A nurse involved with institutionalized retarded children analyzes the value of behavior modification and describes four behavior modification programs planned and carried out by nursing staff to modify food stealing, screaming at mealtimes, excessive requests for self assurance, and unitary incontinence. (CL)

Used modified differential reinforcement of other behavior schedule with exclusionary time-out procedure to treat 69-year-old aggressive male patient. Results showed clear demonstration of behavioral control and clinically significant treatment effects during experimental periods. (Author/NB)

Described is a program in which adolescent institutionalized handicapped girls are rewarded with money for improved academic performance, behavior, and participation. (CL)

The investigation sought to teach a sequence of arrival behaviors to a severely mentally retarded 12-year-old child living in an institution. Withdrawal and reintroduction of the pacing prompts established that increases in independent arrival behavior were attributed to the pacing prompts. (Author/SB)

Operant conditioning techniques were used to modify verbal behavior in 18 institutionalized, trainable mentally handicapped mongoloids with chronological ages from 4-6 to 7-10 and mental ages from 2.0 to 2.10. Two instruments were constructed to evaluate language: a language test and a speech rating scale. Project leaders had no prior knowledge of…

Described is an Operant Conditioning-Token Economy Program, teaching patients to be responsible for their own behavior, to make choices, and to be motivated to change. The program was instigated with mentally ill patients in a state hospital and was later used with institutionalized mentally handicapped groups. After two years, only four of the…

A description of a program of behavior modification using principles of operant conditioning on residents at a mental retardation institution. (RD)