The current study evaluated the effects of conditional discrimination (listener) training with coins on the emergence of novel stimulus relations, textual behavior, tacts, and intraverbals. Two preschoolers with autism were taught 3 relations among coins, their names, and values. After initial training, 4 relations emerged for the first…

Two children (ages four and five) with mild developmental delays and no appropriate toy play were trained individually on one topography for each toy. Previously reinforced topographies of toy play were then placed on extinction, resulting in the induction of untrained topographies. (Author/DB)

A systematic sequence of prompt and probe trials was used to teach picture names to three severely retarded children (aged 4). For all children the fixed ratio schedule for correct responses to prompts, combined with the every correct response reinforced schedule for correct responses to probes, generated the best results. (Author/PHR)

This study examined a system for fading teacher prompts to children who served as peers in peer-initiation interventions for young children with disabilities (n=6). Results indicated that social interaction continued at the levels found during intervention and was maintained during a short maintenance period. (Author/DB)

High-probability requests were used to increase responsiveness to low-probability requests to initiate social interactions in three young boys with severe disabilities who were severely socially withdrawn. Increases were also found in unprompted social initiations and generalizations to a nontraining setting. Maintenance after training was also…

The effects of two methods of negative reinforcement on three young children (ages two and three) with developmental delays and chronic food refusal were examined. Physically guiding the child to accept food contingent on noncompliance and nonremoval of the spoon until the child ate were tested. Both treatments were effective; however, parents…

A fading procedure was successfully used to maintain high levels of compliance obtained with presenting high-probability requests immediately antecedent to low-probability requests in both a 5-year-old boy with developmental disabilities and a 15-year-old girl with developmental disabilities (for whom rephrasing of "don't" requests to…

A commercially available sexual abuse and abduction training program did not produce changes in personal safety knowledge or skills in two groups of preschoolers (N=24), whether or not added instructions were given. Subsequent behavioral skills training (instructions, rehearsal, modeling, praise, feedback) produced criterion performance in all…

The study assessed the efficacy of time delay and peer modeling procedures in increasing spontaneous verbalizations of affection in four autistic children (ages 6-8). Results indicated that the time delay was a quick and effective procedure for all subjects. Peer modeling was unsuccessful in teaching the target behavior. (Author)

This study found that naturalistic conversation training improved the spontaneous speech production of two children (ages three and four) with speech production disabilities. (Author/DB)

A program of behavioral practice, assertiveness training, and social and contrived reinforcers was successful in establishing and maintaining automobile safety belt use by 16 children (ages 4-7) who never used them during a five-day preobservation period. Safety belt use occurred during 76%-90% of follow-up observations after two-three months.…

A peer modeling procedure was shown to induce swallowing in a young child with dysphagia, and to increase food acceptance in a young child who consistently declined food. A peer-mediated procedure, consisting of rotated opportunities to consume food with a peer, increased consumption more than did modeling alone. (Author/JDD)