School practitioners increasingly use functional behavior assessments to design behavior intervention plans when students engage in challenging behavior that is not improved by classroom management or standard interventions. Behavior intervention plans should aim to produce behavior change that maintains across time and generalizes to relevant…

The Precision Teaching term "movement cycle" refers to a behavior with a clearly observable movement and a distinct beginning and end. The present experiment examined whether behavior analysts and special education teachers could become fluent identifying movement cycles. A frequency-building intervention called SAFMEDS, an acronym for…

This clinical case study investigated the effectiveness of a multicomponent intervention for a child with autism and anxiety-related problem behavior that integrated components of cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) with positive behavior support (PBS). One child with autism and his family participated. The dependent variable was the number of steps…

The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) was completed by parents of 93 prepubertal children evaluated for sexual abuse and 80 nonabused children. Sexually abused children had significantly more behavior problems, including depression, aggression, sleep and somatic complaints, hyperactivity, and sexual problems. At four-month follow-up, children with…

Systematic training of a paraprofessional in effective instructional procedures with a student with severe mental retardation and aberrant behaviors resulted in improved skills and fewer negative statements by the paraprofessional and decreased aberrant behaviors and increased compliance by the student. Follow-up at 55 weeks indicated maintenance…

This review examined 18 studies in which video self-modeling was applied in school-based settings. These studies verify the functional control of targeted academic skills and behavior/s and support the efficacy of video self-modeling to improve student outcomes. Evidence for generalization across settings and maintenance over time is also…

Systematic implementation of a peer-mediated self-evaluation procedure to improve the recess behavior problems of three second-grade boys was evaluated. Clear improvements in the boys' behavior were found, which were maintained as the self-evaluation procedure was systematically faded. In addition, treatment effects generalized to another recess…

This study, with four preschool children who displayed difficulty maintaining independent on-task behavior, found they were able to learn a self-monitoring strategy (comprising self-talk, self-appraisal, and self-recording) and to maintain the targeted behavior improvements upon removal of the prompts. (DB)

Two studies evaluated effects of First Step to Success, a collaborative home and school early intervention program designed for kindergartners who show signs of emerging antisocial behavior. Two sets of 5-year-old male twins were the subjects of the 4-year studies. Exposure to the First Step program produced powerful behavior changes that were…

This study examined the effectiveness of self-evaluation, self-observation, and self-observation plus self-recording in reducing disruptive classroom behaviors. The initial study was conducted with seven primary level students divided into the three treatment conditions, and a replication study was conducted with eight intermediate level students…

The study evaluated a positive behavior therapy approach to managing disruptive screaming and crying in a classroom setting by a ten-year-old female with severe retardation, visual impairment, and physical disabilities. Auditory stimulation decreased disruptive behavior to zero levels, and gains were maintained at five-month followup. (Author/DB)

This study assessed the effectiveness of posting signs for reducing graffiti in three men's restrooms on a college campus. Immediately following the intervention, no marks were made, and results were maintained at three-month follow-up. A possible explanation for the results is that the signs specified an altruistic contingency. (Author/DB)

Three mentally retarded students (ages 9-12) who exhibited challenging behaviors to escape from academic demands and to receive social attention were taught alternative assistance-seeking and attention-getting phrases. Data indicated that the intervention reduced challenging behavior. The results transferred across settings, and were maintained 18…

Twelve children (ages 40-62 months) with developmental disabilities were divided into 2 groups. One group received functional communication training as an intervention for their challenging behavior, and the second group received time-out. Both interventions were initially successful, but durable results were achieved only with functional…

Eighty children, ages 3 to 17, with autism or Asperger's syndrome and mild to severe distress in the presence of some sounds received either auditory training or a control condition of listening to the same music. Significant improvements in behavior, severity of autism, and IQ were achieved and maintained for 12 months by both groups. (Author/DB)