This study examined the efficacy, social validity, and durability of a positive behavior support (PBS) approach with the family of a girl with autism and severe problem behavior. The study was conducted across a 10-year period beginning when the child was 5 years old. A multiple baseline across family routines design evaluated the functional…

The road to a college degree is often littered with potholes of self-doubt, and sometimes those are deep enough to discourage even the most ambitious students. If the transition from high school to college were easy, the average six-year graduation rate at four-year institutions in the United States would probably be higher than 63 percent. To…

Injection drug users (IDUs) are at risk for HIV and viral hepatitis, and risky injection behavior persists despite decades of intervention. Cognitive behavioral theories (CBTs) are commonly used to help understand risky injection behavior. The authors review findings from CBT-based studies of injection risk behavior among IDUs. An extensive…

The task of hiring special education teachers may seem daunting because they serve in what is undeniably the most complex of teaching roles. This article provides guidance and suggestions for identifying key competencies that a viable special education teacher candidate should possess. Although many building leaders may still subscribe to gut…

In this issue, two teachers and a principal offer their perspective on classroom practices that can enhance students' learning experiences and keep them motivated and engaged. Ted Nussbaum, a primary teacher at a Eugene, Oregon, school serving primarily at-risk students, shows his enthusiasm and excitement at his students' learning progress, sets…

The paper describes the use of an operant procedure to assess the speech perception of 11 young (7 to 35 months old) hearing impaired children and 11 normally hearing subjects. Subjects were presented with a repeating background stimulus and conditioned to turn their head on presentation of a contrasting syllable. The head-turning responses were…

The comparative effectiveness of two student monitoring and reinforcement strategies was assessed among primary school students. The 50 participating students met in a multi-purpose instructional center during one of two sessions for academic periods of 30 minutes, three times a week. Students were assigned to one of six study groups in the…

Studied the effects of positive and negative interaction on the performance of preschool and elementary school children and their preferences for the adults associated with each type of interaction. (Author/SDH)

The study investigated the effectiveness of group assertive training with nonassertive college students. Significant differences were found between experimental and control subjects on the College Self-Expression Scale, the Subjective Unit of Disturbance Scale, eye contact, length of scene, and assertive content but not on response latency.…

Many forces work to undermine the self-esteem and attitude toward school of an elementary school student. A program to reverse this trend, the V.I.P. (Very Important Person) Program, was undertaken in a Florida elementary school. For the counselor this program provides contact with every student, positive communications with parents, and a way to…

The effect of a preshot attentional/behavioral routine on putting performance was investigated. Subjects were randomly assigned to four groups: (1) Male Routine (MR); (2) Female Routine (FR); (3) Male Control (MC); and (4) Female Control (FC). Subjects in the FR and MR groups were given individualized putting routines which focused on specific…