Among the developmental milestones related to language and communication in early childhood, one that has been the subject of considerable research is response to name (RTN). Delayed or absent RTN in early childhood is a diagnostic marker for autism spectrum disorder and a target behavior in many early intervention curricula. This article…

Awareness training can produce decreases in nervous habits during public speaking. A systematic replication of Montes et al. (2020) was conducted to evaluate the independent and additive effects of awareness training components (i.e., response description, response detection) on speech disfluencies during public speaking. We extended prior…

Access to early intensive behavioral intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder is commonly recommended. Intervention programs may include high rates of instructional trials, which may evoke escape-maintained problem behavior. Recent research on "pairing" or "rapport-building" interventions have sought to reduce…

We conducted a systematic review and summarized the outcomes of single-case research design studies conducted in the last decade that have implemented peer-mediated interventions (PMI) to address the social competence needs of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) younger than 8 years of age. Eighteen studies with 53 children with ASD were…

In a multi-tiered system of support, we often conceptualize intensive interventions as supplemental academic or behavior supports delivered to a small group of students at Tier 2 or intensive, individualized supports at Tier 3. At Tier 2, some students may not initially respond to the standard protocol of an intervention. In these situations, it…

The resurgence of destructive behavior can occur during functional communication training (FCT) if the alternative response contacts a challenge (e.g., extinction). Behavioral momentum theory (BMT) suggests that refinements to FCT could mitigate resurgence of destructive behavior during periods of extinction. Following a functional analysis and…

Response interruption and redirection (RIRD) is an intervention that involves presenting demands or other types of distracters to interrupt an interfering behavior and redirect it to a more appropriate response. It targets the decrease of repetitive, stereotypic, and self-injurious behaviors. Research indicates that stereotypy is commonly…

Despite over 50 years of research and discussion concerning school-based interventions for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), a discernible consensus regarding the core elements of intervention for this student population remains elusive. This discordance is seen by many as an obstacle to the proper design, dissemination, and…

Based on a practical, six-part framework for reducing peer cruelty and increasing positive behavior support, "End Peer Cruelty, Build Empathy" utilizes the strongest pieces of best practices and current research for ways to stop bullying. The book includes guidelines for implementing strategies, collecting data, training staff,…

The provision of reinforcement to increase desired behaviors is a crucial element of behavior analytic intervention for individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Formal preference assessments, like the multiple stimulus without replacement procedure (MSWO), are often used to determine reinforcers used during intervention. While…

The primary focus of this study was to examine the effects of Shared Story Reading (SSR) during mathematics instruction on the behavioral outcomes of four elementary students with academic difficulty and challenging behaviors. In addition, the study examined the effect of implementing SSR during mathematics instruction on the teacher's use of…

Many actions of troubled children and adolescents can disguise and conceal their ever-present and deep-seated psycho-emotional pain. Adults living and working with these youth may overlook this pain in a strategy of avoidance. Labelling troubling behavior as "outbursts," "explosions," or "acting out," ignores the…

Research on functional response classes has applied significance because less severe forms of problem behavior have been found to co-occur with more severe forms. In addition, the most severe forms of problem behavior are sometimes targeted for intervention without monitoring other less severe forms. In such cases, it is unknown whether and how…

Background: Previous studies of anger management in people with intellectual disability failed to control for the effects of the number of provocative stimuli presented and lacked direct measures of behaviour and treatment integrity data. Methods: This experiment systematically assessed and presented discriminative stimuli for aggressive…

Behavioral feeding difficulties occur at a high rate in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and can have a serious impact on their overall health and development. Although there are a number of studies demonstrating effective strategies for addressing behavioral feeding difficulties in children with ASD, the majority of them have been…