The use of functional behavioral assessment (FBA) is an effective tool to address a wide range of severe behavior problems of students at risk for or with emotional disabilities (ED). However, the transformation of a procedure proven effective under highly-controlled clinical conditions to a practical and effective strategy for use in applied…

Many students with emotional and behavioral disorders placed in alternative education settings lack resilience and are likely to experience failure in school and beyond without carefully designed intervention programs. Although researchers have examined both resilience in children and youth and their placement in alternative education settings,…

A growing number of students with emotional disabilities (ED) receive at least some of their instruction in general education classrooms. Accordingly, special education and general education teachers must be prepared to address the diverse academic and non-academic needs of students with ED. In the present study, we conducted a survey to identify…

The authors have witnessed major changes in the preparation of special education personnel. Recent legislation, including the No Child Left Behind Act (2001) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (2004), has moved the concept of highly qualified teacher (HQT) to the national forefront. It seems reasonable that preservice…

Although functional behavioral assessments (FBAs) and behavior intervention plans (BIPs) have been utilized since the 1960s, their use has steadily increased since the passing of IDEA 1997 which mandated their use in specified circumstances. References to FBAs and BIPs in No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, the 2004 re-authorization of IDEA, and in…

Current legislation requires school personnel to identify indicators of quality instruction for all students--including students with emotional and behavioral disorders (E/BD). While competency standards provide a measure of highly qualified teachers, questions remain whether or not there are inherent differences in what is expected by teachers…

A token reinforcement program at a residential center operates on a point card system which measures daily work quality and attitude, academic involvement, self-maintenance, peer and adult interactions, and self-control in behavior disordered children. Issues in the program's administration, including unresponsiveness and use of daily feedback,…

Discusses the challenges of functional behavioral assessments and the need to establish and support valid and effective methods for conducting functional behavioral assessments that are practical in school settings and that adequately address the multifarious relationships between problem behavior and its social/environmental contexts. (Author/CR)

The authors review the role of residential treatment for severely behaviorally disordered children and suggest a unified treatment/training approach for residential staff. (CL)

This article presents a rationale for using students with emotional/behavioral disorders as behavior change agents for peers. Guidelines address use of peer confrontation strategies; selection, training, and evaluation of peer modifiers; and issues (such as ethical aspects of peer intervention). (DB)

In this article, I examine challenges to better preparing teachers of students with emotional/behavioral disorders (E/BD). Foremost among these challenges is the lack of agreement regarding a conceptual framework upon which to build quality prevention/intervention practices; instead, various authorities advocate disparate approaches, not all of…

This article discusses issues that relate to building competence in educators' use of the functional behavioral assessment with students with emotional/behavioral disorders. Emerging content for FBA training is provided, including the essential skills in order to develop FBA competence, along with types of training activities that may foster…

This monograph discusses using collaboration and consultation to teach children and youth with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in the general education classroom. After an introductory chapter, Chapter 2, "Collaboration and Consultation: Promises and Limitations," compares collaboration and consultation as they relate to serving…

This paper reviews the research concerning critical elements of early intervention with children at risk for emotional/behavioral disorders. It examines: (1) literature search procedures and criteria; (2) conduct of the intervention including participant characteristics, types of interventions, types of measures, age of onset, and length of…

This monograph discusses development and implementation of positive behavioral intervention plans with students who have emotional and/or behavioral disorders. It focuses on four steps of a 10-step methodology using functional behavioral assessment and intervention. Emphasis is on the use of positive behavioral intervention plans and supports as…