The study assessed whether 4 students (ages 9-13) with severe autistic disabilities could learn to use a self-management treatment package to reduce stereotypic behavior. Use of the procedures greatly reduced levels of stereotypic behavior. Improvement also occurred for extended periods of time in new settings without the presence of a treatment…

A self control therapy program for depression was held over a 10-week period for 104 women, aged 18-60. The therapy focused on behavioral and cognitive objectives, increasing both activity levels and positive statements about self. To investigate the effectiveness of the program after a 6-month period, 71 of the women (approximately 70 percent of…

The study examining the effectiveness of a cognitive-behavioral training program with 30 behaviorally disordered adolescents found participating students exhibited fewer aggressive behaviors and demonstrated greater self-control than nonparticipating students. The addition of an incentive for implementing the training strategies did not appear to…

This study examined the effects of blocking self-injurious behavior on the self-restraint of a 19-year-old male with severe mental retardation. Consistent with the negative reinforcement hypothesis, blocking SIB resulted in near-zero levels of SIB and moderate reductions in self-restraint. (Author/DB)

This study examined effects of providing attention (the presumed reinforcer) both noncontingently and contingent upon either self-injurious behavior or self-restraint with a 12-year-old female with multiple disabilities including profound mental retardation. Results were consistent with the hypothesis that both responses were maintained by…

The educational and research implications of defining mental retardation as a self-regulatory disorder are explored. Behavioral, social-learning, and cognitive conceptualizations regarding the structure and development of self-regulation is examined. Self-regulation is described as a complex linguistically guided skill that can be taught through…

A broad spectrum behavior therapy approach was used to treat physical aggression in 5 brain-injured males (ages 18-28). The approach employed high density reinforcement, reinforcer sampling, environmental control, selection of appropriate responses, inconvenience review, self-control training, and self-monitoring. All five subjects showed…

A comprehensive evidence-based treatment for substance abuse and other associated problems (Family Behavior Therapy) is described, including its application to both adolescents and adults across a wide range of clinical contexts (i.e., criminal justice, child welfare). Relevant to practitioners and applied clinical researchers, topic areas include…

This study compared rates of self-injurious behavior (SIB) exhibited by a 32-year-old woman with profound mental retardation across conditions in which access to restraint was either continuously available, presented as a consequence for SIB, or unavailable. Rates of SIB increased when access to restraint was contingent upon SIB, suggesting that…

The scope and incidence of school-based aggression, specifically physical and verbal assault, are noted. Interventions discussed include: contingency management (reinforcement, ignoring, response cost, timeout, peer procedures, and aversive consequences) and self-management procedures (social skills training, problem-solving training, and…

Investigates the influence on Scottish preschool children's self-control of labels regarding patience given directly to the children themselves, and of the expectations regarding the children's patience provided to adult testers. Childrens self-control was assessed in a task in which each child's possession of accumulating candy rewards was made…

This study investigated the relationship between self-restraint (e.g., entanglement of limbs in clothing or furniture) and self-injurious behavior (SIB) using functional analysis with five males with severe mental retardation. Results suggested that self-restraint, like SIB, may be maintained by idiosyncratic contingencies. (Author/DB)

This study used a self-management treatment package to teach three children with autism to play appropriately in the absence of a treatment provider. Results indicated appropriate play skills were learned and generalized to new settings, and two of the children maintained gains at one-month followup. In addition, self-stimulatory behaviors…

This literature review focuses on behavioral intervention strategies for the reduction of school-related fears and anxieties. Major behavior therapy procedures are discussed: systematic desensitization and its variations, modeling, self-control, and cognitive behavioral approaches. General research trends in fear and anxiety reduction are also…

Issues in effective diagnosis of such dishonest behavior as cheating, lying, and nonconfrontative stealing are discussed. Published intervention approaches for dishonest behavior are reviewed, including negative sanctions, direct appeals to morality, public affirmation, covert sensitization, timeout, reinforcement contingency procedures, and…