Provides empirical validation for a behavioral self-management technique to improve homework-related behavior. Elementary and junior high school students (N=42) learned the technique through audiocassettes and written material and mechanical aids. Results indicate that the technique may help children assume responsibility for their independent…

Presents a module for training educators, youth professionals, and parents in ways to help youth whose behavior interferes with their personal ability or the ability of others to make progress academically. Explores ways to understand student behavior, the risk factors, and the protective factors associated with challenging behaviors. (RJM)

Teachers of students exhibiting behavioral deficits and excesses should focus on direct teaching of acceptable behavior, but this often does not occur because of teachers' feeling more comfortable teaching academic skills, paucity of curriculum materials, and such trends as minimum competency testing. Behavioral and cognitive approaches to…

Four preschool boys learned to conduct self-assessments of their independent work behavior and compare their ratings with teacher ratings. The treatment produced immediate and substantial improvements in child behavior, and it was possible to systematically withdraw each treatment component while maintaining a high level of appropriate child…

This article reviews the development of functional analysis in understanding behavior problems like self-injury and aggression and, more recently, school-based problems. Seen as particularly promising is current work on the analysis of setting events and analysis of dependent variables by considering the effects of intervention on response…

Two kindergarten boys with behavior problems were given "happy faces" at the beginning of each period, which were removed contingent on inappropriate behavior. Retention of a number of "happy faces" earned a large "happy face," redeemable for privileges at home. Low rates of inappropriate behavior were observed while the system was in effect.…

This article highlights how instructional management differs from behavior management in terms of common practice, and demonstrates how an instructional strategy used to address persistent academic errors, called "precorrection," can be applied to change chronic problem behaviors. Seven basic correction and precorrection steps are…

A study involving two children, ages two to three found that experimenter-selection of rewards was a more effective procedure for modifying behavior than was self-selection, though a study of four first graders indicated no significant differences between self-selection and experimenter-selection of rewards. (Author/JDD)

This article discusses assessment strategies for accurately pinpointing the social and communicative functions of challenging behavior and presents an array of proactive interventions to decrease escape-motivated challenging behavior and to decrease access-motivated challenging behavior. Factors influencing the selection of one intervention…

A structured daily report card program can provide more consistent and efficient feedback on students with behavior problems than traditional approaches. The article details specific steps in designing a daily report card intervention, emphasizing how parents and teachers must work cooperatively to create and implement the intervention. (SM)

A study involving an elementary student with learning disabilities evaluated the effectiveness of a high-probability request sequence on compliance to a request for completion of a math assignment. High probability requests were effective in reducing the latency to compliance but only minimally affected duration of engagement. (Contains five…

Brief multiple-stimulus-without-replacement (MSWO) preference assessments were conducted with 3 adolescent boys with emotional-behavioral disorders in the context of their public school educational program. The reinforcing effects of stimuli identified as high, medium, and low preference were then evaluated using an alternating treatments design…

Educators face the dilemma of zero tolerance versus zero rejection. The pressure to maintain safe classrooms while simultaneously educating all students is a challenging proposition. This article is used to share data that were collected as part of a larger study on teachers' beliefs about their own self-efficacy regarding general classroom…

In this article, the author provides tips for teachers on how they can help children who make fun of others. These strategies include: (1) maintaining a united front; (2) being consistent in set policies; (3) setting boundaries; and (4) implementing a "kindness curriculum." In addition, a teacher may adopt just one rule in his/her classroom--by…

This article describes the development of behavioral school care consultation services to public schools within a not-for-profit community behavioral health organization. An overview of the process of behavior consultation is presented. A description of the growth of behavioral school consultation services is outlined in regard to (a) the types of…