An audit of 200 students entering an inner city secondary school indicated that 75% had communication difficulties which hampered relationships, behaviour and learning. A course was designed for 35 teachers and support staff. The premise was that improving dialogue with students, and facilitating their narrative speaking and writing structures,…

This paper provides a description of three-tier intervention models for reading and behavior. Although there is scientific evidence that the implementation of interventions at one or more levels of these models leads to improved reading or behavior performance, there is a paucity of research detailing the integration of three-tiered reading and…

In the United States today, there is a growing number of children exhibiting disruptive behavior. The rising rates of violence among youth in society parallel the increase in numbers of students who engage in severe problem behavior in schools. Schools are currently confronting a number of disturbing trends regarding school discipline, violence,…

Estimates of the prevalence of alcohol dependence among Americans approach 14% (Read, Kahler, & Stevenson, 2001). Alcohol dependence was once considered among the most recalcitrant of problem behaviors, with only 20% to 30% attaining sustained abstinence (Hunt Barnett & Branch 1971). Although current definitions of treatment success now consider…

One of the biggest challenges facing college instructors in the 21st century is classroom misbehavior. The authors propose that how one handles classroom incivility is a matter of personality type. One of the authors is an extrovert; the other an introvert. The authors discuss personality theory, general classroom management, how to identify…

Relationship abuse is among the most challenging topics sexuality educators have to address in their classrooms. Due to the sensitive nature of the topic, it is important to allow time for content (which is to be provided in a subsequent session) as well as an exploration of one's own values and beliefs. This full-session activity is designed to…

Most directors of early learning programs have had to deal with children whose challenging behaviors are sources of frustration for teachers, other children, and parents of other children. Too often the assumption is made that a child who is aggressive, disruptive, and/or destructive must by definition have some combination of "an anger problem,"…

A model of conditional discrimination performance (Davison & Nevin, 1999) is combined with the notion that unmeasured attending to the sample and comparison stimuli, in the steady state and during disruption, depends on reinforcement in the same way as predicted for overt free-operant responding by behavioral momentum theory (Nevin & Grace, 2000).…

Drawing on current research and best practices, this third part of the three-part resource, "Supporting Positive Behaviour in Alberta Schools," provides information and strategies for providing intensive, individualized support and instruction for the small percentage of students requiring a high degree of intervention. This system of…

"SAMHSA News" is the national newsletter of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Published six times a year (bimonthly) by SAMHSA's Office of Communications, SAMHSA News contains information about the latest substance abuse and mental health treatment and prevention practices, recent statistics on mental health and…

Emergent themes from this special issue on parent-child co-sleeping are featured in this concluding article. Each of the pieces in this collection addressed one or more of the following themes: methodologies for studying parent-infant co-sleeping, physical and social characteristics of the child's sleep environment, associations between sleep…

"Talking Stones" is an interview technique that is designed to support self advocacy, particularly for groups of disaffected school students whose views may be difficult to elicit. It has been developed and refined to incorporate a view of learners as active agents in their own learning and is compatible with reflective practice and a…

There are many ways to help children with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) succeed in school. Behavior intervention plans provide support to help students adjust their actions to fit school norms. Inclusive philosophy and practices continue to break the cycle of restricted and segregated placements, whereas schoolwide intervention models…

Video modeling (VM) is one of the strategies that may help teachers increase appropriate behaviors among children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Children with ASD exhibit deficits in the areas of communication, socialization, behavior, and other life skills. Teachers need strategies that are evidence-based to improve these skills in…

Autonomy is a basic human need having influence on motivation. Facilitating student autonomy is an essential ingredient of effective programs for maximizing internalized change and increasing motivation in troubled and troubling youth. This article examines the theoretical concepts of autonomy and control related to choices and considers their…