The paper reviews research on behavioral staff management strategies in institutions for developmentally disabled persons, considering procedural effectiveness of four approaches: antecedent, contingency management, self-control, and multifaceted interventions. Methodological problems in the research are noted, along with needs for research on…

An observation code was found to discriminate reliably between correct and incorrect behavior modification skills of 12 parents of developmentally disabled children (two to six years old). Parents were more proficient teachers after a training program focusing on behavior change principles and language acquisition. (CL)

Fourteen students, aged 7-24, with severe developmental disabilities who exhibited frequent aggression, self-injury, and/or tantrums were assessed to engage in problem behavior maintained by social attention or by escape from unpleasant situations. The differential effectiveness of praise and time-out was measured, indicating the importance of…

This commentary on EC 608 302, which discusses behavioral research methodology involving individuals with developmental disabilities, argues that a clear distinction must be made between methods and models, there is a need for more broadly focused intervention studies considering the body of applied practical knowledge, and differences in research…

This commentary on EC 608 301, a paper on behavioral research methodology used with individuals with developmental disabilities, argues that the paper does not portray behavior analysis accurately, advances arguments that may not be reliably enough agreed upon, and seeks to modify reader behavior without sufficiently addressing the variables of…

This paper reviews the literature on functional assessment in the behavioral treatment of aggression in persons with mental retardation or developmental delays. Increased use of functional assessment and skill training is noted but no concomitant decrease in the use of intrusive procedures. (Author/DB)

The sleep-wake cycles of 4 developmentally delayed individuals (ages 3-19) with severe sleep disturbances were regulated using a faded bedtime procedure with response cost. Following treatment, all four increased their amounts of nighttime sleep; two decreased their excessive daytime sleep; and three decreased their night wakings. (Author/JDD)

Current methods of assessing and treating aggression in children and adolescents with developmental disabilities were reviewed. While a number of measures have been developed to assess aggression in the general population, there are relatively few assessment methods for use with children and adolescents with developmental disabilities. In all, 54…

Aggression by individuals with developmental disabilities may threaten their community placement. In a multiple baseline design across group homes, we provided group home staff with behavioral training and later with mindfulness training to assess the impact on aggressive behaviors and the number of learning objectives mastered by individuals in…

We describe a training program to teach applied behavior analysis (ABA) knowledge competencies to paraprofessional staff (N = 47) at a habilitation services agency for adults with developmental disabilities. Before and following training, staff completed assessment of knowledge tests for three content areas: basic learning principles,…

Autism is a developmental disability that manifests as impairment in three primary areas: social interaction, communication and imaginative activities, and reactions to environmental stimuli. The appearance of autism spectrum disorder ranges from children who are very low functioning, nonverbal, stimulus seeking, aggressive, antisocial, and…

This study evaluated two variants of a behavioral parent training program known as Stepping Stones Triple P (SSTP) using 74 preschool-aged children with developmental disabilities. Families were randomly allocated to an enhanced parent training intervention that combined parenting skills and care-giving coping skills (SSTP-E), standard parent…

An essential component of applied behavior analysis programs for teaching children with autism is discrete trials teaching. Experiment 1 investigated the effectiveness of a self-instructional manual for teaching university students to correctly apply discrete-trials teaching to teach three tasks to confederates role-playing children with autism.…

Used time-in and time-out to reduce undesirable behaviors exhibited by a child with severe language disabilities and by a child with a moderate mental disability combined with cerebral palsy. Unwanted behaviors were reduced dramatically shortly after the initiation of intervention. Follow-ups indicated a continued high rate of compliance. (RJM)

This study compared selection of a preferred reinforcing stimulus just prior to a training session by either the trainer or subject with profound developmental disabilities. Results obtained with four adult subjects indicated little or no difference in reinforcement effects when reinforcing stimuli were selected by subjects rather than trainers.…