One of the most important technologies of behavior modifiers and applied behavior analysts over the last 40 years has been the token economy. These procedures are useful in that they help provide a structured therapeutic environment, and mimic other naturally occurring reinforcement systems such as the use of money. Token economies, at least from…

A functional assessment-based intervention (FABI) was designed and implemented to increase the on-task behavior of David, a second-grade student in a general education classroom. David attended an elementary school that used a comprehensive, integrated, three-tiered (CI3T) model of prevention. The school's principal nominated David for Project…

Schoolwide positive behavior support (SWPBS) is a systems-level intervention designed to prevent the occurrence of problem behavior and increase social competence. A growing body of research documents that SWPBS reduces problem behavior and improves academics (e.g., McIntosh, Chard, Boland, & Horner, 2006), yet documentation of the feasibility…

This qualitative case study investigated the process of teaching the self-management strategies, self-determination, and self-monitoring to chronically misbehaved students from the perspective of a secondary special education teacher. The investigation used a purposeful sample to select an urban high school setting and a tenured special education…

Three participants whose problem behavior was maintained by contingent attention were exposed to 45-min presessions in which attention was withheld, provided on a fixed-time (FT) 15-s schedule, or provided on an FT 120-s schedule. Following each presession, participants were then tested in a 15-min session similar to the social attention condition…

Objectives: To examine social support needs of obese and overweight African American women for weight loss. Methods: Focus groups were conducted with overweight and obese African American women. Data were analyzed using standard grounded theory text analysis. Results: Our middle-aged (45.7 years; SD = 12.6) women (N = 66) were interested in…

This study directly compares two interdependent group oriented contingency strategies, the GBG and the GBG with a behavior specific praise statement (BSPS) component (i.e., GBG+BSPS) to examine the relative effectiveness of each as a tool for class-wide behavior management, to inspect the effect on teacher interactions with students, and to assess…

Background: Functional assessments and supported employment procedures have the potential to enhance quality of life factors for adults who have historically been isolated. Method: Functional assessments and supported employment procedures were used to assist four adults with severe disability who exhibited challenging behaviour, to achieve…

The "No Child Left Behind Act" mandates that teachers employ evidence-based practices (EBPs) in the classroom in order to improve student performance. For students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) to be successful, particularly in inclusive settings, the most salient practices would probably be those promoting classroom organization…

The purpose of the study was to determine the effectiveness of the Class-Wide Function-related Intervention Teams (CW-FIT) program, a group contingency intervention for whole classes, and for students with disruptive behaviors who are at risk for emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD). The CW-FIT program includes four elements designed from…

To add to the emerging early intervention research on universal supports for children, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of an intervention designed to increase teachers' use of two universal behavioral supports on target children's behavior. The children targeted for this study were at elevated risk for problem…

Chronic absenteeism is a problem encountered by many human services organizations. Large-scale intervention projects to reduce staff absences have incorporated applied behavior analysis methods but there are few studies in the extant literature. In the present study, the authors record staff absenteeism at a specialized school for students with…

Many authors recommend various praise to reprimand ratios for teachers to use to manage their classrooms (e.g., Flora, 2000; Nafpaktitis, Mayer, & Butterworth, 1985; Wheldall, 2005); however, these recommendations are based on correlational data or secondary findings from studies not directly manipulating the praise to reprimand ratio. The…

The national shortage and exceptionally high attrition rate of special education teachers are impediments to serving students with special needs. Given that only 64 percent of special education teachers have access to a mentor compared with 86 percent of general education teachers, this book meets an essential need for attracting, retaining, and…

This study investigated the effect of the implementation of a School Wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS) Program on teacher morale. This quantitative study used the Perdue Teacher Opinionaire (PTO) to survey the faculties for two rural, Title I middle schools in Tennessee. Middle School 1 implemented the SWPBS program. Middle School 2 was the…