Universal screening for behavioral and emotional risk represents an important component of multitiered systems of support, being a means by which schools identify at-risk students and evaluate the effectiveness of Tier 1 programming. Despite its importance, many schools have not adopted universal screening procedures, instead relying upon more…

Background: Though noted in the clinical literature for more than 50 years, attachment disorders have been studied systematically only recently. In part because of the ubiquity of attachments in humans, determining when aberrant behavior is best explained as an attachment disorder as opposed to insecure attachment has led to some confusion. In…

The current study examined the effects of the Class-wide Function-related Intervention Teams (CW-FIT), a class-wide group contingency, on the on-task behavior of all students in a first grade class and the on-task and disruptive behavior of three target students within that class who were nominated by their teacher through a behavioral screening.…

Check-In/Check-Out is a secondary tier positive behavior support program in which an adult mentor is paired with a student to address problem behavior and support appropriate behavior. This case study extended the implementation of the Check-In/Check-Out strategy to a residential facility for students with emotional and behavioral disorders. The…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of wraparound services on students' classroom behavior, social behavior, emotional functioning, and academic skills. As a philosophy and a process, wraparound services support the student, family, and teachers by organizing and blending natural supports, interagency services, and behavioral…

Behavior Education Program (BEP) is the most researched targeted intervention that is used in schoolwide positive behavior intervention and supports (PBIS). It is a daily check-in and check-out system in which students receive extra attention for positive social behavior throughout their school day. This extra attention is intended to prevent…

Background: Many educators assume that students develop appropriate social skills as a by-product of participation in physical education and sports (Hellison 2003). However, it has been demonstrated that appropriate social behaviours improve when interventions are implemented (Balderson and Sharpe 2005). It is known that students with…

The 1990 reauthorization of PL 94-142, the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), emphasized the need for applied research in schools to prevent the development of emotional disturbance. Prevention research then led to mandates in IDEA 1997 that schools must develop positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) for children and youth…

On a routine basis, educators collect data on their students' academic and social performance to make informed decisions regarding curricular and social instruction. The authors conducted a case study for a student with emotional and behavioral disorders. The student's teacher provided oral and visual feedback during reading instruction. Data…

Many students identified with emotional or behavioral disorders have social skill deficits, often displayed as less mature or inappropriate social behavior. Students may have difficulty engaging in appropriate play or social interactions and may at times become aggressive. The inability to interact with others has a negative impact on academic…

Despite public recognition of the hazards of 21st birthday drinking, there is little empirical information concerning its prevalence, severity, and risk factors. Data from a sample of 2,518 college students suggest that 21st birthday drinking poses an extreme danger: (a) 4 of every 5 participants (83%) reported drinking to celebrate, (b) birthday…

In this study, the side effects of contingent shock (CS) treatment were addressed with a group of nine individuals, who showed severe forms of self-injurious behavior (SIB) and aggressive behavior. Side effects were assigned to one of the following four behavior categories; (a) positive verbal and nonverbal utterances, (b) negative verbal and…

A social dynamics perspective of aggression in school is presented. This framework focuses on the role of natural social processes in the establishment and maintenance of aggressive behavior in the school context. The five articles in this special issue are briefly reviewed and a synthesis of their contributions for understanding the social…

This study of four children (ages 4-5) with emotional and behavioral disorders demonstrated that high-probability requests delivered in a variant sequence were more effective than those delivered in an invariant sequence. Children were able to act as change agents by delivering the high-probability sequences. (Author/CR)

Functional behavioral assessments (FBAs) were used to develop and implement behavior support plans for three middle school students who were not successful under a check-in, check-out system. Following implementation of function-based support, each participant demonstrated both reduced level of problem behavior and reduced variability in problem…