P.R.A.I.S.E. (Positive Reinforcement and Individualized Systematic Economics) is a multifaceted money system which utilizes positive and negative reinforcement and, at the same time, incorporates peer pressure and reinforcement for behavior modification. The system motivates, relates closely to life situations, and can be applied to all areas of…

Practical techniques for the teacher to help the child deal with behavior problems and learn to establish self-control include: (1) positive reinforcement; (2) ignoring unpleasant behavior; and (3) setting realistic short-term goals. Methods for helping the student to develop better work habits and for squelching disruptive behavior are described.…

This study of five young children with developmental delays or chronic health problems and with aberrant behaviors identified reinforcers that maintained aberrant behavior, used functional communication training to teach participants to gain reinforcement using mands, and implemented treatment involving choice making via manding. (JDD)

Three experiments were performed to study the relationship between reinforcer quality and behavioral momentum by varying reinforcer quality in two applied experiments and a basic laboratory experiment with rats. A study of two adolescent boys with mental retardation showed that compliance increasing effects could be improved by reinforcing…

A study used a computer game to examine behavioral momentum in 10 individuals (ages 7-20) with developmental disabilities. Different rates of reinforcement were programmed in two alternating components signaled by distinctive cues. Resistance to disruption by an alternate source of reinforcement was greater in the component with the higher…

The study found significant improvements in behavior when a profoundly mentally retarded blind subject was reinforced with music. The young woman also discriminated among different types of music, and behavior rates varied accordingly. (Author/DB)

Six boys, aged 9 to 12, attended a tutoring class focusing on reading for 30 minutes each morning. Six, 10-day treatment periods were imposed that used various combinations of drug placebo, noncontingent reinforcers, 0.3 mg/kg methylphenidate, 0.7 mg/kg methylphenidate, and self-reinforcement. The combined effects of methylphenidate and…

A simultaneous presentation procedure to select reinforcers was implemented with two four-year-old twin boys who were developmentally delayed, noncompliant, and mute. Use of the procedure quickly and efficiently identified preferred reinforcers which were then used in an instructional task. (DB)

This review focuses on correspondence training procedures, in which a subject makes statements about intended positive behavior and the statements are reinforced. The paper examines early research, generalization, maintenance, application to mentally retarded individuals, and the concept of self-control. (Author/JDD)

Three forms of auditory stimulation were compared as reinforcers with 13 severely mentally retarded adults performing a task to promote cardiovascular fitness. Subjects received stimulation if they pedalled at a specified rate above baseline performance. Results indicated that music was an effective reinforcer in promoting continuous work output,…

A study involving two children, ages two to three found that experimenter-selection of rewards was a more effective procedure for modifying behavior than was self-selection, though a study of four first graders indicated no significant differences between self-selection and experimenter-selection of rewards. (Author/JDD)

Eight behavioral management terms/concepts commonly encountered in the special education literature are defined and discussed in terms of commonly occurring confusions. They are positive reinforcement, negative reinforcement, punishment, extinction, differential reinforcement of other behavior, timeout, response cost, and overcorrection. (DB)

Red Light-Green Light is a levels system providing immediate behavior modification feedback and varying privilege levels throughout the school day for primary students with behavior disorders. This article presents guidelines for implementation, covering development of classroom rules, classroom expectations, and system maintenance. Tips for…

A treatment was developed that analyzed response allocation across two break options for two females (ages 12 and 30) with behavior problems: break alone and break with access to preferred social activities. The break with preferred activities decreased aberrant behavior and increased appropriate behavior. (Contains two references.) (Author/CR)

This commentary discusses how existing technology and application of functional assessment can be expanded to improve the lives of more people with severe disabilities. It emphasizes how functional assessment can enhance life quality in typical settings in which people with severe disabilities and challenging behavior live, work, and play.…