Examination of staff responses to problem behaviors in three community-based group homes found that staff tended to rely heavily on verbal approaches to address problem behavior of people with intellectual disability, using other strategies only when the initial response failed. Findings suggest that staff behavior is negatively reinforced by the…

A national survey of 81 master's programs in social work investigated the situations or behaviors that led them to develop policies for nonacademic student termination. Results are presented concerning the most common problem behaviors reported and analysis of the programs' policy and procedure documents. Recommendations are made based on these…

Describes how adventure therapy can be adapted to help individuals suffering from bulimia develop effective coping mechanisms, increase self-esteem, and gain appreciation for their bodies. Goal is for participants to recognize compulsive behavior in relation to their attitudes and to understand underlying processes that lead to those behaviors and…

Seventy-five 4-, 6-, and 8-year olds participated in a study examining the relationship between children's awareness and use of strategies for self-control. Knowledge of strategies was more highly correlated with process than with performance, and the relationship between knowledge about strategies and actual performance increased with age. (AA)

Results of an analysis to evaluate the effectiveness of the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) with 440 classrooms and 10,000 students over 4 years indicated that D.A.R.E. participation resulted in greater self-esteem, stronger institutional bonds, and endorsement of fewer risky behaviors. Program effects counteracted the negative effects…

A fluency therapy process for adolescents who stutter is described and illustrated by a case history that applies a four-stage process for structuring, targeting, adjusting, and regulating behaviors. The affective, behavioral, and cognitive components of fluency are considered, along with behavior techniques for eliciting a feeling of fluency…

A random telephone survey of 1,004 households in the Washington, DC, area found that alcohol use and alcohol-impaired driving, in particular, were seen as a serious problem by over 80% of the respondents. Strong support was found for legal sanctions against underage alcohol use. (SLD)

This paper summarizes brief functional assessments of 79 cases of people with developmental disabilities and self-injurious, aggressive, stereotypic, or other aberrant behavior. Outcomes were evaluated across three variables: (1) referring topography, (2) control over behavior, and (3) the identified maintaining conditions for aberrant behavior.…

This study of elementary-level students compared behavioral patterns of 27 children showing a low nonverbal/high verbal (LNV) intelligence test profile and 38 children with a low verbal/high nonverbal (LV) profile. Results confirmed earlier findings that LNV children are perceived by teachers as significantly poorer than LV children in many…

This study shadowed and interviewed eight high school principals to identify and describe how these administrators' actions influenced teachers' quality of working life. Principals positively influenced the respect accorded teachers, teacher participation in decisions affecting their work, professional collaboration and interaction, use of skills…

This study compared the clinical efficacy of a dopaminergic antagonist (amisulpride) and a dopaminergic agonist (bromocriptine) with 9 children (ages 4-13) with autism and probable severe mental retardation. The amisulpride acted preferentially on specific autism symptoms and the bromocriptine on motor hyperactivity and attention symptoms.…

Using excerpts from structured interviews conducted by teachers, this paper discusses three thought and behavior patterns commonly used by students with behavior disorders to justify behavior teachers consider inappropriate: (1) denial, (2) projection, and (3) rationalization. Suggestions are made about how to respond to these defensive behavior…

Differences between high school and college students' and male and female students perceptions of one form of male sexually aggressive behavior against women were studied with 108 college students and 96 high school juniors. Findings suggest that the sensitivity gap between males and females may lessen with age for males. (SLD)

Effective administrator preparation programs provide students with self-awareness and insight about their thought patterns and behaviors' influence on executing their leadership roles. This paper describes a current university pilot program based on these assumptions, discusses program effectiveness as perceived by student participants, and…

Parents of 42 children (ages 2-32) with Lesch-Nyhan disease were questioned concerning the subjects' behavior patterns. Grouping of responses into nine categories of cognitive skills indicated that only one boy showed any significant cognitive impairment. Despite evidence of good cognitive and emotional skills, subjects were academically delayed,…