Some students who have developmental disabilities avoid settings and activities that can improve their learning and quality of life. This two-phase study concerned an adolescent boy with autism who avoided the gross-motor exercise room, gymnasium, and music room at his school; he demonstrated distress, agitation, and problem behaviors when…

This study used a multiple baseline with reversal design to assess whether visual performance feedback (VPF) influenced targeted and nontargeted staffs' use of behavior-specific praise (BSP) in a day-treatment program. This study expands on the typical VPF audience and assesses whether VPF can be effective with noncertified staff in a…

We evaluated the separate and combined effects of the antecedent manipulations of effective instruction delivery and time-in, as well as the effects of the addition of the consequent manipulation of contingent praise in a compliance training package for four elementary students displaying low levels of compliance. Four teachers were trained to…

An attempt was made to modify the Gambling Functional Assessment (GFA), which was proposed to identify four possible contingencies maintaining the respondent's gambling behavior. However, previous research found that it only identified two contingencies (i.e., positive vs. negative reinforcement), with some items cross-loading on both…

This study evaluates the effects of positive antecedent (effective instruction delivery and time-in) and consequent components (contingent praise) on the compliance of 4 children in a clinic setting. Results suggest that the use of effective instruction delivery alone increased compliance above baseline levels for the 4 children and that the…

Chronic absenteeism is a problem encountered by many human services organizations. Large-scale intervention projects to reduce staff absences have incorporated applied behavior analysis methods but there are few studies in the extant literature. In the present study, the authors record staff absenteeism at a specialized school for students with…

The feeding behaviors of two children who maintained failure to thrive diagnoses and displayed food refusal are assessed in their homes. Descriptive assessments are used to identify schedules of consequence provided by each child's care providers for bite acceptance and food refusal behaviors. Assessments reveal rich schedules of praise and access…

Hair pulling in pediatric populations has not received adequate empirical study. Investigations of the affective and sensory states contributing to the etiology and maintenance of hair pulling may help to elucidate the classification of trichotillomania (TTM) as an impulse control disorder or obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorder. The current…

Two men with profound developmental disabilities used a mouth-wiping response instrumental to reduce drooling via a micro-switch-based program (i.e., a program in which the response was automatically monitored and followed by positive stimulation). The wiping response was performed via a napkin or a handkerchief placed inside a belt pocket. The…

Many children with mental retardation and developmental disabilities suffer from the consequences of chronic drooling. Behavioral treatment for drooling should be considered before other, more intrusive treatments such as medication and surgery are implemented. However, empirical studies on behavioral procedures are scarce. This article reviews 19…

Using a case study, evaluates the efficacy of a cognitive-behavioral intervention for the treatment of a patient diagnosed with a conversion disorder characterized by a perceived lump in the throat and subsequent weight loss. Results indicate that the behavioral therapy procedures contributed to increased weight and improved eating behavior. (RJM)

Examines whether substantial increases in the positive interactional ratios of six highly disruptive adolescents would decrease their behavior problems. Results indicate that the intervention significantly decreased behavior problems in the boys as a group. Discusses findings in terms of response-contingent reinforcement and systemic behavior…

Study investigates three preschool boys with language delays who exhibited tantrums. Alternative communicative responses were identified and reinforced as tantrum replacements for each child. Results show brief functional analyses of tantrums serve as viable assessment options in outclinic settings. Identifying the functional properties of…

Two field experiments were conducted in the Business Information Technology Department of a major retail industry to analyze the impact of positive task performance reinforcers. The employees were divided into two broad groups--those performing complex tasks and those performing relatively simpler tasks. The first group was further divided into…

Six boys, aged 9 to 12, attended a tutoring class focusing on reading for 30 minutes each morning. Six, 10-day treatment periods were imposed that used various combinations of drug placebo, noncontingent reinforcers, 0.3 mg/kg methylphenidate, 0.7 mg/kg methylphenidate, and self-reinforcement. The combined effects of methylphenidate and…