Scholars in the field of special education put forth a series of papers that proposed quality indicators for specific research designs that must be present for a study to be considered of high quality, as well as standards for evaluating a body of research to determine whether a practice is evidence-based. The purpose of this article was to pilot…

Objective: To review and provide details about the primary and secondary findings from the Multimodal Treatment study of ADHD (MTA) published during the past decade as three sets of articles. Method: In the second of a two part article, we provide additional background and detail required by the complexity of the MTA to address confusion and…

Depression and externalising behaviour disorders frequently occur together in adolescence and are associated with a marked increase in symptom severity and poorer outcome. Clinical treatment research and early intervention programs for depression have not addressed the specific cognitive and interpersonal deficits associated with comorbidity. This…

The effects of a comprehensive program for the treatment of cigarette addiction were investigated. Subjects were 18 university students and 12 community members. Abstinence levels of 40 percent, verified by expired air carbon monoxide tests, were achieved in a six to nine month follow-up period. A partial component analysis revealed that the…

This study investigated whether the Barkley behavior change program was effective in changing oppositional-defiant behavior of a 12-year-old, male student. The Barkley program uses an applied behavior analysis approach with daily assessment and reinforcement. Weekly meetings were held between the student's parents and the school psychologist at…

Describes a behavioral skills training model aimed at decreasing feelings of powerlessness often experienced by women. Feedback questionnaires suggest the training is effective in helping women attain their goals and use more direct forms of power. Cognitive change was a motivating factor. (JAC)

Presents an overview of behavior modification, and discusses ethical misgivings pertaining directly to the use of behavior modification in institutional drug treatment programs. Raises questions about the danger of social control,and informed consent. Concludes with a reexamination of aversive therapy and a plea for professionalism. (JAC)

The follow-up data reported a long-term (three to nine years out of treatment) evaluation of 40 children who were clients of the Regional Intervention Program (RIP) for disturbed students from 1969 to 1978. (Author)

The study investigated the effectiveness of self-ratings vs a teacher- administered point system in reducing the disruptive behavior of five elementary level students. (SBH)

Tests the impact of two social-cognitive interventions implemented in the 6th grade (Intervention 1) and 8th/9th grades (Intervention 2) on student's skill acquisition and on their 9th and 10th grade substance use. Results indicate positive program effects for Intervention 2 on skill acquisition and overall drug involvement. (RJM)

This article describes use of the Awareness Enhancement Device with a typically developing 6-year-old child to reduce finger sucking despite the child's lack of motivation. This device delivers a tone contingent on occurrence of the target behavior. Substantial reductions in finger sucking resulted only with the addition of a more intense tone (90…

In this study, functional communication training alone and combined with extinction and/or punishment was evaluated for four clients with severe retardation, behavior problems, and communication deficits. Results showed that the combination of training plus punishment produced the largest and most consistent reductions in target behavior problems.…

This commentary on assessing the social validity of behavior-change programs examines which groups should be included in the assessment, whether social validity assessment should be required, and whether new methods are needed. The paper notes that social validation should be an interactive process between researcher and consumer. (JDD)

Two children with mental retardation were trained to emit different communication responses to request the reinforcer for destructive behavior and an alternative reinforcer. Differential reinforcement of communication reduced destructive behavior regardless of whether a functional reinforcer or an alternative reinforcer was available or whether…

Adolescents (N=18) referred for peer interaction difficulties participated in a program designed to improve social competence in peer interactions. Comparison with 18 socially competent adolescents found substantial differences between groups at pretest and significant improvements on different measures across different adolescents, although…