Functional Therapy (FT) is a social skills training program that enables students to change their overt behaviors by altering their cognitive thoughts. Various aspects of FT and its application are discussed in this paper. The basic constructs of FT are ownership of the problem, accepting responsibility to solve the problem, and developing and…

This source book focuses on helping people with autism manage their behavior by analyzing the learning environment and the purpose of the behavior and then teaching new skills and behaviors. Introductory material covers the approach's philosophy and the importance of a longitudinal program plan. A section on creating a physical environment for…

This paper focuses on several prescribed interventions used to elicit and meet the needs of children with autism. Three intervention strategies that affect behavior modification of children with autism are discussed: (1) early intensive behavioral treatment; (2) social interaction between children with a disability and their typical peers; and (3)…

Three studies were conducted to explore the relationship between social skills instruction and the maintenance and generalization of skills to post-school environments. Three adult women with severe disabilities in their last year of school participated in the studies. The first study addressed the effectiveness of an instructional package to…

The following papers from a conference on emotional and behavioral problems of children and adolescents are presented: (1) "Eligibility and Need: Is There a Difference Between Being Disturbed and Being Disturbing?" (Howell); (2) "Prevention and Politics: Giving At-Risk Youth a Future" (Constable and Burton); (3) "The World…

Investigating the possibility of designing effective intervention programs for at-risk students, this study used simultaneous methods in a classroom setting for working with drug use problems, poor attendance, and emotional distress. The study was a two-group, repeated measures, clinical trial which was presented to high risk students as a…

The paper addresses behavior management strategies for developing new behaviors in special needs learners, strategies for changing existing behaviors, and strategies for developing behavioral generalization. An introductory overview identifies five basic principles of behavior management. Fourteen behavioral terms are then defined (e.g.,…

The PRYDE program is described as a foster family-based treatment program which has treated a wide diversity of seriously disturbing child behaviors since 1981 with a 70% success rate of discharging children to less restrictive settings. Children are treated individually within separate families and local communities, thus avoiding problems…

Informed consent is required from a child's parent or guardian before use of some types of behavior modification for severe behavior problems, such as tantrums, self-abuse, aggression, stealing, destruction of property, etc. Behavior modification procedures that produce physical or psychological discomfort or pain require informed consent because…

The focus of this review is on observational measures of pupil classroom behaviors. Two issues are raised in connection with these measures. First, there is a survey of the types of observation schedules employed in recent classroom intervention research. Second, there is an evaluation of the validity of these behavioral measures. That evaluation…

This review of current research on teaching focuses upon studies of teaching behaviors and their relationship to student performance. In considering research on classroom climate, examples are presented of studies which used the Flanders Interaction Analysis System (FIAC) to investigate relationships among student achievement and teacher-initiated…

This paper provides students with a brief outline of behavioral principles and behavior change techniques, and describes various means of behavior change including operant conditioning. Methods discussed include reinforcement, extinction, punishment, response cost, time-out, overcorrection, training, and data collection for taking a baseline.…

The monograph presents 19 papers on severe behavior disorders, including issues related to teacher training, school problems/school intervention, autism, and juvenile delinquency. The following papers are included: "Issues in Training Teachers for the Seriously Emotionally Disturbed" (F. Wood); "The Field-Based Special Education Teacher Training…

Four papers address issues related to behavioral training approaches to help mentally retarded persons secure competitive employment. In the first, a combination of role-playing, modeling, and response feedback was systematically applied to accelerate appropriate responses of a 33-year old moderately retarded male to criticism, humor, and…

This manual describes a systematic approach, behavioral prescripting, for dealing with student problem behaviors. Aspects of the behavioral prescripting process are described, including: (1) enlisting the support of parents and teachers; (2) deciding on the problem behaviors; (3) collecting baseline data; (4) building a reinforcement schedule; (5)…