Alcohol abuse is a serious problem affecting not only the individual abuser, but also family, friends and society. The effectiveness of contracts as positive tools in the treatment of alcohol abuse was investigated for 15 current abusers randomly assigned to individual therapy sessions. Each subject completed a Personal History Questionnaire, the…

The Madison (Minneapolis, MN) school program provides intensive instructional and treatment services to students 12 to 16 years old with serious emotional and behavioral problems. The primary goal of the program is to aid individual students to develop sufficient coping skills and self based behavioral controls so they can successfully return to…

This study investigates the effectiveness of an instruction-simulation videotape in training counselor candidates to use counselor-tacting response leads (CTRL's). Such verbal responses are viewed as essential to behavior modification therapy since they operationally define specific behavioral events and the stimulus conditions associated with…

Three procedures for use in assessing imagery behavior were examined with the intent of finding a prognastic tool that would help the behavior therapist evaluate the applicability and/or the progress of an imagery intervention such as covert sensitization or implosion therapy. The authors attempted to replicate and extend portions of earlier…

The concept of entrapment, viewed as a conceptual framework for social interaction skills training, is a behavioral process whereby newly acquired social responses come under the control of naturally occurring reinforcers, usually the social behavior of peers. Selection of target behaviors and intervention procedures to promote entrapment are…

Serious delinquent behavior may be part of a disabling and durable condition that consists of multiple antisocial and dysfunctional behaviors, often runs in families, and eludes effective short-term treatment. The socializing influence of long-term supportive family treatment is discussed as a therapeutic alternative. (Author/JW)

This guide is intended to help California educators comply with requirements of the 1990 Hughes Act (which ensured the right of the state's special education students to a behavioral intervention plan) and with requirements of the reauthorized Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (1997) concerning functional behavioral assessment and…

A recent approach to dealing with adolescent problems is social skills training, which emphasizes specific prosocial alternative responses for problematic situational interactions. Research has shown that social skills training has positive outcomes. However, it is not known whether an emphasis on the cognitive might enhance maintenance and…

Student misbehavior problems in the classroom today cover a wide spectrum. Ways to deal with and help hostile-aggressive, passive-aggressive, and withdrawn failure-image students are described. A case study of a teacher's dealing with a hostile student is presented. (CJ)

This article describes an individual (age 49) with mental retardation who experienced behavioral exacerbation associated with clonazepam prescribed at 2 mg/day to treat aggression, self-injurious behavior, property destruction, and screaming. When clonazepam was reduced and discontinued, these behaviors significantly decreased from 3.1% of…

Discusses problems of using applied behavior analysis for individuals with mental retardation who have behavior disorders and presents a sensitivity model of motivation that stresses analysis in terms of aberrant environments, aberrant contingencies, and aberrant motivation. Describes implications for communication theory, assessment, and…

Tips for working with students who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder include putting them in charge of something, providing structure, giving feedback, using logical consequences for unwanted behavior, being patient, teaching in novel ways, helping them with their gear, pairing them with another student, allowing blow-out time, and…

A review of 41 studies on behavioral interventions for children with autism (ages 0-8) found aggression, tantrums, self-injury, and stereotypy were behaviors most targeted. Results also indicate interventions should be developed based on a thorough analysis of biological, antecedent, and consequence events that control them. Behavioral support…

A study examined the effectiveness of a supplemental early literacy program for 7 first-graders at-risk for antisocial behavior who were unresponsive to a school-wide intervention. Despite initial variability in decoding skills and problem behaviors, all students made growth in word attack skills and demonstrated lower levels of disruptive…

Organizational culture is difficult to change, but the norms that exist are the easiest elements to identify and change. Even if changing the norms is not desirable, it is essential to understand and articulate them. A change in cultural norms is communicated through new expectations, different language, and new behaviors. (MSE)