Background: Students who do not acquire social and emotional skills are at risk for a range of negative outcomes that include emotional and behavioral disabilities, lower school achievement and school failure, peer rejection, substance abuse, and school dropout (Downer & Pianta, 2006; Riggs et al., 2006 Quinn & Poirier, 2004). Tools for…

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the utility of Direct Behavior Rating Single Item Scale (DBR-SIS) methodology in collecting functional behavior assessment data. Specific questions of interest pertained to the evaluation of the accuracy of brief DBR-SIS ratings of behavioral consequences and determination of the type of training…

This article describes Prevent-Teach-Reinforce for Young Children (PTR-YC), a model based on extensive research that is designed for feasibility and effectiveness for treating challenging behaviors in classroom settings. This model is designed to meet the needs of children with and without disabilities who engage in challenging behavior that…

Children with ASD show high frequency of restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs); however, higher-order RRBs, such as restricted interests, have remained largely resistant to treatment. This study evaluated change in severity of RRBs following a 16-weeks open trial of Pivotal Response Treatment (PRT). Participants included 15 children with ASD…

This study compares two service delivery models (community-based and centre-based), examining them in light of children's adaptive and maladaptive behaviours, and parental perceptions of stress and of care. More specifically, parents of 96 children with developmental delays assessed their children's adaptive and maladaptive behaviours and rated…

A comprehensive self-management intervention was utilized to increase the on-task behavior of three African American students within an urban middle-school setting. The intervention was designed to necessitate minimal management on the part of the general education classroom teacher by utilizing an electronic prompting device, as well as a…

The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of leisure time activities program in individuals with intellectual disabilities in terms of developing social skills and reducing behavioral problems. Social skills assessment scale, behavioral assessment form for children and young adults, and teacher's report forms were used in the…

Sometimes educators are puzzled by how students can demonstrate a social skill perfectly during a practice session in a social skills curriculum but fail to use the same skill in real-life situations. Students with a lack of social skills are more likely to experience teacher and peer rejection, and are more at risk for negative life outcomes,…

Describing the state of the science of ABA, this comprehensive handbook provides detailed information about theory, research, and intervention. The contributors are leading ABA authorities who present current best practices in behavioral assessment and demonstrate evidence-based strategies for supporting positive behaviors and reducing problem…

Six third-grade subjects who were selected by peers' sociometric ratings, teacher rating, and observation of six social skills, received social skills training, and individual and group intervention. Ss' behavior were shaped in skill areas to approximate average peer rate, with resulting increase in sociometric ranking and teacher rating.…

Factor-analytic methods were used toassess contruct validity of the Classroom Behavior Inventory, a scale for rating behaviors associated with hyperactivity. The Classroom Behavior Inventory measures three dimensions of behavior: Hyperactivity, Hostility, and Sociability. Significant concurrent validity was obtained for only one Classroom Behavior…

This replication study found that only 16 of 55 raters agreed on the category of reinforcement maintaining a disabled individual's self-injurious behavior after using the Motivation Assessment Scale. Additionally, only 15 percent of the correlation coefficients obtained were above 80 percent, and none of the reliability scores was above 80…

Three functional assessment methods were compared with four adults with severe/profound mental retardation and stereotypic behavior patterns. The results of the antecedents, behavior, and consequences observation and the Motivation Assessment Scale indicated a sensory function of the stereotypic behavior for all subjects, whereas functional…

The frequency of occurrence of targeted environmental events during both unstructured and structured descriptive analyses conducted with two children with severe mental retardation was compared. Results showed that procedural modifications employed during the structured descriptive analysis increased the frequency of occurrence for most targeted…

A project was developed and implemented to help correct the behavioral problems most commonly found in the kindergarten classroom in a central Florida school. Three literature-based units were produced and used by a target group of six kindergarten teachers and their students. The objectives were to increase positive behaviors in listening,…