This 1-year study investigated use of isolation timeout as a behavioral control intervention with 156 students with emotional disturbance in a special educational facility. Results indicated that 13,000 separate timeouts occurred over the year. Average time in isolation was 23 hours per student. Older students in more restrictive settings spent…

This study compared the effects of multiple versus single deadline contingencies on distribution of unit-mastery test taking by students in four university classes taught using the personalized system of instruction. Rate of test taking was most uniform when multiple deadlines were imposed throughout the course. (Author/DB)

Ways to promote generalization of social skills of students with learning disabilities (LD) are considered. Approaches include: sequential modification, introducing naturally maintaining contingencies, training sufficient exemplars, training across settings, training loosely, using indiscriminable contingencies, programming common stimuli, and…

Functional communication training, extinction, and response chaining decreased escape-maintained aberrant behavior and increased task participation of 3 youth, ages 10 through 15, with moderate mental retardation, 2 of whom also had autism. Task escape was contingent on verbally responding and completing task steps. Behavior chaining also…

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 investigated the relationship between self-restraint (e.g., entanglement of limbs in clothing or furniture) and self-injurious behavior (SIB) using functional analysis with five males with severe mental retardation. Results suggested that self-restraint, like SIB, may be maintained by idiosyncratic contingencies. (Author/DB)

Compares three treatment modalities for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) including stimulant treatments, primarily methylphenidate; behavioral treatments, including contingency management and parent training; and cognitive-behavioral or self-regulation therapies. Discusses methodological quandaries, constricted focus, and…

This review of behavioral research on teaching individuals with profound multiple handicaps found that behavior change has resulted from contingency management interventions, but the behavior changes cannot be described as beneficially affecting the individuals' quality of life. Explanations for this are offered, and suggestions for future…

Assessed teachers' (n=89) acceptance of Good Behavior Game (GBG), interdependent group contingency. Found GBG as acceptable as positive reinforcement and response cost. Neither target children's ages, behavior problem severity, nor stated procedure rationale affected ratings. Found positive relationship between acceptability and use of positive…

Functional assessments were conducted for two Irish individuals with severe disabilities and aberrant behavior. A modified attention condition was introduced, which involved both parents interacting with a third person. Aberrant behavior occurred only in the modified attention condition. Successful treatment consisted of delivery of attention on a…

Following an initial school inservice workshop on functional assessment and differential reinforcement procedures with five children having severe behavior problems, on-site technical assistance was provided to local school personnel working in transdisciplinary teams. Functional analysis was effective in identifying individual maintaining…

This paper outlines and reviews two types of interventions used with students with learning disabilities. Cognitive cue cards are regarded as a form of cognitive intervention and correspondence training is regarded as a behavioural intervention. It is concluded that both kinds of interventions are valuable and result in improvements in the…

Learning strategy preferences depend upon circulating estrogen levels, with enhanced hippocampus-sensitive place learning coinciding with elevated estrogen levels. The effects of estrogen on strategy may be mediated by fluctuations in GABAergic function, given that inhibitory tone in the hippocampus is low when estrogen is high. We investigated…

Performance feedback has facilitated the acquisition and maintenance of a wide range of behaviors (e.g., health-care routines, seat-belt use). Most researchers have attributed the effectiveness of performance feedback to (a) its discriminative functions, (b) its reinforcing functions, or (c) the combination of the two. In this study, we attempted…

Children with autism exhibit significant deficits in imitation skills which impede the acquisition of more complex behaviors and socialization, and are thus an important focus of early intervention programs for children with autism. This study used a multiple-baseline design across five young children with autism to assess the benefit of a…