A study examined the effects of a social-story intervention on the social behaviors of an 8-year-old girl with autism who attended an inclusive second-grade classroom. Inappropriate social interactions during lunch decreased by approximately 50% from the first day to the last day of the social-story intervention. (Author/CR)

Describes and evaluates an elder rehab program, which offers credit to students who serve as rehab partners and fitness supervisors to noninstitutionalized persons with dementia. In addition to aerobics and weight training workouts, participants engage in supervised volunteer work and memory- and language-stimulation activities with their student…

A study of six parents of children with autism examined overall management of television and video usage in their homes. Findings indicate the children's need for repetitive video viewing caused problems inside and outside the home and that parents managed usage largely on a situation-by-situation basis without any long-term strategy. (Contains…

Presents and evaluates a pilot program to reduce test anxiety and related social-evaluative concerns. The Testbusters program teaches effective study habits, study skills, and test-taking strategies for children in grades 4 through 7. Results indicate that Testbusters decreased general levels of test anxiety and improved overall grade point…

The frequency of occurrence of targeted environmental events during both unstructured and structured descriptive analyses conducted with two children with severe mental retardation was compared. Results showed that procedural modifications employed during the structured descriptive analysis increased the frequency of occurrence for most targeted…

Three individuals with severe behavior disorders and mental retardation, whose destructive behaviors were being maintained by positive reinforcement, were treated using functional communication training with extinction. The case studies investigated techniques used to increase effectiveness of delayed reinforcement and to teach individuals with…

A study evaluated the utility of classroom-based functional and adjunctive assessments of problem behaviors for two adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and comorbid oppositional defiant disorder. Classroom interventions derived from information obtained during assessments resulted in reductions in problem behaviors. Teacher…

Describes a strategy of total positive response which aims to reverse the self-defeating cycle of punishment and failure in high-risk and troubled students. Details how to identify those students who are at risk, how to respond before misbehavior occurs, and the importance of finding something positive in all situations. (RJM)

The effects of a presession exposure to attention on responding during subsequent assessment of attention as a reinforcer were evaluated across three behavioral assessments. In each experiment, the children responded differentially within the test condition according to the presence or absence of dense schedule of attention immediately prior to…

A study involving three elementary students with emotional/behavioral disorders in a self-contained special education classroom compared the effects of choice and no choice conditions on academic and social behaviors. Opportunities to make choices during academic situations positively affected the academic and social behaviors of two of the three…

Paraprofessional staff (n=148) working in group homes, institutions, day care centers, and sheltered workshops for people with mental retardation participated in inservice training on adult education and basic teaching skills. The majority wrote and implemented individual teaching programs for their clients that resulted in positive gains in…

A stimulus preference assessment was evaluated with an adult and a child with profound mental retardation and severe self-injurious behavior, in order to better predict both the beneficial and negative side effects of stimuli in differential-reinforcement-of-other-behavior treatments. (DB)

Covert self-injurious behavior in a 21-year old with mild mental retardation and cerebral palsy was treated by first identifying tangible and social reinforcers and then providing reinforcers contingent on absence of tissue damage identified during physical examination. Almost complete success was achieved and maintained over 10 months. (DB)

This study of 15 children with feeding disorders investigated identification of effective behavioral reinforcers by comparing outcomes and time requirements of two procedures in which presence in a particular area produced access to a preferred stimulus (i.e., zone discrimination). Both procedures were viable reinforcer identification tools, but…

Describes contributions of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) to drug and alcohol treatment. Discusses potential for AA's steps to encourage growth, and examines their consistency with counseling philosophy. Proposes and contrasts 12 new steps based on counseling theory to stimulate constructive discussion. Advocates more solid boundaries between AA and…