This article examines recent rulings in litigation pertaining to the education of children with autism, including cases addressing the following issues: appropriate educational placement, extended school year services, the use of aversive contingencies to control behavior, and the use of facilitated communication and other forms of augmented…

This review of the literature evaluates the efficacy of pharmcological, parent training, and behavioral interventions with preschool-age children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. It finds pharmacological intervention to be generally effective, parent training methods effective in the home setting (but generalization studies are…

A research review on the use of Snoezelen (multisensory training) with people with mental retardation demonstrates a wide range of positive outcomes, though there is little evidence of generalization even to the immediate post-Snoezelen environment. The issue of staff attitudes and the place of Snoezelen in facilitating positive interactions is…

The overall intention of this project was to enhance awareness, for those involved with persons on the autism spectrum, of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) strategies for treating persons with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The project involved a literature review on autism and the use of CBT strategies for people with autism spectrum disorders…

Laws aimed at alcohol-impaired driving have been shown to change behavior in ways that reduce the problem. Alcohol education and public information programs, in contrast, rarely result in short-term behavior change. In part, this is because drinking, and combining drinking with driving, are lifestyle behaviors shaped and supported by many ongoing…

This paper describes characteristics of and educational implications for children with Hunter's syndrome, a rare, genetic lysomal storage disorder resulting from an absence of the enzyme iduronate-2-sulphatase. Boys born with this sex-linked disease are born with little or no clinical manifestations, but generally are diagnosed by the age of three…

St. John's University (New York) is developing a baccalaureate program which produces graduates who can successfully cope with demands in the expanding realm of human services. Because the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required of the human services worker are congruent with the expertise of a typical education faculty, the training of human…

The lack of rigorous evaluations and variations in operation of adolescent diversion programs has led to a state of confusion concerning the effects of diversion. In a program at Michigan State University, youths referred to the project from the juvenile court are randomly assigned to undergraduates who are trained and supervised by project…

New treatments of reading disabilities have recently been developed. New medical therapies for reading disabilities link poor functions of the mechanism that controls balance and movement to reading disability and focus medical attention on diet as a cause of hyperactive behavior and learning disorders. These medical therapies are still…

Numerous studies report that depression is the most common psychiatric disorder of the elderly. According to the behavioral view, depression results from inadequate, ineffective or insufficient positive reinforcement. In contrast, the cognitive position sees depression as a result of negative thinking about oneself, one's experience, and the…

Substance-abusing adolescents experiencing inadequate family structure and functioning will be at a serious disadvantage with regard to recovery. The family support network (FSN) intervention seeks to extend the focus of treatment beyond the world of the adolescent by engaging the family, a major system in his or her life. Designed to increase…

The authors evaluated single subject research studies in accordance with the following criteria: Was the study applied, behavioral, reliable, analytic, effective, and generalizable? All of the reviews have been checked for accuracy in two ways. First, each author received feedback from the professor. After each feedback session, authors then…

Numerous approaches to behavior management in schools have been offered but many of these rely on strategies or procedures. A different kind of approach, which focuses on essential principles, is offered here. It includes a range of suggestions, but application of its principles depends on the particular school and community. The position adopted…

Describes behavior analysis as a radical approach for solving educational research problems that prebehavioristic social science has not solved; compares the methodology and assumptions of behavior analysis and conventional social science research; and suggests that misinformation has resulted in an irrational bias against behaviorism among…

The article reviews research on training mentally retarded adults in the following community survival skills: travel training, money management, meal preparation, clothing and personal care, telephone skill, housekeeping, self-medication, leisure skills, social skills, and conversation. Results are said to indicate the value of behavioral…