A descriptive study of 22 students (K-10th grade) with emotional and behavioral disabilities (EBD) who were referred for functional behavioral assessment (FBA) revealed less on-task and more avoidant and inappropriate behaviors in comparison to classroom peers without EBD. Students who had been diagnosed as having attention-deficit/hyperactivity…

A study of 250 persons who work with youth with emotional or behavior disorders and participated in school-based wraparound training in several sites across Illinois, evaluated the technical assistance that was provided to them. The initial training provided an introduction to the wraparound process and offered strategies for use in schools. A…

The article describes development of the "Social Adjustment Centre," a special class in Australia comprised of two teachers and six behaviorally disordered children and designed to modify the child's behavior for integration back into the mainstream program. The classroom management plan as well as its evaluation are described. (DB)

This digest reviews and summarizes what is known about effective school-wide behavioral management systems. Emphasis in such systems is on consistency throughout the building and across classrooms with the entire staff, both professional and nonprofessional, uniformly implementing common strategies. Common features of school-wide behavioral…

Four components (awareness training, self-monitoring, social support, and use of a competing response) of a habit-reversal treatment were administered to four children with motor tics. Results found a decrease in the tics of all participants during the treatment; however, individual decreases were seen with different combinations of components.…

A 42-item structured observation instrument was devised to rate the family friendliness of the Family Assessment and Planning Team (FAPT) meetings in Virginia for children with emotional and behavioral disorders. Seventy-nine case presentations at 31 FAPT meetings were observed and overall rating of family friendliness was good (63%). (Author/CR)

A study evaluated a comprehensive school-wide program based on an effective behavioral support approach for preventing disruptive behaviors implemented in seven elementary schools. The program included a school-wide discipline program, tutoring, conflict resolution, and functional behavioral intervention plans. Schools showed positive effects on…

Evaluated long-term effectiveness of three cost-effective parent training programs for conduct-problem children. Assessed parents (N=154) one year posttreatment. Found significant improvements reported immediately posttreatment were maintained one year later. Found few differences between three treatment conditions excepting "consumer…

State education agency consultants (N=23) and local education agency administrators (N=124) rated criteria used to evaluate the success of programs for behavior-disordered/seriously emotionally disturbed students. Rated most important were student progress in the program, student movement to a less restrictive environment, and student success in…

As an illustration of cases where existing programs and facilities do not meet individual special needs, the article traces the chronology of a behavior disordered male from special class placement in elementary school through his eventual incarceration in the Nebraska penal system. (JW)

The "Ziegarnik effect," a learner's tendency to recall uncompleted tasks longer than completed ones and to remember failures more easily than successes, is applied to improving programs for the subgroup of students with emotional/behavioral disorders who show little benefit from special education interventions, and to teacher…

Examined stability of young children's behavior problems and effectiveness of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy in 32 families. Found no significant differences between waitlist-control and treatment groups at time of referral on Child Behavior Checklist, Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory, and Parenting Stress Index. Behavior of treatment group…

This article reviews teaching strategies expected to be effective in alternative education programs for students at risk for school failure, dropout, and delinquency. The need for alternative education programs for students in both special and general education is discussed, along with recommended alternative education strategies and program…

Functional analyses were conducted with three boys (ages 4-7) with behavior disorders. The students were then successfully taught to self-manage incompatible appropriate behavior as well as appropriate requests for reinforcement (i.e., escape, attention, materials) identified as functionally related to the problematic target behaviors. (Contains…

Following an initial school inservice workshop on functional assessment and differential reinforcement procedures with five children having severe behavior problems, on-site technical assistance was provided to local school personnel working in transdisciplinary teams. Functional analysis was effective in identifying individual maintaining…