Examined risk factors of 3-year-old sons in 58 families with alcoholic fathers and 16 families with nonalcoholic fathers. Found that sons of alcoholic fathers were more impulsive than sons of nonalcoholic fathers. No differences between the groups in developmental age, IQ, or behavior problems were found. (MDM)

This study compared parental assessments of problem behaviors among 81 alleged sexual abuse victims and 90 nonabused comparison subjects. Findings indicated that sexual abuse victims exhibit more problem behaviors, but caution must be exercised when interpreting individual behaviors because of their frequency in a nonabused sample. (Author/JDD)

A study of 3-5 year olds in child care focused on the children's real and pretend aggression, rough-and-tumble play, and nonaggressive pretend play. Results suggest that toy gun play and parental punishment are positively associated with a high level of real aggression but not of pretend aggression. (LB)

This study compared guided compliance versus time out as a method of promoting child adherence to adult requests. Time out effected larger increases in percentage compliance among four of five participating children (ages three to six years) with mild developmental disabilities. (Author/DB)

The Spokane (Washington) Public School District behavior-impaired program is dedicated to providing a safe, nurturing learning environment where defined boundaries, clear expectations, and consistency foster mutual respect, social appropriateness, and trust. The program's success requires faculty and administrator support of mainstreaming…

Discusses the predominance of adolescents in many Soviet night schools. Describes the characteristics of difficult adolescents and their deviant behavior. Identifies the need for individual work with adolescent students that takes account of their personal characteristics. Suggests a need for better teacher training in dealing with difficult…

Examined nursing homes that have both special care units and traditional units to determine factors that cause homes to place cognitively impaired residents on specialized units. Wandering, other problem behaviors, and Medicaid status were not significant predictors of placement. Logistic regression results indicated that functional status was…

Examined effectiveness of regular classroom teachers as mediators for behavior change in regular classroom settings. Findings from 59 first and second graders in experimental and control groups revealed that in-class behavior change was significantly greater for experimental condition than for control condition; although behavior change from first…

This article presents principles of behavior therapy that can be used alone to treat minor feeding problems in young children or in conjunction with other modalities to treat serious disorders. The article discusses assessment methods; variables in feeding, including time, space, child, feeder, food, and treatment; methods to increase or decrease…

This article reviews literature on the responses of direct care staff to challenging behaviors of individuals with mental retardation. The paper constructs a behavior analytic description of the functions of care staff behavior in relation to their clients' challenging behaviors, draws a distinction between contingency-shaped and rule-governed…

Comparison of scores on the Child Behavior Checklist of 1,120 Flemish and 1,122 Dutch children, aged 6 to 12 years, found no differences between groups on total problem scores, higher scores for Dutch children on the Activities scale, and higher scores for Flemish children on the School scale. (DB)

Forty-three adolescents with learning disabilities attending a residential school were assessed for externalizing behavior problems and academic achievement in reading, spelling, and arithmetic. Some indices of externalizing behavior predicted some measures of underachievement, but the reverse relation was not evident. Inattention interfered with…

Demonstrates how rebellion and opposition can be recast as signs of inner strength and resilience and documents strategies for reclaiming oppositional youth. Describes intervention with Kevin (from "My Independence Day," this issue) who had been removed from multiple treatment placements, and explains strategies for empowering oppositional youth.…

Eighteen adolescents and adults with severe/profound intellectual disability were rated by two staff members using the Motivation Assessment Scale to identify variables maintaining their aggressive behaviors. Analysis of interrater reliability indicated that for some individuals the scale may not represent a feasible alternative to more formal…

The progress of 55 clients (ages 18-71) during their first year in a program for persons who are both mentally retarded and psychiatrically impaired was described. The clients increased their level of independence and decreased their frequency of problem behaviors. Unmet needs of this population for residential alternatives and community supports…