A study compared three subject groups structured for competition to three subject groups structured for cooperation. Thirty-six 8- to 17-year-old males residing in a treatment center for nonpsychotic psychosocial disorders participated in competitive and cooperative dice games. Results did not support the hypothesis that a cooperative experience…

Examined relation between maternal depressive symptomatology and behavior of conduct-disordered children (n=47) toward their mothers, fathers, and siblings. Maternal symptomatology interacted with children's behavior toward all family members. Children whose mothers were distressed tended to be more compliant and less aversive toward them than…

Catamenial and behavioral records of nine women with mental retardation who exhibited self-injurious behavior (SIB) were analyzed for six months. Analysis confirmed that SIB was cyclic across the menstrual cycle, with the highest frequency occurring in the early follicular and late follicular phases. (Author/JDD)

Investigates the part played by sex roles and gender identity in female eating disorders. Women reporting adherence to nontraditional sex role aspirations or who exhibited gender identity conflict are more likely than other women to report purging or frequent binging. (CJS)

This article reviews general classes of variables which help to maintain aberrant behavior including attention seeking, sensory and perceptual consequences, and access to materials or activities. Suggestions for a methodology providing a comprehensive functional analysis are offered which include descriptive analysis, hypothesis forming,…

Four adults with severe/profound mental retardation and self-injurious behavior (SIB) received naltrexone in a double-blind procedure. All patients exhibited decreased SIB when treated with naltrexone; three patients decreased SIB as naltrexone dose increased. There were no consistent effects of naltrexone on stereotypy, activity, or performance…

Offers guidelines to assist school personnel in addressing pica, an eating disorder involving consumption of nonedible substances frequently observed in people with mental retardation. Guidelines are organized around principles that stress surveying the situation, selecting treatments (behavioral, nutritional, and/or medical), and considering the…

Over 2,500 preschool children were screened for emotional and behavioral problems using the three-state, multiple-gating procedures of the Early Screening Project (ESP). Significant differences were found between children who did and did not exceed the ESP's normative referral criteria. Results suggest the ESP procedures can minimize both the time…

A study involving 11 elementary and 9 middle schools illustrates how office discipline referrals can be used to indicate the status of school-wide discipline, and how schools can use the information to modify their universal interventions for all students and their targeted interventions for students with severe behavior problems. (Contains…

Discussion of psychological disorder in adolescents and adults with Asperger syndrome suggests that these individuals commonly develop a psychological disorder secondary to Asperger syndrome including affective disorders, anxiety-related disorders, and conduct disorders. Treatment usually involves a combination of psychoeducation, social change,…

This response to a paper (EC 624 771) on the early development of stereotyped and self-injurious behavior in infants and young children examines possible reasons why so little is known about these behaviors. These include questions about what behaviors would indicate the need for intervention, how to determine if a repetitive behavior is aberrant,…

The psychosocial effects of national lottery and scratchcard gambling among adolescents in the U.K. (N=1195) are examined; reinforcement factors are discussed. Time and money spent playing, links with parental gambling, attitudes of students toward the games, perceptions of winning, and data on problem gambling are reported and discussed.…

This study examined the representativeness of a time-sampling observational procedure to evaluate students with behavior disorders by examining error in samples of varying size in comparison to a criterion measure. Analyses of both single subject and multiple subject designs suggested that samples of 16 to 20 observational sessions of eight-minute…

This follow-forward study examined whether behavioral groupings (hyperactivity, hyperactivity with aggression, or comparison), created when children were preschoolers, were associated with different outcomes 5 years later. Parents (N=37) completed the Child Behavior Checklist at the outcome assessment. Results indicated that early assessments of…

This article introduces this special issue focused on application of guidelines based on the consensus of experts to the treatment of psychiatric and behavioral problems in persons with mental retardation. It explains the method of developing the guidelines, the limitations and advantages of the guidelines, and the organization of the guidelines.…