Special education teachers have one of the most challenging and stressful jobs in public education, which often leads to increased burnout. High levels of burnout have, in turn, been related to lower levels of fidelity of implementation in delivery of evidence-based behavior interventions. The purpose of this position paper is to (a) propose…

This paper offers a commentary on the articles in the special series on cognitive behavior therapy with older adults (Carmin, 2012-this issue), noting the commonalities found across discussions of diagnostic interviewing and cognitive-behavioral assessment and treatment for late-life insomnia, depression and suicide risk, PTSD, and OCD. These case…

The present article comments on the case conference presented in this issue, namely, Himle and Franklin's (Himle & Franklin, 2009) exposure and response prevention (ERP); Chosak and colleagues' (Chosak, Marques, Fama, Renaud, & Wilhelm, 2009) cognitive therapy (CT); and (Twohig, 2009) Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Two questions are…

This article attempts to replicate how Fritz Redl and David Wineman might have handled an "unmade bed" situation with the youngsters at Pioneer House, the treatment program in Detroit that was the subject of their classic work, "The Aggressive Child" (1957) which encompassed two books, "Children Who Hate" and…

The authors' association goes back more than 40 years, when they were both starting doctoral studies in special education for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) at the University of Kansas. In this article, the authors provide a balanced (albeit biased) account of the good and the bad, including some of the many achievements…

In this article, the author discusses the distinction between positive and negative reinforcement and some additional considerations. He states that the concept of negative reinforcement has caused confusion, and he believes that the difficulty stems from conventions of ordinary speech, in which the term "negative" usually denotes the opposite of…

In a previous issue of "The Behavior Analyst," the authors discussed the ambiguities that surround the distinction between positive and negative reinforcement. Seven distinguished behavior analysts commented on their article. The authors believe that this dialogue represented a constructive step toward clarification of an important concept within…

A 9-year-old boy presents for assessment and treatment of his reactive, impulsive aggressive behavior that has been present for approximately 2 years. Six months ago, his pediatrician started treatment with OROS methylphenidate (MPH), which was titrated to 36 mg/day. There was moderate improvement in symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity…

This paper offers modifications to the position of Horner and others (EC 232 976), including tying the level of approval required for an intervention to the seriousness of the behavior problem. The paper proposes that the debate over the use of "aversives" is finished, and attention should now be turned to how best to use positive…

In response to Horner and others (EC 232 976), this paper notes earlier recommendation of procedural safeguards to protect client rights and encouragement of positive procedures to increase adaptive skills but questions whether a positive but slow intervention is more ethically valid than more quickly effective "aversive" interventions…

This paper expresses support for the resolution of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps to prohibit aversion-based procedures. In response to Horner and others (EC 232 976), the paper agrees on the values expressed but disagrees on the science reported. (DB)

This article reviews the psychoeducational, behavioral, and ecological models underlying educational services to students with behavior disorders. Models are compared for their explanatory nature, implications for intervention, and how they address the scientific approach to behavior disorders. (DB)

In this article, the author recognizes and responds to the three major themes of the four articles focusing on the use of school-wide positive behavior support (SWPBS) with students having the most serious problem behavior: needed research, including students with severe disabilities at all support levels through adaptations, and avoiding further…

This paper reviews the functional properties and procedural variations of differential reinforcement for the reduction of behavior disorders in individuals with developmental disabilities. The paper proposes that limited success may be a result of the arbitrary relationship that exists between reinforcers and target behaviors when behavioral…

The history of the terms "punishment" and "aversive" is traced, and the influence of inconsistent usage and negative association associated with these terms is analyzed. A conceptual framework is presented to guide the choice of an alternative terminology for behavior reduction. (Author/JDD)