American schools are faced with complex and deep-rooted challenges such as poverty, discrimination, weak school-family relationships, low student motivation, and high student mobility. These challenges must be overcome if children and youth are to meet their needs for belonging, mastery, independence, and generosity; experience social competence…

This article reviews the empirical research literature on behavioral assessment and intervention methods in the context of diabetes mellitus in children and adolescents. The review summarizes the pathophysiology, medical management, and monitoring of pediatric type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Next, the article describes common behavioral barriers to…

Crisis intervention requires that the person experiencing crisis receive timely and skillful support to help cope with his/her situation before future physical or emotional deterioration occurs. This Digest provides a brief, conceptual overview of crisis intervention, and summarizes the steps a worker may use to assist an individual experiencing…

This brief bibliography lists 26 resource materials for managing behavior problems in the home and community. Suggested resources were published between 1985 and 1993 and cover such topics as general behavior management, self-injury, food and behavior, functional communication training, impulsivity, alternatives to punishment, anger, and…

A 22-year-old female graduate student who suffered colitis attacks at the onset of therapy was apparently successfully treated by a procedure in which the therapist labeled antecedent stress events that appeared to be precipitating the attacks. The client was then taught a behavioral coping strategy to counter the stress events. (Author)

Basic intervention strategies for dealing with client resistance include psychoanalytic, learning/behavioral, and hypnotic/paradoxical. Psychoanalytic theory views resistance as a way to avoid the anxiety aroused by increasing awareness of unconscious materials and vulnerable areas in the person's life. Resistance is dealt with after it has…

Ten papers contributed by school psychologists or university educators working with school psychology programs review psychological theory and research on behavioral strategies for psychological intervention. Following an overview on the effective use of behavior modification in the school, nine behavior change methods are examined in terms of…

This guide, part of a series of booklets for parents of deaf-blind children developed by Project STEP (Steps Toward Effective Production of Speech), considers the use of rewards in shaping or changing the behavior of deaf-blind children. The types of rewards (e.g., food, drink, touch, action, something to listen to or look at) and selection of…

Describes the mechanics of writing a behavior contract. Included is a behavior contract written for one 13 year-old student. (HMV)

A counselor's success or failure is frequently associated with his ability to work with disruptive children. This article explores a behavioral group counseling approach. Results indicate that the mean disruptive behavior in the group sessions for all groups diminished considerably. (Author/HMV)

The increasing popularity of contracting and negotiation training with marital couples suggests a need for systematic analysis of the models available for such training. Working within a behavioral framework two major categories of contracting are developed, and their logical form is considered. (Author)

Examines the relationship between locus of control, using both a unidimensional and multidimensional approach, and completion and success in a weight reduction class. (Author)

A study of obesity management contrasted the effectiveness for 30 moderately mentally retarded adolescents of a multicomponent behavioral weight reduction program with a more traditional, nutrition based approach. Twelve Ss each were assigned to a behavior therapy (BT) and a social nutrition (SN) group, with the remaining six Ss in a wait-list…

A behaviorally oriented approach to facilitate marital satisfactions is presented in this paper. The underlying rationale of the approach is presented and discussed. Furthermore, the author describes the use of the following intervention techniques: change facilitating propaganda, specification of the behaviors desired to be facilitated,…

Behavior therapy is by no means simplistic and mechanistic. It is possible to expand the horizons of behavior therapy to include such concepts as cognition and awareness without resorting to mentalistic or Freudian speculation. A new technique, the Idealized Self-Image (ISI) has been devised for the enhancement of self-esteem and learned…