We conducted a meta-analysis of 13 instructional arrangement studies that were conducted with children with autism spectrum disorders to improve academic and social communication skills and behavior. Results across the studies indicate that peer-mediated instructional arrangement is a robust method for teaching and improving various academic and…

This guide presents information and clinical tools to implement the Anger Coping Program, an empirically supported intervention for students in grades 3-6. Practitioners are taken step by step through setting up treatment groups, teaching vital skills for reducing aggression and disruptive behavior, and building strong partnerships with teachers…

This article discusses social skills training for students with emotional or behavioral disorders who have difficulty building social relationships. It addresses problems with current social skills instruction program, the lack of generalization data, and strategies to program systematically for generalization and maintenance of trained skills.…

This research review concerning intervention to improve young children's social behavior and strategies for promoting generalization and maintenance of young children's social responding focuses on taking advantage of natural communities of reinforcement, training diversely, and incorporating functional mediators. Implications for interventionists…

A cognitive, nonintrusive method of controlling head-rocking behavior in an 11-year-old blind subject involved having the boy place his hand on his cheek or chin when prompted that he was rocking his head. The subject demonstrated significant decreases in head rocking during intervention and generalization during followup. (Author/JDD)

Three adult subjects with mild mental retardation were trained in individualized social skills and then taught to self-monitor their behavior, initially using a self-monitoring device. Self-monitoring assisted in generalization of trained social skills across settings and people; however, maintenance results were variable. (Author/DB)

Three high-school students with severe disabilities were taught to initiate and maintain a conversation independently across a variety of school settings with nonhandicapped students as communication partners. The conversation initiation and "turntaking" skills generalized to conversation opportunities in other settings and with other…

The effects of social interaction skill interventions on the social behavior of four preschool children with behavioral handicaps were evaluated. Findings indicated unique effects for social skills training and contingency management intervention. Results are discussed in relation to the role of reciprocal interaction and behavioral trapping for…

A school psychologist implemented a practicum designed to increase the prosocial behaviors of children attending a preschool center that integrated handicapped (N=26) and nonhandicapped (N=22) children. Observations had indicated that many of the children at the center were unable to work and play with others without hitting and getting hurt in…

Incidental teaching procedures were used to train a 16-year-old mildly handicapped student to use social amenities in a resource classroom. Generalization to another resource room and an art classroom was assessed. Results indicated increased use of social amenities in the training setting and generalization settings. (Author/PB)

This article presents an overview of literature relating to a nonverbal learning disabilities subtype. The article addresses the relationship between nonverbal learning disabilities and socioemotional functioning, generalizability of research outcomes, individual differences, and treatment validity. (Author/JDD)

Three high school students with severe disabilities were taught turn-taking conversational skills utilizing a communication book (containing pictures pertaining to the student's interest areas). After training, which included minimal training of conversational partners, balanced conversational turn-taking increased significantly and skills…

Five adults with developmental disabilities were trained on six interactional skill areas using the "Sorry" game format. The study involved natural environment training, role playing, and modeling of correct responses only as an error correction procedure during training. All participants increased their use of trained behaviors during…

The project described in this report explored the effectiveness of a collaborative effort of parents and school personnel in the training and generalization of social skills for socially deficient children. Five students (aged 8-11), classified as behaviorally handicapped or learning disabled, served as subjects and were grouped with…

Many pupils with mild handicaps are failing to succeed in mainstream placements because of their poor social skills. Social skills training is increasingly part of the special education curriculum for these pupils. This article examines issues and strategies regarding the generalization and maintenance of social skills in mainstream settings. (JDD)