This brief describes how to use a free online behavior screener to identify student support needs in middle and high schools. Inclusive Behavior Instruction utilizes data to identify appropriate social-emotional supports for all students. The Lane et al. (2016) study demonstrated system-wide use of a free online behavior screener at the middle and…

The number of students identified under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) with an emotional disturbance (ED) has remained remarkably stable over the last 30 years. During this time, approximately 1% of the school-aged population has been identified as disabled under the criteria set forth in IDEA (Kim, Forness, & Walker,…

When it comes to supporting individuals with disabilities including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) can be an invaluable tool in understanding and changing behavior. More than a technique or method, ABA is a disciplined approach rooted in science to teach specific skills and then reinforce them so individuals can…

Consulting is a type of helping relationship that usually occurs in a context whereby the consultee (teacher) is trained for the purpose of helping the client (student). The goal is to address a situation in order to solve problems within it and to empower consultees by training them to recognize needs and the resources available to them. The…

Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD) can present unique behavioral and academic challenges within the school environment. The Response to Intervention (RTI) and Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) movements have sought to formalize intervention systems to address the needs of all children. An integral…

Locker rooms, hallways, and other school locales not populated by teachers are often places where bullies emerge, places where the pecking order is established by targeting any difference or idiosyncrasy. Given that bullying happens mostly in the presence of other youth and often stops when objections are raised, there is growing evidence that…

Research has shown that peer influence can be negative, by increasing the likelihood that a youth will engage in high-risk behaviors and make risky decisions. However, peer influence can also be positive and protect a youth from these same high-risk activities. This article examines the extent of peer influence and then describes the Alternative…

Far less is known about the effects of functional communication-based toileting interventions for students with developmental disabilities in a school setting. Furthermore, the currently available toileting interventions for students with disabilities include some undesirable procedures such as the use of punishment, unnatural clinic/university…

Impairments in social communication are widely recognized as one, if not, the core deficits in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Many of the social communicative behaviors that contribute to sustaining reciprocal conversation are lacking in children with ASD. Specifically, impairments include ignoring or rejecting conversational bids,…

Objective: The longer term efficacy of medication treatments for binge-eating disorder (BED) remains unknown. This study examined the longer term effects of fluoxetine and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) either with fluoxetine (CBT + fluoxetine) or with placebo (CBT + placebo) for BED through 12-month follow-up after completing treatments.…

This study examined the relationships between implementation of a school-wide approach to behavior, School-wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS), and teacher self-efficacy. Twenty-two teachers from schools implementing SWPBS and 40 teachers from schools not implementing SWPBS completed a questionnaire measuring aspects of self-efficacy.…

Positive Behavior Support (PBS) for behavioral problems was included in the 1997 Individuals With Disabilities Education Act reauthorization, reflecting the increased implementation and strengthening empirical evidence for PBS in schools. Whereas PBS can be used reactively, its flexibility has led to a popular comprehensive school-wide model used…

Purpose: Developmental social-pragmatic and naturalistic behavioral interventions share a number of features, but they differ in their use of facilitative strategies and direct elicitation of child language. In this study, the authors investigated whether these approaches produce different language and social outcomes in young children with…

Problem behavior is common in early childhood special education classrooms. Functional communication training (FCT; Carr & Durand, 1985) may reduce problem behavior but requires identification of its function. The trial-based functional analysis (FA) is a method that can be used to identify problem behavior function in schools. We conducted…

Few studies have evaluated ways to thin punishment schedules. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of using variable ratio (VR) schedules to thin the time-out schedule gradually. Warnings were used in some conditions to assist potentially with schedule thinning, but this analysis was limited. Participants were 3 young students who…