Describes intervention program in which unpaid, untrained, and minimally supervised volunteers served in a one to one helping relationship with children manifesting behavioral problems. Although the program failed to have a substantial overall therapeutic impact, children displaying a high incidence of inadequate immature" behavior showed marked…

Argues that aggressive and violent behavior in children is the consequence of a mode of thinking which follows talion law. Psychotic children and those with personality disorders should be referred for psychiatric examination. Those with situational problems or neurotic disorders may be able to use advice to change behavior. (Author)

Presents a model for strategic, therapeutic interventions to help children stop repetitive behavioral sequences that offer protection from painful losses, but block the grief process. (Author/RH)

Discusses the lack of thorough behavioral assessments prior to treatment interventions and describes a sequenced, structured format for conducting a comprehensive behavioral analysis. The procedures for the assessment are described, including recording observations, organizing information to clarify recurring patterns, interpreting observations,…

This introduction to and overview of a special issue on social behavior assessment within schools discusses the impact of function-based methodologies on assessment and intervention practices in identification and remediation of challenging social behaviors. (JDD)

This commentary responds to a critique (EC 610 642) of a study on professional acceptability of various treatment procedures for challenging behaviors exhibited by individuals with disabilities. The commentary asserts that treatment options should be evaluated in terms of probability of success, time factors, distress caused by the procedure, and…

This response to a paper by Guess and Carr (EC 602 212) on stereotypy and self-injurious behavior in the disabled focuses on (1) potentially misleading statements that may discourage practitioners from operant approaches to stereotypy and self-injury, and (2) strengths and weaknesses of the model compared to existing operant models. (DB)

Data were summarized from 1,841 sessions involving 10 subjects with mental retardation who participated in a number of experiments over a 10-year research program concerning dietary influences on ruminating. Relationships were found between amount of food consumed and rumination. Satiation feeding resulted in substantial decreases in postmeal…

A survey of 158 educators found that respondents tended to consider interventions that use physical pain or discomfort or social humiliation to be very aversive and tended to favor restricting the use of these interventions. Respondents viewed many other decelerative interventions as relatively mild aversives that they should be able to use.…

Identifying types of student aggression is essential to providing early and effective interventions; a model is presented for subtyping childhood aggression. Reactive and proactive aggression are discussed with examples of teacher observations and counselor interviews. Behavioral indicators of subtypes are presented. Intervening with each type is…

Provides details of a response cost procedure to eliminate a nine-year old's public masturbatory behavior. Treatment was based on a procedure used by Pianta and Hudson and it incorporated the mother's and daughter's interest in art activities. Treatment reduced undesired behavior while increasing desired academic and social behaviors. (RJM)

Twenty-nine consultant-consultee dyads completed traditional problem identification and problem analysis interviews. Results indicate that the mean integrity of a monitoring system based on teacher self-report was 54%. Average use of intervention stimulus products was 62%. Teachers implemented the treatment as planned 4% of the time. Reduction of…

This study examined whether problem behaviors of three adults with profound mental retardation, which had been maintained by continuous reinforcement schedules, could be extinguished more rapidly than those maintained on an intermittent schedule of reinforcement. No significant differences in extinction rate were found between the two conditions.…

This paper describes a schoolwide staff development model based on a proactive instructional approach to solving problem behavior. Discussion focuses on comparison with traditional models of staff development, reactive approaches to school discipline, and students with diverse learning and behavioral histories. (DB)

This interview with Sylvia Rockwell and Ennio Cipani (authors of books on dealing with behavior problems in the classroom) discusses major issues that teachers have to cope with, challenges in dealing with students who are hostile and disruptive, strategies proven effective in research and practice, and how their publications are used by…