Background: Behaviour problems and a preference for adult contact are reported to be prominent in the phenotype of Smith-Magenis syndrome. In this study we examined the relationship between social interactions and self-injurious and aggressive/disruptive behaviour in Smith-Magenis syndrome to explore potential operant reinforcement of problem…

This booklet is designed to help people understand and interact better with people with autism, through descriptions and suggestions for dealing with 33 autistic behaviors. First, the booklet provides a simple list, or index, of the 33 behaviors. Then, for each behavior, the typical "common response" (but not helpful) response is given, along with…

The relations between young children's salivary cortisol level, patterns of behavior problems, and social behavior were explored in this study of 29 preschool-aged children with emerging behavior problems. Decreases in salivary cortisol during a play session with unfamiliar teachers and peers were associated with concurrent and subsequent…

Behavioral responses to stress and challenge are based in emotional and physiological arousal reactions. Adolescents with maladaptive or problematic behavior patterns, such as internalizing or externalizing problems, are likely to show atypical emotional and physiological reactions to stress. Relations between problems and reactions to stress were…

To assess relations between behaviors in a particular circumscribed caretaker-child interaction setting and child behavioral dispositions assessed by more extensive observation, caretaker-child interaction data was collected for 40 children across several days in a nursery school free-play setting. These data were related to child behavioral…

Results indicate that maladjusted adolescent males lack significant relationships with a father figure. This extends to males in general. They disclose less about school-related topics and more about peer relationships than do adjusted male adolescents. (Author/BEF)

A discussion of the key to success in family therapy as found in the change in interpersonal behavior within the family. (JM)

Presents a model of brief therapy with families allowing the therapist to develop a cognitive map of triadic interaction with a completeness which words alone cannot capture. The family is viewed as an interlocking system of interdependent relationships. Case material illustrates the use of this model in changing dysfunctional patterns. (Author)

A three-level model explains the emergence and maintenance of rhythmic stereotypy and self-injury in disabled individuals: Level 1, internally regulated rhythmic behaviors; Level 2, stereotypy and self-injury as adaptive responses to understimulating or overstimulating environments; and Level 3, stereotypy and self-injury as learned behaviors to…

FURTHER ANALYSES OF DATA COLLECTED IN AN EARLIER STUDY (ED 002 992) WERE CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE EFFECTS OF SELECTED GROUP COUNSELING FACTORS INCLUDING (1) RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN CLIENT GROWTH AND TOPICS DISCUSSED IN GROUP COUNSELING SESSIONS, (2) EFFECTS OF GROUP COMPOSITION ON COUNSELING GROUP INTERPERSONAL BEHAVIORS, AND (3) WAYS OF MEASURING…

Direct observation and sequential analytic techniques were used to analyze rates, antecedents, and predictive sequences of aggressive behavior for 28 elementary school-aged children with emotional/behavioral disorders. Results indicated that low rates of positive social interactions characterized the daily classroom ecology of students displaying…

Case study assessed effects of rearrangement of desks in an open classroom on incidents of disruptive behavior occurring in that classroom. Results revealed that alteration of the physical environment produced positive responses from students through reduction of maladaptive behavior occurrences. (Author/MH)

Resource teachers' and regular teachers' ratings for 32 elementary-level learning-disabled (LD) students were compared to identify teachability characteristics and behaviors. Though the two groups of teachers did not note differences in problem behaviors of the same LD child in different settings, differences in cognitive/motivational and…

Reviews recent attachment-related studies of early aggression. Longitudinal attachment studies indicate that risk factors identified in cross-sectional studies of aggressive school-age children, such as family adversity, parental hostility, parental depression, and child cognitive deficits, are already evident in infancy and predictive of later…