Injection drug users (IDUs) are at risk for HIV and viral hepatitis, and risky injection behavior persists despite decades of intervention. Cognitive behavioral theories (CBTs) are commonly used to help understand risky injection behavior. The authors review findings from CBT-based studies of injection risk behavior among IDUs. An extensive…

Two adolescent boys with a history of rapidly increasing obesity participated in a behavioral weight reduction program. The multi-dimensional treatment package consisted of those behavioral techniques most often shown to be effective in treating obese adults (programed behavior management and stimulus control instructions, self monitoring of daily…

The historical background and early contributions of the Emma Pendleton Bradley Hospital, the first psychiatric hospital for children in the United States, are described; with emphasis on the incorporation of the treatment modality of behavior modification into this traditional psychoanalytically oriented program. (Author/SBH)

Reports two transdisciplinary interventions conducted by an Itinerant school nurse. The case studies presented involve a Prader-Willi syndrome student enrolled in a class for the trainable mentally handicapped and a student enrolled in a regular fourth grade classroom but considered at risk for placement in a behavior disorders setting. (JHZ)

A 65-item questionnaire assessed teacher (N=2279) perceptions of intervention alternatives used to control classroom behavior problems. Strategies rated as most effective, easiest to use, and most frequently used by both regular and special educators included interventions that either redirected students toward appropriate behavior or involved…

Sixteen studies were analyzed that employed single-subject designs focusing on conduct disorders in preschoolers. Results indicated that reinforcement produced most positive outcomes, followed by punishment, timeout, and differential attention. Subject characteristics such as sex, handicapping condition, and target behavior typically bore little…

Analyzed the effect of a seven-week motivational training program on competitive veteran swimmers. Results suggested that the motivational training program exerted significant and positive influences on swimming performances. Swimmers perceived the program effective in improving swimming performances, developing personal motivation, establishing…

Presents a scenario that illustrates some negative side effects of independent and interdependent group-oriented contingencies. Makes recommendations for altering group- oriented contingencies to reduce these negative side effects and to increase the probability that teachers will use these contingencies to increase students' academic performance…

Safety belt use with and without addition of an incentive strategy was observed among 8,635 drivers at a drive-through restaurant. During the promotional campaign, average rate of belt use tripled compared to baseline following the introduction of a contingent reward (a large soft drink), and declined during followup. (JW)

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…

Therapeutic intervention to treat chronic food refusal in two children with multiple developmental disabilities consisted of elimination of feeding "demands" that provoked child agitation, incorporation of sensory stimulation as contingent reinforcement, and gradual introduction of the requirements for oral consumption. Consistent oral…

Four studies analyzed eye poking behavior of a youth with profound disabilities. Results demonstrated substantive reductions in the frequency of eye poking when goggles were worn and when a video game was provided as a competing source of visual stimulation and as a reinforcer. Music was less effective in reducing eye poking. (Author/DB)

The following stages in planning a token economy with students having behavior problems are discussed: (1) identifying target behaviors; (2) specifying and selecting reinforcers; (3) identifying token types and schedules; (4) planning token distribution and redemption; (5) initiating and implementing the token economy system; and (6) planning…

A multicomponent intervention to change problem behavior, which prevented community integration of three adolescents with autism, was evaluated. The intervention (implemented in a supermarket setting) included choice making, embedding, functional communication training, building tolerance for delay of reinforcement, and presenting discriminative…

Positive reinforcement (food) presented both regularly and variably was effectively used to reduce self-stimulatory behavior in a 12-year-old profoundly retarded visually impaired male over a 2-month period. The improved behavior was maintained after the summer break and into the new school year. (DB)