Studied the hypothesis that students would exhibit changes in their levels of, and cognitions about, drug use throughout their university careers. Responses from a sample of 380 undergraduates (response rate, 63%) show no evidence of an increase in the percentage of undergraduates using drugs over their university careers, but there was a…

The Reality Rub is one of six Life Space Crisis Interventions. The goal is to help students reorganize and clarify distorted perceptions of an emotionally intense event. As seen in this article, teaching positive behavior begins by helping young people correct their blurred and biased views of reality. (Author)

Twenty suggestions are offered to help eliminate bullying behaviors in the school setting. Among suggestions are to include class discussions on bullying; to formulate a no-bullying class rule; provide social skill instruction; reinforce positive behaviors; report bullying; supervise potential bullying situations; provide positive ways to gain…

This article highlights how the Transtheoretical Model of Change (TMC) can be utilized to guide treatment interventions with adolescents who engage in violent behavior. Reviews treatment issues related to providing services to violent adolescents and discusses the applicability of TMC across a range of clinical and counseling settings. (Contains…

A long-term followup (from 26 to 57 months) of echolalia and correct question-answering was conducted with six mentally retarded adult subjects identified from three previously published studies. Echolalia was lower than in baseline in 80.6 percent of the followups. Issues related to the study of maintenance are discussed. (Author/DB)

Randomly assigned 1,218 smokers to cells in 4 (nicotine gum delivered ad lib, fixed regimen nicotine gum, placebo gum, no gum) x 3 (self-selected relapse prevention modules, randomly administered modules, no modules) design. Subjects receiving nicotine gum were more likely to be abstinent at 2- and 6-month followups. Fixed regimen accounted for…

Reviews research on problem behavior in adolescence. Discusses implications of this research, distinguishing between different stages in the process by which problem behavior emerges and separates "preventive" from "corrective" forms of intervention. Discusses implications for social policy. (Author/ABL)

Evaluated effects of two types of teacher-delivered encouragement on off-task behavior and academic performance for five first graders. Results indicated there was a consistent decline in off-task behavior for all participants, suggesting the treatment was effective. Found neither form of encouragement was consistently successful in improving…

A nonaversive technique was used to teach a severely handicapped woman to decrease her refusals. The technique employed precision teaching via precise daily measurement strategies, environmental analysis, and a focus on building appropriate behavior. (JDD)

The review and synthesis of the literature on self-injurious behavior examines characteristics, causes, and both psychological and behavioral management strategies. Six suggestions for educators are offered. (DB)

The study of effects of haloperidol drug therapy with 20 institutionalized mentally retarded persons found clinical changes confined to a slight reduction in stereotypic behavior and an increase in gross motor activity under the high dose condition. Subjects with high initial levels of stereotypy showed the best response to the drug. (Author/DB)

Psychotropic drug use in a large Massachusetts public facility for mentally retarded adults was reduced to and maintained at approximately 20 percent over an eight-year period during which a monitoring and evaluation procedure (including interdisciplinary team review, identification of target behaviors, and concurrent alternative forms of…

Examined impact of creative parenting program in which parents (N=70) participated. Found the program was effective in changing parental behaviors on two dimensions; parents became more accepting of their children and relied less on parental authority in their relationship with their children. (Author/ABL)

Describes Project ADAPT, a drug treatment program for juvenile delinquents based on the Social Development Model which integrates knowledge of risk factors. Notes Project ADAPT combines behavioral skill training, supportive network development, and involvement in prosocial activities to facilitate community reentry of adolescents following…

Administered questionnaires to 63 pregnant nullipara to determine factors that may influence their decision to stop smoking following childbirth. Results revealed three factors which contributed equally to explaining variance: perceived self-efficacy, smoking habits during pregnancy, and attitude. Also found significant differences between…