Non-compliance is a challenge for practitioners serving children with and without disabilities. Many interventions have been developed to increase compliance. High-probability request sequences (HPRS), an antecedent-based intervention that is based on behavioral momentum theory, is one way to increase compliant behavior. HPRS includes the…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a high-probability (high-"p") request sequence as a means of increasing compliance with medical examination tasks. Participants were children who had been diagnosed with autism and who exhibited noncompliance during general medical examinations. The inclusion of the high-"p" request…

Meta-analysis has become a popular tool to statistically integrate results across studies in order to formulate more general conclusions on treatment effectiveness. Unfortunately, traditional meta-analytic applications fail to answer the question whether enough cumulative knowledge is available to draw convincing statistical conclusions. Leaving…

Parents may be reluctant to treat the feeding disorder of a chronically ill child who exhibits distressed behavior during feeding. In this study, we identified a child with chronic medical problems and a feeding disorder who cried during feedings. We introduced treatment components sequentially to address parental concerns about crying. First, we…

The present study describes a case of a 9-year-old girl diagnosed on the autism spectrum who averaged nearly 1200 hand-to-head self-injuries (+attempts) per school day. Given the resources of the school and the significance of the self-injurious behavior (SIB), analog functional analysis is not possible. Moreover, functional assessment results…

Recently, high-probability request sequences has shown promise as a method to enhance student compliance using positive methods without sacrificing the quality of the assignment. High-probability request sequences use a series of preferred behaviors to increase the likelihood that nonpreferred behaviors will occur. For this intervention, a series…

Noncompliance with instructions is among the most common behavior problems exhibited by preschoolers. Although three-step guidance compliance procedures have been shown to be effective to increase compliance among some children, they may require that a child be exposed to a number of trials before compliance begins to increase. In this study, a…

The authors compared simultaneous versus sequential approaches to multiple health behavior change in diet, exercise, and cigarette smoking. Female regular smokers (N = 315) randomized to 3 conditions received 16 weeks of behavioral smoking treatment, quit smoking at Week 5, and were followed for 9 months after quit date. Weight management was…

The adaptation of saccadic eye movements to environmental changes occurring throughout life is a good model of motor learning and motor memory. Numerous studies have analyzed the behavioral properties and neural substrate of oculomotor learning in short-term saccadic adaptation protocols, but to our knowledge, none have tested the persistence of…

Given the frequency with which the "system of least prompts" is used, it is important to identify procedures to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the system. This study compared effects of a traditional least to most procedure (TLM) and a revised least to most procedure (RLM) on skill acquisition in individuals with moderate and severe…

The author explores the applicability of the Transtheoretical Model of Change (TTM) and motivational interviewing (MI) as a collaborative approach in counseling "resistant" or ambivalent clients. The TTM and MI provide an empirically tested framework for employment counselors to assess and empower clients who are often labeled resistant or…