Three adolescents with developmental disabilities and severe behavior problems received eye-contact skill training using a contingency management approach in a community-based residential treatment center. The intervention produced significant increases in positive eye contact across two social settings. Staff reports of increased social…

This article describes the language abilities of 20 boys aged 10 to 13.5 years who were admitted to residential treatment because of their significant and persistent antisocial behavior. Primary diagnoses included oppositional/defiant disorder and conduct disorder. Eighty percent carried the additional diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity…

We attempted to differentiate the family environments of youth with Conduct Disorder (CD) compared to youth with a depressive disorder. Participants were 34 adolescents from a residential treatment facility. The K-SADS-P was used to determine the youth's diagnosis, while their family environment was assessed by the Self Report Measure of Family…

This paper is an outpatient replication of Apsche, Bass, Jennings and Siv (2005) work which examined the effectiveness of Mode Deactivation Therapy (MDT) on adolescent conduct disordered males in an inpatient therapeutic setting. This research compared the effectiveness of MDT and Treatment as Usual (TAU) as treatments on adolescents with conduct…

This document presents a literature review on effective educational programs for students with severe behavior disorders. The literature review's scope includes definitions of relevant terminology, statistics on prevalence, descriptions of several conceptual models and how they affect perceptions of the etiology of behavior disorders and thus the…

Orthopedagogisch Centrum (OC) Michiel is a multifunctional regional institution in the Netherlands that serves troubled families and youth at risk. Outdoor programs are used as a treatment modality for adolescents with behavior disorders, drug addictions, or criminal records. Outward Bound was the first experiential outdoor program in the…

A British residential school for children with emotional and behavioral difficulties set up a class for those children presenting with complex learning needs, including autism, within the school. The special class was observed over a number of weeks and the boys especially benefited tremendously in their social/emotional development and learning.…

Twenty-five youths, aged 10-17, with conduct or related disorders were assessed at entry and discharge from a Re-ED residential program. Improvements were found in: academic achievement, evening staff ratings of residents' hostility and anger arousal, and residents' perceptions of mastery over their environment. Day staff ratings did not indicate…

This study examined potential conflicts between expectations of receiving teachers in community schools and the behaviors of elementary students moving from a psychiatric treatment facility. Students had been using the AIMS (Assessments for Integration into Mainstream Settings) system. Potential conflicts in the areas of adaptability,…

This monograph describes the curriculum and teaching methods used to teach socialization skills at the Boys Town (Nebraska) special residential school for boys with behavioral disorders as well as replications of the Boys Town model in other locations. The model takes the basic techniques of the schools's Family/Home model and applies them to…

This article describes two studies that evaluated training intended to improve the family friendliness of five components of the admission treatment team process at an inpatient child and adolescent psychiatric hospital. While role-play training did not improve family friendliness, mindfulness training enhanced the family friendliness of all five…

In order to improve post-discharge outcomes for children, it has been proposed that residential treatment centers place a greater emphasis on engaging families and building on strengths of the youths in treatment. This review presents the theoretical and empirical support for several promising strategies for engaging families, such as behavioral…

This report describes the experiences of one California nonprofit agency which evolved, in less than 3 years, from supporting 65 people with autism and other challenging behaviors in 13 group homes to supporting 57 people who live in their own homes. The report describes the program's initial focus on providing integrated services in the group…

Personal and ecological variables were measured for 82 elementary-level behaviorally disordered students at admission and discharge from a residential treatment program. The data's relationship to students' adjustment status six months after discharge was investigated. Findings showed that personal and ecological change must occur together for…

A recent report of the British Mental Health Foundation identified key issues in service provision for children with learning disabilities and severe challenging behavior. Recommendations addressed issues such as definitions of challenging behavior, early intervention, implications for educational services, residential education, and…