This chapter on positive behavior management is taken from a guide to designing, implementing, and evaluating instruction and services for students with disabilities. The chapter describes considerations in designing positive management programs to prevent inappropriate student behaviors, foster the development of student responsibility, and…

Results of a series of three experiments with four developmentally disabled males (ages 7-13) who exhibited hand flapping and body rocking indicated that some forms of repetitive stereotyped behaviors may serve social functions (e.g., escape from aversive situations), and that teaching a functionally equivalent communicative alternative can be an…

Exposed students in four second-grade classes exhibiting disruptive behavior to response cost programs with varying initial reinforcement and fine levels. Results indicated all treatments were highly effective, as all groups underwent maximum behavioral change. Suggests degree of aversiveness of procedure did not appear to be strongly related to…

Explores how theories concerning socialization mechanisms may be operationalized and tested. Provides a preliminary test of this strategy using 57 boys being treated for conduct problems. Results indicate that the role of both negative reinforcement and affect dysregulation play a part in the development of a child's antisocial behavior. (RJM)

An adolescent with severe mental retardation and cerebral palsy who displayed attention-maintained destructive behavior was exposed to noncontingent reinforcer delivery (NCR) with a high-preference or a low-preference stimulus while reinforcement for destructive behavior with attention remained in effect. NCR without extinction was effective only…

Provides teachers with basic information needed to prevent and manage aggressive children and youth, specifically, information on stages of crises (frustration stage, defensiveness stage, aggression stage, and self-control stage), effective strategies for each stage, and prevention strategies designed specifically for public school classrooms.…

Few mental health initiatives for young children have used classroom programs. Preschool-based efforts targeting externalizing behavior could help prevent conduct disorders. Additional benefits may include improved academic achievement and reduced risk for other mental health difficulties. Pro-grams that target multiple developmental domains are…

In this paper, self-control strategies are conceptualized as existing on two intersecting continuums of more or less individual control and increasing complexity depending on individual need. Behavioral self-control strategies for young children require external supports to assist children in learning the skills necessary to practice and implement…

In an effort to increase schools' capacity to adequately address anti-social behaviors, school districts around the country are implementing zero tolerance policies and strengthening sanctions for rule violations. Although often well intentioned, these reactive responses are largely ineffective and ultimately displace the problem. The purpose of…

Many terms have been used to describe the perseverative behavior displayed by children with autism, including "circumscribed, narrow, obsessive, restricted, or special interests." Past researchers have focused on the punishment of such perseverative behaviors by individuals diagnosed with autism, and many parents and teachers also may be inclined…

The summer treatment program (STP) is a comprehensive intervention for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) that combines several empirically validated, behavioral treatment components in order to address multiple areas of impairment. The current study utilized a BAB treatment withdrawal design to evaluate the effectiveness of the STP.…

When behavior suggests that the value of a reinforcer depends inversely on the value of the events that precede or follow it, the behavior has been described as a "contrast" effect. Three major forms of contrast have been studied: "incentive contrast," in which a downward (or upward) shift in the magnitude of reinforcement produces a relatively…

At Camelot Schools there is a firm belief that every child with autism is a success story waiting to be told. Children with the disorder often have difficulty expressing their needs and engaging in social contact with others. It is important for parents to know that progress is possible, and they do not have to go it alone. Camelot Schools'…

Stimulation paradigms that induce perforant path long-term potentiation (LTP) initiate phosphorylation of ERK1/2 and induce expression of a variety of immediate early genes (IEGs). These events are thought to be critical components of the mechanism for establishing the changes in synaptic efficacy that endure for hours or longer. Here we show that…

In this issue of "School Psychology Review," various authors devoted their articles to school-based interventions for students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). ADHD has been one of the most extensively investigated mental conditions of childhood. Still, important questions regarding the extent of treatment effectiveness remain…