This article will focus on a juvenile justice facility in the Netherlands, targeted at moderately intellectually disabled juveniles, who are sentenced because of serious crimes. All of the juveniles have a disruptive disorder (conduct disorder or oppositional defiant disorder) and 70% have comorbid psychiatric classifications. Treatment amounts to…

Background: Pica is a very dangerous form of self-injurious behaviour because one occurrence can be lethal. Dealing successfully with dangerous pica in a large institution requires a high level of administrative support. It cannot be relegated to each psychologist to write a programme. A written behaviour programme is only one component of…

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities are often prescribed psychotropic medication to treat behaviors such as aggression and self-injury. Evaluation of these medications is often based on caregiver report or changes in frequency of behavior. The purpose of this research was to characterize the rate and function of problem…

We conducted three studies which examined the performance vs. skill acquisition model of social skills deficits. In Study 1, baseline social behaviors for a random sample of 12 boys with comorbid emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), learning disabilities (LD), language delays, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) revealed that…

This article describes Behavioral Risk Management (BRM), a community-based, wrap-around model, that incorporates both internal and external management strategies to meet the unique needs of adolescent and adult males with developmental disabilities who exhibit inappropriate or offensive sexual behaviors. Key components of BRM are discussed, along…

Describes the use of risperidone in eight adult patients with moderate to profound mental retardation and markedly aberrant behaviors. Risperidone in these individuals was associated with significant reduction in aggression and self-injurious behavior. Side effects were primarily those of sedation and restlessness. (Author/CR)

This study evaluated a strategy for reducing severe problem behavior in an employment situation for three adults with mental retardation and autism. The strategy involved intervention based on hypotheses about the problem behavior's maintaining variables, multiple component intervention, and evaluation using a measure of latency to problem…

This review considers the prevalence and nature of physically aggressive behaviors by people with mental retardation and describes possible causal factors. The present status of both behavioral and pharmacological interventions for aggression are assessed, and the importance of devising reactive management plans for aggressive behaviors is…

Using a construction building analogy, this guide provides a plan for building a system of behavior strategies. These strategies are designed to assist behavior analysts of contracted provider agencies in the construction and maintenance of procedures which will help monitor and reduce the frequency of problematic behaviors in individuals with…

A study involving four children (ages 4-7) with developmental disabilities and severe opposition behaviors found that use of reinforcement for compliance in isolation was ineffective in bringing about significant improvement in child compliance. The addition of a graduated request hierarchy appeared to be associated with substantial changes in…

This study with 65 individuals with mental retardation and additional seizure and/or psychiatric or behavioral disorders found that 9.2 percent experienced medication (carbamazepine) side effects, ranging from irritability to mania. More side effects were experienced by individuals with behavioral or psychiatric disorders than by those with an…

Review of claims for the effectiveness of the gentle teaching philosophy with people having severe problem behaviors and mental retardation finds that the methods were unsuccessful with seven of nine individuals. Although more research is needed, the review suggests that gentle teaching cannot be considered an ethically defensible treatment…

A reevaluation of data from Berkman and Meyer (1988), a study supporting the effectiveness of positive-oriented programing approaches with persons with mental retardation, suggests that medication, especially the introduction of Thorazine (with subsequent increases of dosage), may have been related to reductions in the client's self-injurious…

This paper describes the program of a special school in British Columbia for youth with behavior disorders and either learning disabilities or intellectual impairments. Program components (behavior therapy, activity-based learning, and attachment development) and program sequence (assessment, formulation and implementation of a Growth and…

Consumer satisfaction and social validity were measured during a double-blind, placebo-controlled evaluation of risperidone in treating aberrant behaviors of persons with developmental disabilities. A survey showed all 17 caregivers felt participation was positive. Community members (n=52) also indicated that when on medication, the 5 participants…