Teachers are faced with the challenge of selecting interventions that are most likely to be effective and best matched to the function of problem behavior. This article will define aspects of the instructional environment and describe a decision-making logic to select environmental variables. A summary of commonly used function-based interventions…

Introduction: Children and young adults with Down syndrome can demonstrate increased behavior problems compared to their typically developing peers through childhood and adolescence. This study aims to: (1) identify common patterns of behaviors in children and young adults with Down syndrome and (2) assess potential medical comorbidities that…

Previous research on sensation seeking (SS) was dominated by a variable-oriented approach indicating that SS level has a linear relation with a host of problem behaviors. Our aim was to provide a person-oriented methodology--a probabilistic clustering--that enables examination of both inter- and intra-individual differences in not only the level,…

Office discipline referral (ODR) data provide useful information about problem behavior and consequence patterns, social-behavioral climates, and effects of social-behavioral interventions in schools. The authors report patterns of ODRs and subsequent administrative decisions from 1,510 schools nationwide that used the School-Wide Information…

Managing disruptive behaviors in schools is a high-ranking concern in communities across the country (Rose & Gallup, 2006). Unfortunately, the practice of instituting tougher and more severe consequences for increased discipline problems has not resulted in a decrease of disruptive behavior (Lewis & Garrison-Harrell, 1999; Safran &…

This paper reviews investigations concerning the nature of suicide in adolescence, attempting where relevant to distinquish it from suicidal behavior in other age groups. (Author)

This study compared the effects of unequal and equal reinforcer duration during a functional analysis of aberrant behavior in an 11-year old with moderate mental retardation. Results showed that reinforcer duration affects the rate of aberrant behavior and may potentially alter functional analysis interpretation. (DB)

A new approach to behavioral control with individuals having both visual impairments and multiple disabilities stresses the use of positive intervention strategies, bases treatment on functional assessments of challenging responses, and emphasizes broad changes in the lifestyles of individuals. Case examples illustrate applications. (Author/DB)

Two case examples (a toddler with severe developmental delays and a 7-year old with severe mental retardation) illustrating effects of meal schedule and food quantity on displays of problematic behavior are offered. Brief functional analyses of aberrant behavior provided useful information for interpreting distinct patterns of behavior. (DB)

The use of sleep scheduling and a daytime routine for the treatment of circadian rhythm disorder was found helpful in decreasing a blind 2-year old's nighttime wake periods and daytime sleepiness. (DB)

This case study applied functional assessment methods to problem behavior of an adult male with severe mental retardation within the natural home setting. The problem behaviors did not occur when the subject was able to participate in a more preferred activity regardless of whether he chose the day activity program or it was chosen for him. (DB)

Chronotherapy was used to treat severe sleep problems in a girl with mental retardation. Chronotherapy involved systematically delaying the child's bedtime each night while maintaining a regular schedule during waking hours until an age-appropriate bedtime was achieved (in 11 days). Immediate improvements in the child's sleep patterns were…

This case study focused on an adult with severe disabilities and multiple problem behaviors fitting a pattern of behavioral escalation. Functional assessment indicated that use of rule statements by the teacher was related to occurrence and escalation of problem behaviors. Elimination of rule statements was an effective instructional intervention…

A discussion of the key to success in family therapy as found in the change in interpersonal behavior within the family. (JM)

Presents a model of brief therapy with families allowing the therapist to develop a cognitive map of triadic interaction with a completeness which words alone cannot capture. The family is viewed as an interlocking system of interdependent relationships. Case material illustrates the use of this model in changing dysfunctional patterns. (Author)