This article discusses assessment strategies for accurately pinpointing the social and communicative functions of challenging behavior and presents an array of proactive interventions to decrease escape-motivated challenging behavior and to decrease access-motivated challenging behavior. Factors influencing the selection of one intervention…

A review of the use of psychotropic medications for people with developmental disabilities is presented. Results suggest that prescribing drugs based on topographical features of the problem behavior, without considering the function the behavior serves for the individual, contributes to variability in clinical response. Functional analysis of a…

Discusses a study on how Philadelphia (Pennsylvania) approached intervening with criminal youth to halt or reduce their criminal activities before these activities become entrenched. This approach emphasizes quick case turnaround and harsh sanctions for youths who are serious habitual offenders. (GLR)

Using specific case examples, this paper offers several therapeutic principles and examples of their practical application to demonstrate brief and effective interventions to meet the challenges and needs of victims of sexual abuse and young perpetrators. The interventions are sufficiently flexible to work within the constraints imposed by…

Application of the Social Cognition Intervention Program (SCIP) with deaf and hard of hearing adolescents is described. The program, based on experiential learning, is intrinsically rewarding, flexible, and enjoyable for students. The program uses games and activities that encourage students to evaluate personalities, emotions, behavior, and…

This article presents a rationale for using students with emotional/behavioral disorders as behavior change agents for peers. Guidelines address use of peer confrontation strategies; selection, training, and evaluation of peer modifiers; and issues (such as ethical aspects of peer intervention). (DB)

The article addresses special costs of strategies involved in maintaining students with behavior disorders in least restrictive environments including regular classrooms. Considered are factors influencing teacher choice of interventions, assumptions about classroom management, the role of the teacher, and intervention strategies and their…

In effective therapeutic adventure experiences that incorporate metaphoric transfer, the metaphor contains isomorphs that link the experience to client needs and therapeutic issues. Use of metaphoric transfer in a therapeutic experience for substance abusers is described. Seven steps for creating appropriate metaphoric experiences are outlined.…

Twenty students between the ages of 6 and 19 with profound to moderate hearing impairments were trained to monitor their own hearing aids and perform basic hearing aid maintenance tasks. Results indicated improved hearing aid function while students were actively involved in hearing aid maintenance programs but rapid decline of habits after…

Two studies investigating effects of video-assisted training on employment-related social skills of three adults with severe mental retardation found that participants discriminated the target behavior on video, but effects did not generalize to the work setting for two participants until they rehearsed the behavior. (Author/DB)

This study evaluated whether behaviors often taught as part of social skills training for individuals with mental retardation were judged favorably by 61 community judges. Results indicated that the skills of following instructions, accepting criticism, and negotiating were relevant to judgment of social performance and likely to be reinforced by…

This study of three individuals (ages 12-14) with profound mental retardation found that visual screening was more effective than thioridazine in reducing stereotypy and increasing social behavior. Thioridazine produced modest stereotypy reductions and minor social behavior increases, with a higher dose slightly more effective than a lower dose…

Presents a review of some strategies used in education, marketing, and psychology to change human behavior cited as helpful in designing materials, programs, and campaigns with an environmental message. Stresses the importance of understanding the issue, the audience, the message, the techniques, and the support systems to design a successful…

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 paper examines the functions of challenging behavior in individuals with mental retardation, methods for determining the function of a particular behavior, strategies for implementing initial communicative functions that compete with challenging behavior, and procedures that specifically address attention-motivated and…