This action research project examined the effectiveness of an intervention to improve social skills in order to improve student behavior, reduce off-task behavior, and reduce loss of instructional time. The targeted population was a sixth grade class with 25 students in an elementary school in a rural setting. The problem of student behavior,…

This article makes the case for early intervention with young children with both developmental and behavioral problems. It cites intervention research that supports the effectiveness of parent management training and the use of applied behavior analysis, but recognizes the need for randomized controlled trials with adequate follow-up and…

Evaluated effectiveness of school-based social skills program. Middle school children (N=34) selected for behavior problems were assigned to social skills training or to a no-treatment control group. Assessed change by teacher, parent, and self-report measures. Findings suggest significant improvement in social activity and parental report of…

Determined the effects of a highly structured and intensive 10-day camp program incorporating behavior modification techniques on 111 boys and 16 girls, ages 6-12, with severe behavior problems. Results of pre- and posttesting indicate that brief, intensive, and specialized camping programs can significantly increase these children's self-esteem.…

Investigates the effectiveness of peer facilitator interventions with disruptive middle school students. Provides evidence that eighth-grade peer facilitators can be effective with sixth-grade problem behavior students. Facilitators demonstrated that they could help students who are having problems adjusting to school, especially in terms of their…

Pennsylvania requires intervention-assistance services prior to special education referral. This study evaluated the use of instructional support teams (ISTs) in nine urban Pennsylvania elementary schools with 140 children referred for intervention assistance due to academic and/or behavioral difficulties. Results suggested that the intervention…

Families of 159, 4- to 8-year-old children with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) were randomly assigned to parent training (PT); parent plus teacher training (PT + TT); child training (CT); child plus teacher training (CT + TT); parent, child, plus teacher training (PT + CT + TT); or a waiting list control. Reports and independent observations…

Descriptive and qualitative analyses were applied to a database of 111 assessment-based studies published between 1997 and 2002 on the problem behavior of school-age individuals with disabilities, to determine how frequently key components of positive behavior support (PBS) were being used. While most of the database reported reductions in problem…

Recently the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs (MCEETYA) conducted a nationwide survey on programs that exhibit best practice in addressing student behaviour issues (de Jong, 2004). Seven themes related to the characteristics of best practice were identified in this survey. Alternative education programs…

Autism spectrum disorders, as the name suggests, do not represent a single nor straightforward set of needs to be met. The challenges facing education and other professionals, and the young people whose needs are being addressed, are considerable. The key is to see past the presenting issues, often behavioural in nature, to the communication…

Professionals representing 14 community-based organizations were trained at three different sites serving urban and rural families to implement an empirically supported parenting program for families of young children with challenging behaviors. Of the 44 practitioners trained, 23 successfully completed the program, which involved passing a…

This study investigated the effects of a family-centered intervention that involved parents in weekly assessments and daily routine activities for promoting young children's language and behavior. Forty-one 3-5-year-old children at-risk for language and behavior problems, recruited from three developmental preschools, were randomly assigned to a…

This study used an ABAB design to investigate the effectiveness of social stories as an intervention with five school children who were experiencing difficulties at school lunchtime related to independently entering the dining hall. Measurements of general behaviour using the Conners Teacher Rating Scale-Revised (CTRS-R:L): Long Version and social…

Objective: Working to optimize treatment outcome and use resources efficiently, investigators conducted the first test of an existing parent-only group cognitive-behavioral therapy protocol to treat 24 children 7 to 16 years old with primary anxiety disorder diagnoses. Method: Over the course of 7 months, the authors evaluated a manual-based…

This study evaluated the impact of a program for improving group functioning through reducing the frequency of inappropriate student behavior. Participating were 160 students in grades 3, 7, 10, and 11 from a primary school, a junior high, and 3 high schools. All of the subject schools were in low- to upper-middle class communities located in five…