The author reviews the history of the behavioral approach in treatment of autistic children and contrasts aspects of the disease or illness model with the learning or behavioral model. He states that the disease model failed in identifying the cause and in providing effective treatment for autism. (CL)

As a way to better understand the process of change that occurs in stuttering, Craig [Craig, A. (1998). "Relapse following treatment for stuttering: a critical review and correlative data." "Journal of Fluency Disorders," 23, 1-30] compared the behavioral changes that people who stutter often experience with and without treatment to those that…

Research has shown that the correct and consistent use of the male latex condom is the single most efficient, cost-effective way to reduce the sexual transmission of HIV and other infections. Yet information must be communicated in a way that is clearly understood and actually contributes to behavior change for both women and men. Anatomical…

Serious video games for health are designed to entertain players while attempting to modify some aspect of their health behavior. Behavior is a complex process influenced by multiple factors, often making it difficult to change. Behavioral science provides insight into factors that influence specific actions that can be used to guide key game…

The use of contingent positive reinforcement and aversive procedures in reducing inappropriate behaviors in five autistic preschoolers was examined. Ss were reinforced for appropriate behaviors (including spontaneous eye contact and verbalizations, appropriate play, interaction, and direction following) and not reinforced for inappropriate…

These findings in concert with case history data suggest that the thought-stopping-covert-assertion treatment "package" may hold considerable promise as an efficient and effective clinical tool. (Author)

Smokers who had received smoking cessation treatment of rapid smoking and behavioral counseling were assigned to one of two maintenance treatments. Treatments included coping-response and Pavlovian-exposure training. One added massed exposure to cigarettes, the other added nonmaintenance control condition. Both forms of maintenance reduced relapse…

One group (N=22) of community-based mentally retarded clients was initially on psychotropic medication. Their dosage was either increased, decreased, or kept the same following behavioral intervention. A second group (N=19) was placed on psychotropic medication following behavioral intervention. Results indicated that the behavioral-chemical…

There was a decline in shrieking vocalizations of a profoundly retarded nine-year-old when the auditory feedback was masked with earplugs and a corresponding increase when the masking was removed. A contingent application of masking for brief intervals maintained treatment gains and minimized amount of time with the senses masked. (Author/CL)

Two short (20-second and 60-second) overcorrection procedures were effective in suppressing stereotypic behaviors of a 7- and a 12-year-old autistic student. (CL)

A drug-dependent, college dropout was treated successfully with covert conditioning in a behaviorally oriented treatment program. The drug-taking behavior was not altered directly. Attention is drawn to these findings as well as to a proposed treatment program for heroin-addicted college dropouts. (Author)

Behavior therapy approaches to the treatment of male sexual impotence, specifically premature ejaculation and erective impotence, are discussed. Included in the behavioral therapies are systematic desensitization, active graded therapy, assertive techniques, sexual responses, operant approaches and others. Often marriage counseling is also…

Mentoring is frequently discussed as a viable approach for improving the educational and social outcomes of students at risk for learning or behavioral problems. However, little data-based evidence beyond case study has been presented regarding the effectiveness of mentoring for students at risk. Here, 16 students with emotional/behavioral…

Patients who have undergone angioplasty experience difficulty modifying at-risk behaviors for subsequent cardiac events. The purpose of this study was to test whether an innovative approach to framing of risk, based on "net present value" economic theory, would be more effective in behavioral intervention than the standard "future value approach"…

World wide, policymakers are looking for ways to use education and communication strategies to create a world that is more sustainable than the one currently in prospect. They often find themselves trapped between instrumental (behavior change) and emancipatory (human development) uses of such strategies. This study sheds light on this apparent…