Numerous approaches to behavior management in schools have been offered but many of these rely on strategies or procedures. A different kind of approach, which focuses on essential principles, is offered here. It includes a range of suggestions, but application of its principles depends on the particular school and community. The position adopted…

A study involving 3 elementary students (ages 8-10) investigated the treatment effects of choice making with academic assignments. Students at risk for emotional disturbance (ED) in a general education setting participated. These were children who exhibited aggressive behaviors and were judged to be achieving below their grade level by their…

Group counseling offers a content-plus-process approach to counseling of youth. Counselors in schools or mental health settings can use this book to learn how to create meaningful group experiences for adolescents. The group agendas are aimed at middle school youth and offer them the opportunity to experience positive growth and change in the…

Proposed a practical reinforcement hierarchy for classroom-based behavior modification programs. The seven-level hierarchy ranged from primitive consequences (Infantile Physical Contact and Food) through the more abstract consequences (Praise and Internal Self-Reinforcement). Suggestions were made for using the hierarchy in teacher consultation…

Classroom management a collection of measures by which teachers control the events of a lesson. Research suggests that social behaviors can be learned in the same way as cognitive rules. (Author/JN)

Describes the essential self-care of an eight-year old second-grade student. This study illustrates a school counselor's use of a multimodal, behavioral intervention to increase the level of self-care in the classroom. Relevant reinforcements, individual and group counseling, and peer support, resulted in improved self-care. (RJM)

Inclusive classrooms are responsible for delivering appropriate education to culturally diverse and behaviorally at-risk students. The Intervention with Dissimilar Learners Model (IDL) addresses diverse student needs. Research shows that this four-level intervention system is effective. The paper explains the use of the IDL to increase positive…

This study found that use of a dependent group evaluation system effectively decreased the group's inappropriate verbalizations and that the 9 students (ages 11-13) with disabilities had positive reactions to the system. The system involved delivering reinforcement based on an identified student's rating and congruence of the student's rating with…

The best way to manage discipline problems in preschoolers with autism is to prevent the problems from occurring in the first place. The article examines the diagnosis, incidence, and prevalence of autism, discusses how to facilitate desired behavior, and offers a case study of a preschool student with autism. (SM)

The effectiveness of a behavior management procedure--the response cost raffle--was studied with three male eighth graders and one female ninth grader in special education with mild to moderate behavior problems. Results indicate that the response cost raffle can be an effective and a practical classroom technique for increasing appropriate…

Describes the classroom life of Will, a kindergartner with fetal alcohol syndrome. The teacher met with the parents, the principal, and a support committee to determine how to handle Will's erratic behavior. A classroom aide provided Will with one-on-one assistance and helped him acquire appropriate social skills. (SM)

First Step to Success is used at the outset of a child's school career, when making changes in antisocial behavior is easiest. The short-term program provides positive reinforcement for desirable behaviors and has a home component that draws on parent support. Sidebar profiles programs that promote positive behaviors in older children: Project…

This article suggests that students with emotional/behavioral disorders may use disruptive behaviors to escape and avoid teacher instructional language for which they do not have comprehension skills and thus find aversive. Teacher instructional language thus maintains aberrant behavior through a negative reinforcement paradigm. Recommendations…

Examined the efficacy of an automated reinforcement device, the Attention Training System (ATS), in decreasing off-task behavior in an 11-year-old, fifth-grade student who had been diagnosed as being affected with ADHD and had been placed in Special Education Resources Room programming. Results indicated success in three subject areas. (JBJ)

Tests the effectiveness of behavioral skills training based on the Behavioral-Ecological Model among a group of adolescents. Evaluates two interventions: one teaching condom use skills and the other teaching anger management skills. Changes in most skills were significant at postintervention but were not maintained at six months. Few risk-related…