Behavior analysts typically assess and treat challenging behavior after it occurs regularly and at high severity. Although effective, this reactive approach is quite costly and resource intensive. A growing literature supports an alternative preventive approach; the first step involves conducting sensitivity tests to screen the topographies and…

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition that includes social-communication deficits and repetitive and stereotypical behaviours (APA 2022). Neurobiological methods of studying ASD are a promising methodology for identifying ASD biomarkers. Mu rhythms (Mu) have the potential to shed light on the socialisation deficits that…

Behavior is a form of communication. For many young children, they may engage in certain behaviors to consciously or subconsciously communicate a need to access something, such as a desired adult or peer, sensory stimulation, or a tangible item. Other times, children may engage in a behavior to escape or avoid something, such as a particular…

Inhibition (a temperamental profile characterized by elevated levels of avoidance behaviors) is associated with increased likelihood for developing anxiety and depression, whereas exuberance (a temperamental profile characterized by elevated levels of approach behaviors) is associated with increased likelihood for developing externalizing…

Universal screening for social, emotional, and behavioral risk is an important method for identifying students in need of additional or targeted support (Eklund and Dowdy in School Mental Health 6:40-49, 2014). Research is needed to explore how potential bias may be implicated in universal screening. We investigated student demographics as…

We designed a video-based intervention to prepare preservice teachers to deal with classroom disruptions. Using tandem cases, we produced staged videos showing a functional scenario, in which a teacher deals effectively with disruptive behaviour, and a dysfunctional scenario, in which a teacher's behaviour leads to the escalation and spread of the…

While the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, Second Edition (ADOS-2) is considered a "reference standard" measure to observe symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), little is known about the utility of its Other Abnormal Behaviors or "E codes." This study investigated the unique influence of each E code (overactivity,…

Students with disabilities are disciplined at disproportionately high rates, despite federal laws designed to ensure disciplinary protection. We examine the association between disability and discipline using a novel approach, investigating whether behavior problems trigger special education referral, and if disciplinary outcomes change once…

Behavioral and emotional disorders in childhood can have lasting impacts in areas such as education and future employment, often extending into adulthood. Identifying the potential disorders in children's early grades is beneficial to provide proactive assistance. In this study, we employed a well-validated scale - the Strengths and Difficulties…

Background: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental condition, more often diagnosed in males. In many individuals, particularly females, ADHD is diagnosed later or missed, the reasons for this are not fully understood. Timely diagnosis is needed to provide support, management, and treatment to improve…

Teachers are at the forefront of identifying internalizing and externalizing behavioral symptoms in children; however, there are disparities in how these behaviors are addressed in the classroom, particularly in relation to disciplinary disparities. This study examined whether teacher education students, when presented with differing behaviors,…

Introduction: Leadership support has been identified as a key facilitator to successful implementation of school-based initiatives. School leadership contributions to student academic success and school reform have been documented, but less work has focused on the effects of leadership on school mental health initiatives such as social, emotional,…

Training teachers to select and implement appropriate function-based interventions may reduce their reliance on behavior specialists and other support staff to help manage their students' problem behavior in the classroom. Most prior studies on this type of training evaluated outcomes by measuring teachers' verbal report rather than their…

Students with both academic and behavioral risk factors can benefit from participation in self-regulated strategy development (SRSD) instruction. Educators can use systematic screening procedures as part of effective data-informed decision making for identifying students who could benefit from SRSD. In this manuscript we detail screening…

Early identification of social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties (SEBDs) in children is essential to provide support and reduce the risk of negative outcomes. Schools are considered ideal settings to identify SEBDs, and in many countries special educational needs coordinators (SENCOs) play a pivotal role in this respect. Although SENCOs may…