Direct behavior rating (DBR) may be a viable assessment for documenting current areas of impaired functioning and progress monitoring students' response to a behavioral intervention. Challenging behaviors are often addressed in general education settings using interventions such as the daily report card (DRC). To best implement and monitor such…

Case study research methodology was used to describe the play behaviors of three infants at 12 months of age, who were later diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. Data included standardized test scores, and analyses of video footage of semi-structured play sessions from infants identified as high risk for autism, because of having a sibling…

An exploratory, observation-based study sought to strengthen understanding of the development of social communication skills that facilitate academic success, particularly within general education settings. Sixteen middle and high school students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), all of whom participated in at least one period per day of core…

High-quality formative assessment data are critical to the successful application of any problem-solving model (e.g., response to intervention). Formative data available for a wide variety of outcomes (academic, behavior) and targets (individual, class, school) facilitate effective decisions about needed intervention supports and responsiveness to…

A study was conducted to observe the behavior of preschool children (1) varying in age, sex and identified by teachers as thriving or not thriving; (2) in day care programs differing in mode of choice-making, i.e., teacher initiates or child initiates; (3) in the context of an analysis of physical setting and program structure; and (4) in terms of…

Data were gathered from videotaped recordings of two preschool children engaged in unstructured free play over 12 days each. Observers coded behavior from the videotapes and completed a behavior rating scale for each child after every two observation sessions. Teachers also completed two behavior rating scales per child. Results indicated that at…

An investigation of the short term stability of infants' responses to strangers was conducted. Ss were 60 randomly chosen full-term family-reared infants, 30 boys and 30 girls, selected to fit into three age groups of 8, 10 and 12 months. The experimental design was such that the order of first, second, and third visits was counter-balanced…

The behavior of 40 mainstreamed educable mentally retarded (EMR) children enrolled in 10 elementary schools was compared based on teacher rating scales and controlled behavioral observations. (SEW)

One problem in the assessment of personality characteristics is the lack of predictive power of scales across time and situations with respect to overt behavior. Items from two scales of the Edwards Personality Inventory (Articulate and Center of Attention) considered suitable for behavioral assessment, were found to have a relatively high rate of…

In this study, twenty 3-day-old Caucasian neonates were observed before and during feeding in an attempt to demonstrate that individual characteristics of infants, such as alertness and social behaviors, are related to the interaction of mothers and infants during feeding situations. Ten of the infants were males, 10 were females; approximately 70…

Ratings were made of childrens' verbal-social behavior by nursery nurses and teachers in day nurseries, nursery schools, and combined nursery centers. These ratings were analyzed for group differences, and validity was assessed by comparing ratings with observations of the children's behavior and scores on two language tests. (RH)

The Balthazar Scales of Adaptive Behavior II (BSAB-II) provides a system for program development and evaluation and for social behavior assessment of profoundly and severely mentally retarded individuals as well as of the younger less retarded and emotionally disturbed individuals. The specimen set consists of six parts: a Manual, a Tally Sheet…

The purpose of this study is to report a behavioral observation validation of a multiple social interaction measurement instrument entitled the "Barclay Classroom Climate Inventory." This instrument measures social interaction in the elementary classroom as derived from self-report, peer judgments and teacher expectations. It provides an…