Anxiety disorders are among the most common psychological disturbances in the industrialized world. Current behavioral therapy procedures for these disorders are somewhat effective, but their efficacy could be substantially improved. Because these procedures are largely based on the process of extinction, manipulations that enhance extinction may…

The article reviews the current status (1993-2007) of psychosocial treatments for children and adolescents who have been exposed to traumatic events. Twenty-one treatment studies are evaluated using criteria from Nathan and Gorman (2002) along a continuum of methodological rigor ranging from Type 1 to Type 6. All studies were, at a minimum, robust…

This monograph reviews and analyzes a set of treatment procedures exemplifying a positive or nonaversive approach to the amelioration of severe behavior problems in persons with developmental disabilities. Target behaviors include self-injury, aggression, and tantrums. Approximately 100 research articles drawn from 21 journals and a number of…

The paper traces the origins of the definitions of autism, notes controversies over its etiology, and discusses the wide variety of intervention approaches used. Psychoeducational approaches, such as play therapy and B. Bettelheim's psychoanalytic approach, are described and criticized in terms of premises and the anecdotal nature of evaluation…

Basic intervention strategies for dealing with client resistance include psychoanalytic, learning/behavioral, and hypnotic/paradoxical. Psychoanalytic theory views resistance as a way to avoid the anxiety aroused by increasing awareness of unconscious materials and vulnerable areas in the person's life. Resistance is dealt with after it has…

Presents a review of the professional literature which strongly supports the inclusion of group counseling or study skills training along with group-based cognitive or behavioral interventions as a combined approach to the treatment of test anxiety. (Author)

Describes a model for the synthesis of syndromal diagnosis and child behavioral assessment, and reviews the possible impact of the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. (KH)

This study was designed to examine the effectiveness of the "Fear and Loathing of Speaking Out in Public" program. The program, a personal initiative, adapts primary features of the treatment offered by Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for clients suffering from fears and phobias. CBT strategies include progressive desensitization, identifying…

This report reviews 23 controlled studies of the effect of food dyes and other dietary constituents on the behavior of children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or other behavioral problems. Findings indicate 17 of the 23 studies found evidence that some children's behavior significantly worsens after they consume artificial…

In 1956, Dr. Albert Ellis presented his seminal work on Rational Therapy, subsequently renamed Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) in 1993. This paper explores the origins, theoretical foundations, applications, and implications of REBT and provides a look at the empirical research available in support of the approach's efficacy. REBT is…

Timeout from positive reinforcement is frequently used by special educators for dealing with undesired student behavior. Six types, or levels, of response contingent timeout found in the literature are as follows: planned ignoring, reduction of response maintenance stimuli, planned ignoring plus restraint, contingent observation, exclusion, and…

Research is reviewed that employs delay procedures with the severely handicapped as a means of shifting stimulus control. The parameters of delay procedures are delineated, including prerequisite student and teacher considerations, types of responses, levels of delay, single versus blocked trials, and basic delay methodology. (Author)

An ecological and transactional approach based on Project Re-Ed, liaison psychology makes use of tensions which arise from differing points of view and seeks to facilitate growth of effective relationships. A discussion of strategies which can be used by the practicing school psychologist is presented. (Author/RL)

The author reviews recent literature dealing with teaching autistic children acceptable behaviors. Using E. Ornitz and E. Ritvo's description of autism, teaching procedures to overcome weaknesses in perceptual difficulties, bizarre movement, and problems in relating are discussed. (CL)

Argues that behavior therapists are really ethical relativists and sometimes ethical skeptics. Ethical naturalism found in operant behavior therapy does entail ethical relativism. Other authors respond to these views. (Author)