A total of 179 intervention research studies published from 1988-92 on the remediation of challenging behavior of persons with developmental disabilities was reviewed for adherence to certain standards of practice. Results indicate meaningful improvements in the state of intervention literature. Areas of progress are noted and continuing deficits…

Three studies investigated environmental correlates of self-injurious behavior in seven developmentally disabled children and adolescents which were then later used for treatment. Correlates investigated included positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, automatic reinforcement, and control. "Escape extinction" was successfully…

This commentary on the use of gentle teaching with individuals with developmental disabilities examines the method's assumptions, describes its use of behavioral techniques, and criticizes its ineffectiveness. (JDD)

This paper reviews the functional properties and procedural variations of differential reinforcement for the reduction of behavior disorders in individuals with developmental disabilities. The paper proposes that limited success may be a result of the arbitrary relationship that exists between reinforcers and target behaviors when behavioral…

Analysis of the reinforcement and extinction components of differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) of three women with developmental disabilities and self-injurious behavior (SIB) found that DRO was only effective in combination with the relevant extinction component (withholding of attention for SIB). (Author/DB)

Assessment of self-injurious behavior (SIB) in three individuals with developmental disabilities revealed that the behavior was an escape response maintained by negative reinforcement. Treatment consisted of extinction plus instructional fading and resulted in immediate and large reductions in SIB behaviors. Maintenance occurred as instruction…

Reviews studies involving noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) for the treatment of challenging behavior such as aggression, self-injury, and extreme tantrums in persons with developmental disabilities. A clinical guide for implementation is delineated. Among the advantages of NCR is ease of implementation. NCR appears particularly relevant for…

Feeding and mealtime behavior problems are commonly observed among individuals with developmental disabilities. These problems include, but are not limited to, food refusal, food selectivity, mealtime aggression, rumination, pica, and insufficient feeding skills. Difficulties of this type can be associated with life-threatening consequences of…

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…

This bibliography, which was compiled in conjunction with a review of the developmental disabilities literature focusing on interventions with challenging behavior, contains references for 151 articles from 15 journals. The bibliography, covering articles published between 1988 and 1992, updates an earlier version which covered 1976 through 1987.…

The self-injurious behavior of a 37-month-old, developmentally disabled, severely handicapped child was reduced with an overcorrection procedure, though no transfer of training to the home setting took place. (Author/DLS)

A study of three children (ages 3-5) with developmental disabilities evaluated the effects of environmental enrichment on self-injurious behavior. Each child participated in a free-operate preference assessment to identify relative preferences for aberrant behavior. This assessment correctly predicted the success of environmental enrichment to…

Discussed are some advances in the treatment of autism. The cooperation between clinicians and parents is highlighted. The success of one school program is described. (CW)

The applicability of two reinforcer assessment procedures to children with developmental disabilities and visual impairments was evaluated. Greater differentiation between stimuli occurred with a choice procedure than with a preference procedure. Measurement of compliance and responding rate in adaptive skill training confirmed that the choice…

This study of the treatment of self-injurious behavior (SIB), involving three individuals with developmental disabilities, found that an extinction condition in which SIB no longer produced escape reduced SIB to the criterion in fewer sessions than did extinction plus fading, in which instruction frequency was initially reduced to zero and then…