Federal and state efforts to enhance equal education opportunities through narrowly framed special programs have become problematic, as core curriculum instruction is slighted and children are classified in highly dubious ways. This article discusses problems and needed reforms of both the "second system" and regular education. Includes 20…

Literature is reviewed documenting the relationship between implementation of communication intervention and decreases in excess behavior in persons with severe disabilities. Operant conditioning and pragmatics are discussed in terms of their joint application to excess behavior, and a list of possible pragmatic intents of excess behavior is…

Describes the case of Casey Jesson, a hyperactive child ordered by the state of Hew Hampshire to ingest Ritalin or forego a public education. Despite adverse side effects and the perils of drug dependency, there is greater parental and educator acceptance of Ritalin than ever before. Scientologists are sparking an anti-Ritalin campaign. Includes…

The article examines issues in classroom discipline with emphasis on policies in Victoria (Australia) over the last six years. The article challenges the Education Ministry's support of suspension as an intervention with disruptive students and encourages development of a school climate which sees discipline as an educational rather than…

Describes advantages of using newspapers as reading material for disturbed adolescents. Outlines various classroom activities using newspapers, such as a newspaper scavenger hunt, celebrity scrapbooks, and student advice columns. Notes that newspapers are successful because they contain current, relevant information, with none of the negative…

Used the Preschool Behavior Questionnaire to explore dimensionality of parental ratings of positive and negative aspects of behavior in Swedish four-year olds. Correlations showed a stronger relationship between positive aspects, peer competence, and ego strength/effectance and a strong negative relationship between peer competence and…

Suggests several improvements in the reporting and investigation of child sexual abuse cases. It covers the importance of interviewing children and offers some techniques for properly doing so. The author discusses the issues of interpreting physical and behavioral signs of abuse and emphasizes the importance of accurate recordkeeping. (GLR)

In this study with three children (ages four and five) with severe developmental disabilities and aberrant behavior maintained by tangible positive reinforcement, noncontingent reinforcement, and differential reinforcement of alternative behavior were found to decrease the frequency of aberrant behavior while strengthening mands. (Author/DB)

This study compared the effects of unequal and equal reinforcer duration during a functional analysis of aberrant behavior in an 11-year old with moderate mental retardation. Results showed that reinforcer duration affects the rate of aberrant behavior and may potentially alter functional analysis interpretation. (DB)

Noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) was applied to reduce the destructive behaviors of five-year-old quadruplets diagnosed with mental retardation and pervasive developmental disorder. Findings suggest that the effectiveness of NCR may be dependent on the use of a dense schedule of reinforcement initially and that systematic fading can increase the…

The successful application of functional analysis to problem behavior suggests the need to examine: additional functional properties of behavior involving social avoidance, biological reinforcement, and respondent conditioning; the role of context (including social factors and biological factors); and the multidimensional character of assessment…

Functional assessment is redefining the standards for clinical interventions with problem behavior and reemphasizing the importance of basic behavioral mechanisms. It has shown the importance of complex patterns of behavioral control, functional assessment as an ongoing process, and the importance of attention to antecedent variables. Future…

Looks at schools that serve children whose problems in learning and behavior mark them as marginal students. Identifies "cultural imperatives" by observing curriculum domains emphasized in "special" and largely separate school programs. Notes that increasing numbers of special programs have become highly disjointed and inefficient in schools and…

Describes rhythm and presence, then focuses on roles of rhythm and presence in forming connections with troubled youth. Contends that techniques used to manage behavior and promote growth only work when workers are present (real) and in sync with children's rhythms. Offers six suggestions that are helpful in creating situations in which rhythm and…

Tested hypothesis that children's contact with nonresident parents decreases children's behavior problems when interparental conflict is low but increases children's behavior problems when interparental conflict is high. Analyzed data from 1,285 children in single-parent families. Hypothesis was supported among boys from divorced families; no…