This study, with an 11-year-old male with severe mental retardation, investigated the effectiveness of selectively implementing punishment for only the most severe topographies of aggression and property destruction, whereas less extreme behaviors were ignored. Results indicated that severe behaviors were reduced to near-zero levels only when both…

Individuals (n=178) in community sites involved with persons having severe disabilities were surveyed concerning attitudes toward the social acceptability of commonly used training techniques, including antecedent, consequence, and data collection techniques. Groups of respondents differentially rated the social acceptability of the techniques.…

Discusses how to help students learn to manage anger, highlighting four critical concepts of anger management (anger cues, anger triggers, anger reducers, and communications skills) and explaining how to teach students to consider the different aspects of anger, use anger positively, examine anger triggers, cool down, and handle frustration. (SM)

Describes a cognitive-behavioral model for treating couples' negative reactions to infertility. After a discussion of why the cognitive-behavioral approach can competently address the goals of couples coping with infertility, three phases of treatment are outlined: assessment, therapy, and closure. Areas for assessment include spouses, marital…

A variety of cognitive and behavioral techniques used most commonly by practicing cognitive therapists is described, including clinical examples and recommendations for their implementation. (Author)

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 say-do-report correspondence training was implemented to break the functions of present conditions given by a history of contingencies maintaining chronic inadequate patterns of behavior in two adolescents with mental retardation and language deficits. All behaviors changed and were maintained, even after eliminating the components involved in…

This article provides a general description of the features and steps of the functional behavioral assessment (FBA) process. It is organized around frequently asked questions and provides information on who conducts an FBA, when an FBA should be done, the components of an FBA, and outcomes of an FBA. (Contains references.) (CR)

A study evaluated teaching a technique for self-control to three adults with developmental disabilities. Concurrent fixed-duration/progressive-duration reinforcement schedules were introduced in which both smaller and larger reinforcers were available immediately. When progressively increasing delays were introduced for the larger reinforcer,…

Describes Project Adventure's Legacy program, a 12-bed, 10-month residential program for juvenile sex-offenders in Georgia. Most offenders started as victims, so the program must address their early sexual trauma. Adventure-based counseling, with its emphasis on the total mind-body experience, is especially suited for this. Sidebars present the…

Describes an 11-week course given at a nursing home to nursing home aides that focused on abnormal psychology and behavior intervention skills. Discusses the course goals, class composition, and course description. Addresses the problems and issues encountered with teaching this course to a nontraditional population in an unconventional setting.…

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…

Describes an ethnographic study undertaken with 23 youth, in residential treatment centers, to explore the effect of caring relationships on their lives. Seven elements of caring relationships were identified: trust; attention; empathy; availability; affirmation; respect; and virtue. Describes how the components of successful caring can be used to…

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…

This article reports on the outcomes of a study that used functional communication training (FCT) with two students, (ages 6 and 15) with autism and severe mental retardation, to add information to a database assessing the potential generalized effects of FCT and to examine the role that contingencies for appropriate and problem behaviors play in…