The behavior chain interruption strategy was used to teach four students with mental retardation and severe communication disorders the skill of requesting. All students learned requesting with a routine using graphic symbols and generalized these skills to two untaught routines. All also generalized requesting to out-of-routine contexts involving…

A study explored 40 Mexican teachers' perceptions and attributions about student behavior and management strategies they use in their primary classrooms. Teachers' preferred management strategies were talking with parents and increasing positive reinforcements to increase/maintain appropriate student behavior. They used talking with students and…

Functional analysis of one elementary student with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder indicated high levels of target behavior in both demand and attention conditions. False positives in the demand condition were revealed by within-session data analysis; modified functional analysis yielded reduced target behavior in demand and increases in…

This article discusses the nature of the therapeutic intervention provided by "A Quiet Place" project and outlines its aims, objectives, philosophy, and intervention protocol. A study involving 172 children with emotional and behavioral difficulties in seven schools found the program had a significant effect on their short-term behavior. (Contains…

This article presents answers to common questions about use of contingency contracts for behavior management with students needing individualized programs in academic or social-emotional areas. A methodological format for developing contracts, a planning worksheet, and a sample contract are included. (DB)

D. Meichenbaum's cognitive behavior modification theory was applied in a study of 30 first graders and 25 third graders who exhibited mild classroom problem behaviors. Results of the controlled study indicate that the self-instructional training method derived from the theory is a viable classroom management option for regular education. (TJH)

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and behavior therapy have been characterized as having opposing views of alcoholism. This article describes theoretical foundations, view of the change process, and treatment practices of AA and behavior therapy. Theoretical and practice perspectives on integration of the two models are examined, and advantages and…

Evaluates the use of self-recording with an adolescent male in a psychiatric hospital school setting. When self-recording was introduced along with access to computer time, the frequency of off-task behaviors decreased as compared to baseline measures. Benefits of employing self-recording and utilizing contingent access to the computer are…

Preschool children (n=32) were evaluated in an unstructured play session, matched for levels of appropriate or inappropriate social behavior, and assigned to a treatment or control condition. The treatment group conditions involved positive reinforcement, modeling, rehearsal, feedback, and time out. Although prosocial behaviors were successfully…

A fading procedure was successfully used to maintain high levels of compliance obtained with presenting high-probability requests immediately antecedent to low-probability requests in both a 5-year-old boy with developmental disabilities and a 15-year-old girl with developmental disabilities (for whom rephrasing of "don't" requests to…

This paper outlines challenges for community research endeavors such as avoiding exploitative relationships with research participants. It then outlines 10 values for community research and action, involving establishing collaborative relationships with research participants, determining research goals and methods, designing and disseminating…

Discusses application of the Health Belief Model to the prevention of bulimia, describing each model component. The article considers the individual's beliefs about bulimia and bulimic-like behaviors as a means of predicting the likelihood of behavior change to prevent clinically diagnosable bulimia. (SM)

A modified functional analysis was used to assess the behavioral function of a profoundly retarded man's self-injurious behavior (SIB). Differential reinforcement of alternative behavior effectively reduced SIB and related behavior problems, while compliance of a self-care acquisition task increased markedly. (Author/DB)

The severe self-injurious behavior of a woman with profound mental retardation was treated with 3.5 milliamps of shock combined with reinforcement and extinction techniques, with minimal results. Treatment with the Hot Shot Power Mite, which delivers 18.5 milliamps, combined with reinforcement for compliance and extinction of self-injurious escape…

A study of 4-year-old girl with severe intellectual disabilities, congenital heart defects, and pulmonary disease investigated the effectiveness of restraint and no-restraint methods to prevent pica. Both methods prevented pica, however, the no restraint condition required less therapist effort and had less negative impact on quality of life.…