Social stories are effective interventions that can be used to manage negative behaviors and develop social skills. However, contradictory results are suggested within the research because of variability in designing social stories, intervention phases, target behaviors, and treatment protocol. Social story interventions may reduce negative…

The controversy over the use labels for students who receive special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act has been raging for decades. Do labels really serve an educational purpose? Do they stigmatize students? Do disabilities really exist? Are they just part of the normal distribution of human characteristics,…

The Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) framework is currently implemented in more than 25,000 schools across the globe. Its implementation has demonstrated positive impacts on a number of behavioral and academic outcomes. A growing evidence base has found that PBIS has been particularly effective at reducing both in- and…

Using effect sizes from Erford, Paul, Oncken, Kress, & Erford (2014) meta-analysis for treatments of oppositional defiant disorder and Erford, Bardhoshi, Ross, Gunther, & Duncan (2017) meta-analysis of conduct problems in school-aged youth, the 6 most commonly used disruptive behavior instruments were analyzed for practical and technical…

Students with learning disabilities are suspended at disproportionate rates in schools. Although research has shown the ineffectiveness of suspension as a disciplinary tool, school administrators continue to use it to combat behavior infractions. This column presents a review of the literature on suspension for students with learning disabilities,…

In 2017, the Supreme Court ruled on a special education case Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District. In this important case, the High Court addressed the degree of educational benefit necessary for a school district to fulfill the requirements for a free appropriate public education (FAPE) under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act…

The challenges of educating children and youth with intensive social, emotional, and academic needs have been well documented. Students with emotional/ behavioral disorders (EBD) present a range of daily challenges from low intensity, high frequency chronic behaviors such as poor school attendance, disrespect addressed to adults and peers,…

The Good Behavior Game (GBG) is a classroom management system that employs an interdependent group contingency, whereby students work as a team to win the game. Although previous anecdotal data have suggested that this arrangement may promote prosocial behavior, teachers may have concerns about its fairness and potential to evoke negative peer…

Early identification of student behavioral needs allows educators the opportunity to apply appropriate interventions before negative behaviors become more intensive and persistent. A variety of screening tools are available to identify which students are at risk for persistent behavior problems in school. This article provides two examples in…

This commentary for a special issue of "Remedial and Special Education" (RASE) on the perspectives of senior scholars (a) opens with some comments regarding the role of measures we use in behavioral science to pursue scientific truth and then (b) discusses the three most impactful developments in emotional and behavioral disorders over…

Positive Behavior Support (PBS) for behavioral problems was included in the 1997 Individuals With Disabilities Education Act reauthorization, reflecting the increased implementation and strengthening empirical evidence for PBS in schools. Whereas PBS can be used reactively, its flexibility has led to a popular comprehensive school-wide model used…

Rising rates of incivility in the college classroom can generate stress for both faculty and students. However, incivility can take multiple forms, have different causes and require different management techniques. In some cases disruptive behavior is the result of student faculty interactions, and can be ameliorated by improved communication or…

The reliability and validity of scores on the Disruptive Behavior Rating Scale-second edition-teacher version (DBRS-II-T) was analyzed. The DBRS-II-T was designed to assess teacher observations of students referred for behavioral difficulties. The five-factor model fit the data poorly, but convergent and diagnostic validities were excellent.…

When a student demonstrates a challenging or problematic behaviour in the classroom, the climate and the instructional experience can change dramatically for both the students and the classroom teacher. Before resorting to sanctions and punitive consequences, there is a series of steps a classroom teacher can conduct to reduce and replace the…

This article provides an historical look at how programs and practices for students with emotional or behavior disorders (E/BD) have been evaluated since 1964, leading to a codified, although not universally recognized, set of recommendations for evaluating best practices for students with E/BD set out by The Peacock Hill Working Group (1991). The…