This article reviews general classes of variables which help to maintain aberrant behavior including attention seeking, sensory and perceptual consequences, and access to materials or activities. Suggestions for a methodology providing a comprehensive functional analysis are offered which include descriptive analysis, hypothesis forming,…

A six-year-old with severe conduct disorders and learning delays increased task accuracy and on-task performance and decreased his disruptions after a reinforcement contingency was instituted. Eventually the child assumed responsibility for grading all tasks independently, maintaining high task accuracy. (CL)

For a seven-year-old autistic boy, contingent jogging caused a significant decline in frequency of out-of-seat behavior that was maintained for 12 months. Unlike many other behavior suppression techniques, contingent exercise is safe and does not humiliate the client. (Author/LHW)

Results of a survey of 730 teachers of the behaviorally disordered indicated that 70 percent used timeout procedures as a behavior management strategy, that teachers of younger children used the technique more frequently, and that physical and verbal aggression were the behaviors most frequently resulting in timeout. (Author/DB)

Parents of 8 children (ages 4-9) with conduct disorders conducted assessments by varying task demands and parental attention within a multielement design. Children's appropriate behavior varied across assessment conditions and occurred at higher rates during some conditions than others. Parents viewed the recommended treatments as effective and…

This study analyzed specific stimuli reinforcing destructive behavior in two 11-year-olds males with mental retardation and severe destructive behavior problems maintained by attention. The use of concurrent schedules of reinforcement identified alternatives to the reinforcing verbal reprimands and led to development of effective treatments to…

An adolescent with severe mental retardation and cerebral palsy who displayed attention-maintained destructive behavior was exposed to noncontingent reinforcer delivery (NCR) with a high-preference or a low-preference stimulus while reinforcement for destructive behavior with attention remained in effect. NCR without extinction was effective only…

The effects of a warning procedure signaling exclusionary timeout as a consequence for inappropriate behavior during contingent observation timeout was evaluated with nine elementary students having emotional and behavioral disorders. The use of warnings was associated with a decrease in appropriate contingent observation timeout behaviors,…

Two procedures were compared for reducing violent or aggressive theme play of six preschool children with behavior disorders and five normally developing peers. Contingency statements followed by a modified time-out produced consistently lower rates of violent theme play than did verbal prompts to engage in more appropriate types of play.…

Two studies with four adolescents with behavior disorders investigated the relationship between antecedent events and aggressive behavior in school and home settings. The use of videotape recordings and behavioral rehearsal of alternative responses resulted in decreases in the frequency of aggressive behavior and associated antecedent events. (DB)

The case study is designed to be used with the inservice training program developed by the Child-Centered Inservice Training and Technical Assistance Network (Syracuse, New York), which provides services to professional and paraprofessional personnel working with students with severe disabilities receiving their education in regular education…

This videotape and accompanying manual are intended to provide a review of current knowledge about the management of defiance in children, a common behavior pattern which may be increasing in prevalence and is a known precursor to such serious disorders as oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder. The first section of the manual…