address the specific populations of Asian Americans (usually underrepresented in the BD population) and African…

This article proposes that schools take on the role of coordinating intervention efforts with school-age children who exhibit antisocial behavior patterns. Collaboration with families and social service agencies is urged. A generic prevention/intervention approach for reducing antisocial behavior risk factors is suggested, with recommendations for…

This guide examines the rationale for and the process of conducting a functional behavioral assessment as required under the 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. The guide looks at ways schools and Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams can translate this new public policy into classroom practice by means of a…

This guide discusses using Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) to find out why a student is behaving inappropriately and to enable the provision of appropriate positive behavior intervention. It stresses that a FBA goes beyond looking at antecedent behavior and consequence to review everything in the entire environment of the student.…

This issue of the Australian Early Childhood Association Research in Practice Series focuses on attention difficulties in young children and is directed to parents, child caregivers, and others interested in the care and education of young children. The booklet describes behaviors and characteristics common in children with attention difficulties,…

This videotape and accompanying manual are intended to provide a review of current knowledge about the management of defiance in children, a common behavior pattern which may be increasing in prevalence and is a known precursor to such serious disorders as oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder. The first section of the manual…

This text presents 13 chapters on the assessment of students with emotional and/or behavioral disorders for the purpose of making educational placement and programming decisions consistent with federal and state diagnostic guidelines. Chapters are grouped into four sections focusing on: basic considerations for assessment of youth in this…