The phenomena of the induction and entrainment of adjunctive behaviors was investigated in 8 people (ages 5-51) with severe or profound mental retardation who exhibited stereotypic behaviors. Seven of the eight demonstrated evidence of schedule-induced stereotypic behavior, whereas five also showed evidence of the entrainment of these behaviors by…

Reviews case law related to disciplining handicapped students, highlighting two 1975 landmark cases ("Wood v Strickland" and "Goss v Lopez") involving suspensions and one seminal case ("Stuart v Nappi") involving expulsion. Although specially protected, handicapped students are neither immune from a school's…

Data were summarized from 1,841 sessions involving 10 subjects with mental retardation who participated in a number of experiments over a 10-year research program concerning dietary influences on ruminating. Relationships were found between amount of food consumed and rumination. Satiation feeding resulted in substantial decreases in postmeal…

Investigated age differences in perceived frequency of discipline problems among preschoolers. Parent reports indicated peaks in behavior occurrences at 30-36 months for total items and 4 of 5 scales on Toddler Behavior Checklist. By 48 months, found significant decreases from peak in discipline problems only for Physical Aggression and Immaturity…

Used data from 441 new nursing home residents to examine physical restraint use in high and low restraint use homes. Predictors of restraint use during first month and first year were inability to transfer and combination of severe activities of daily living impairment and cognitive impairment. Other predictors: wandering, inability to dress,…

Randomly assigned 147 families with aggressive child (age 4 to 9 years) to standard family treatment (SFT) focusing exclusively on parental management or to enhanced family treatment (EFT) that also promoted discussions of adult issues. EFT produced significantly lower dropout rate than SFT overall but particularly for high-adversity families.…

This discussion of punishment in child rearing examines the Bible proverb, defines punishment, and identifies criteria necessary for effective punishment. It also considers negative effects of punishment and cultures where corporal punishment has been banned. Alternatives to punishment are discussed, and an alternative form of the proverb is…

Examined hypothesis that adolescent problems are positively associated with overt and covert forms of parental conflict. Compared observed marital interactions in families of adolescents with problems to those in families of adolescents without problems. Findings suggest that both overt parental conflict and some forms of covert conflict play…

Presents results of study of effectiveness of family systems approaches to resolve school behavior problems used at school attendance and review board (SARB), referred to as mini-SARB because team meeting takes place at school level. Includes background and demographic data and description of mini-SARB process (beliefs/assumptions, team roles,…

A survey of 158 educators found that respondents tended to consider interventions that use physical pain or discomfort or social humiliation to be very aversive and tended to favor restricting the use of these interventions. Respondents viewed many other decelerative interventions as relatively mild aversives that they should be able to use.…

Found that 64% of 50 children aged 7-12 years with sickle cell disease had parent-reported behavior problem. Internalizing types of behavior problems and diagnoses were most frequent. Maternal anxiety accounted for 16-33% of variance in mother-reported internalizing and externalizing behavior problems, respectively, and child pain-coping…

The article briefly describes the Tourette Syndrome Association, an association which works to advance public understanding, treatment, and the correct diagnosis of this neurological impairment, which can involve "bizarre" behavioral symptoms as well as learning, attention, and impulse control problems. (DB)

Differential reinforcement of low rates of responding was used to reduce the disruptive behaviors of a blind 12-year-old boy with a learning disability. The subject earned reinforcers by not exceeding the established criterion of disruptive behaviors. An overall 88 percent reduction in target behaviors was observed across a 26-day period.…

Examined differences in correlation between marital adjustment and child conduct problems in 1,107 dual-parent families. Correlation between parents' reports of marital adjustment and child conduct problems was significantly stronger in families of clinic-referred children compared with families of nonclinic children and in families of lower…

Three experiments assessed the efficacy of various reinforcers to increase correct task responding in a total of 10 autistic children, aged 6-9. Of the reinforcers used (stereotypy, delayed echolalia, perseverative behavior, and food), task performance was highest with opportunities to engage in aberrant behaviors, and lowest with edible…