This study examined three maladaptive behaviors, self-injurious behavior (SIB), stereotypies, and aggression in 36 adults with either autism, pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), and mental retardation. Findings indicated that, for all three diagnostic categories, aggression was primarily maintained for attentional…

This study, with an 11-year-old male with severe mental retardation, investigated the effectiveness of selectively implementing punishment for only the most severe topographies of aggression and property destruction, whereas less extreme behaviors were ignored. Results indicated that severe behaviors were reduced to near-zero levels only when both…

Four preschool children who exhibited aggressive methods for resolving social interaction conflicts were taught a problem-solving strategy. Results found that acquisition of the problem-solving strategy influenced the types of alternative solutions the children provided to social interaction conflicts. Students produced more prosocial resolutions…

This article reports on aspects of an evaluation of Team-Teach--a "whole setting, holistic" approach to behaviour management in a range of childcare environments. A distinctive feature of Team-Teach is that it includes training in both de-escalation skills and physical interventions, known as "positive handling strategies". The…

This article re-evaluates the concept of "difficult temperament," documenting the difficulty of differentiating normal difficult behavior from difficult temperament, and difficult temperament from diagnosable psychiatric disorder. Researchers and clinicians acknowledge that childhood aggression is occurring with greater frequency and at younger…

Research on bullying and victimization largely rests on univariate analyses and on reports from a single informant. Researchers may thus know too little about the simultaneous effects of various independent and dependent variables, and their research may be biased by shared method variance. The database for this Dutch study was large (N=1,065) and…

"MCPS School Safety and Security at a Glance" provides, in a single document, information about the reporting of incidents related to school safety and security, school climate, local school safety program descriptions, and serious incidents in all Montgomery County (Maryland) Public Schools. The information is presented for each school.…

Interpersonal, familial, and situational risk factors that predict young children's aggression and non-compliance are explored. Here examples of specific techniques and provided to help teachers and parents effectively support children's early development of cooperative and prosocial behaviours as well as problem-solving skills in family and…

Popular perceptions of the effect of testosterone on "manly" behavior are inaccurate. We need to move away from such simplistic notions by treating testosterone as one component along with other physiological, psychological and sociological variables in interactive and reciprocal models of behavior. Several hormones can now be measured in saliva,…

Background: This study examines the relationship between the topography of challenging behaviour, subsequent attributions and emotional responses, with whether carers use physical intervention and their satisfaction with their intervention. Method: Thirty-seven carers described incidents where a person with an intellectual disability had exhibited…

In the current study, nursing home staff were taught to administer functional analyses to determine the variables maintaining aggression by an elder with dementia. The results indicated that aggression was evoked during bathroom routines and that escape maintained aggression. Staff then reduced aggression to near-zero levels with noncontingent…

A kindergarten teacher sought to redirect violent and aggressive play in her classroom. Noticing that most of the aggressive acts came from a particular group of boys who played war-like games, she began daily discussions with the 24 kindergarten children about their free play in an effort to subdue aggressive and violent play. To counter images…

This Boys' Town paper for parents examines the reactive aggression of children who respond aggressively to what they view as provocation. The paper differentiates between reactive and proactive aggression by presenting examples of each. Factors that can increase aggression in families are noted, including punishment acceleration, crossover,…

This brochure is intended to inform parents and teachers about the nature of bullying and ways to address the problem. Questions answered in the brochure are: (1) "what is bullying?"; (2) "how extensive is bullying?"; (3) "what are some characteristics of bullying?"; (4) "what are some characteristics of victims?"; (5) "what are some consequences…

The Mental Retardation-Expert (MR-E) is a microcomputer based expert decision support system that provides practitioners with state of the art assistance in the treatment of aggressive, self injurious, and destructive behaviors displayed by individuals with mental retardation or developmental disabilities. This system, based on human experts and…