Discusses the need for professionals in the field of behavioral disorders to take a leadership role in addressing larger issues and problems of great concern to our society, including ensuring school safety, identifying children vulnerable to gang membership, dropout prevention, and youth violence. (CR)

Functional analysis of destructive behavior of a four-year-old boy with autism and oppositional defiant disorder was able to delineate the specific form of verbal attention that was responsible for behavioral maintenance. Treatment based on the analysis reduced the behavior to near-zero levels. (DB)

This article outlines a proactive framework for preventing and remediating challenging behaviors in preschool- and elementary-aged children through the implementation of functional behavioral assessments and the disciplinary provisions outlined in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1997. The model requires assessing environments,…

A study compared the recidivism rate of two groups of Native Canadian inmates. The experimental group of offenders (n=31) received intensive pre-release support, including counseling, training in creative problem solving, career awareness sessions, and on-the-job experiences. Individuals in the experimental groups were much less likely to…

Early emergent patterns of behavioral problems, social skills deficits, and language delays were examined in 259 three-year-olds enrolled in Head Start classrooms. Findings indicated the children were at elevated risk for behavioral and language problems and that children with behavioral problems were more likely to have low language scores.…

This commentary discusses study results that indicate the nonselective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) clomipramine is more efficacious than the relatively selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor desipramine and placebo in treating repetitive or ritualized behaviors in children with autism. The need for concurrent genetic and biochemical…

The introduction to this special issue introduces each of the following 11 research-based articles, all originally presented in November 1999 at the 23rd annual conference of the Teacher Educators for Children with Behavioral Disorders. The articles cover a variety of research and practice issues relative to the education and treatment of children…

Four preschool children who exhibited aggressive methods for resolving social interaction conflicts were taught a problem-solving strategy. Results found that acquisition of the problem-solving strategy influenced the types of alternative solutions the children provided to social interaction conflicts. Students produced more prosocial resolutions…

A study assessed the effects of teaching three students (ages 11-14) with severe emotional/behavioral disorders to use a mnemonic to solve basic division fact calculations. Instruction in the use of the technique did increase the percentage of correct basic division facts calculated on independent work samples for all three students. (Contains…

A framework to help speech-language pathologists deal with the communication problems of adolescents involved in violence in either school or correctional facility settings is proposed. Intervention programs containing socially and academically relevant activities that focus on assessment, general intervention principles, conversational…

In light of the discipline provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act emphasizing functional assessments and positive behavioral interventions as well as new responsibilities for the Individualized Education Program team, this article discusses the problems that school divisions are encountering when implementing these…

Special education teachers (n=350) completed the Expanded Teacher Efficacy Scale and the Educational Placement Vignette (which differed regarding the child's socioeconomic status and ethnicity). Results suggest that teacher responses concerning classroom management/discipline and external influences as well as a child's socioeconomic status and…

The original authors of an article proposing a new medical model of special education for children with emotional or behavioral disorders respond to comments by considering: (1) the role of psychiatric diagnosis in special education, (2) the relative efficacy of behavioral versus psychopharmacologic treatment, and (3) the nature of…

Fourteen studies were reviewed to examine the utility, acceptability, and practicality of functional behavioral assessment (FBA) conducted with students with high-incidence behavior problems in school settings. Results indicate FBA was effective, that FBA could be performed in typical school environments, and that FBA produced socially valid…

The Family Assessment Planning Team Observation Form was used to assess the family friendliness of the admissions treatment team process at an inpatient child and adolescent psychiatric hospital. The overall rating across 35 case presentations was moderately family friendly and showed marginally higher family friendliness than comparable services…