This article provides an analysis of issues related to personal "dignity" and social validity in schools. Specifically, dignity is defined in terms of individual success and independence, while "social validity" is defined in terms of the system as a whole. These definitions are explored in the context of schoolwide systems of positive behavior…

Educators from four states participated in a pilot study to enhance and field-test an assessment guide for assisting teams in creating student-centered behavior plans. The assessment guide attempts to consciously match the multi-layered tenets of positive behavior support with the behavioral intervention and support process for maximum…

The journey children make from tube feeding to oral feeding is personal for each child and family. There is a sequence of predictable plateaus that children climb as they move toward orally eating. By better understanding this sequence, parents and children can maximize the development, learning, enjoyment and confidence at each plateau. The…

Behavioral procedures were used to modify the food choices of eight preschoolers (ages 3 to 6) during a snack period at school (training setting) and at home (generalization setting). Results showed an increase in healthy snack choices in the training setting. Generalization to home was achieved only with specific implementation procedures.…

Provides an overview of the theoretical and technical components of covert positive reinforcement and reviews the experimental literature to ascertain the efficacy of CPR and to evaluate the operant basis for the technique. The empirical evidence confirmed the effectiveness of CPR in modifying analogue and clinical target behaviors, but challenged…

A child with a diagnosis of mild mental retardation was treated for encopresis. Positive reinforcement procedures for continence and logical consequences for soiling were effective in accomplishing complete continence during the final phase of treatment. An ABCDA design with a decelerating rate of reinforcement was utilized to assess treatment…

Argues that the one portion of behavior modification that educators least understand is negative reinforcement. Discusses the advantages of this technique. (FL)

Proposes that the current problem behavior of students in elementary and middle schools requires a preventive, whole-school approach based on positive behavior support. The features of positive behavior support are defined, and the application to whole-school intervention articulated. The steps used to implement school-wide positive behavior…

Investigated behavioral intervention to control child distress during invasive cancer treatment. Children (n=23) requiring physical restraint to complete venipuncture were alternately assigned to behavioral intervention or attention control condition. Observed child distress, parent-rated child distress, and parent ratings of own distress were…

Four autistic and severely handicapped children (ages 9-13) were taught to recruit or set the occasion for praise from an adult. After the structured instruction, the children used these behaviors in all generalization settings and were frequently successful in recruiting praise. (Author/DB)

Five adolescents with autism, 5 control participants, and 4 child controls received rewards for varying their sequences of responses while playing a computer game. In preceding and following phases, rewards were provided at approximately the same rate but were independent of variability. When reinforced, variability increased significantly in all…

A study assessed the effectiveness of using objects of obsession as token reinforcers to increase task performance of three children (ages 7-9) with autism. Results indicated that percentage correct on task performance was higher when objects of obsession were used as tokens as opposed to when typical tokens were used. (Author/CR)

We describe the assessment and treatment of 2 children with autism spectrum disorder whose problem behaviors (self-injury, aggression, and disruption) were multiply controlled. Results of functional analyses indicated that the children's problem behaviors were maintained by both positive reinforcement (attention) and negative reinforcement (escape…

School phobia affects about 5% of the school-age population. If left untreated, school phobia can have devastating long-term consequences in children challenged by this condition. Various treatment approaches have been used to explore this complex behavioural response, major among them being the psychoanalytic, psychodynamic, pharmacological and…

In the past several years, the values and practices of positive behavior support (PBS) have had a significant impact on services provided to adults and children with disabilities. Evidence of this impact can be seen in federal grants and laws such as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 (IDEA, 1997), a professional…