Process and outcome of a smoking cessation program using behavior therapy along (BT) or behavior therapy plus the nicotine patch (BTP) was studied in 64 participants. Abstinence was significantly higher for the BTP group from the end of behavioral treatment (79% vs. 63%) through the three-month follow-up, with the effects weakening at the six- and…

Discusses the lack of thorough behavioral assessments prior to treatment interventions and describes a sequenced, structured format for conducting a comprehensive behavioral analysis. The procedures for the assessment are described, including recording observations, organizing information to clarify recurring patterns, interpreting observations,…

Overviews the focus, scope, and practice of behavioral consultation to public schools. A four-stage process of behavioral intervention is described, followed by a discussion on the expanding role of behavior support intervention. The involvement of consultants in the design of individual-student, classroom-wide, and whole-school programs is…

Proposes that the current problem behavior of students in elementary and middle schools requires a preventive, whole-school approach based on positive behavior support. The features of positive behavior support are defined, and the application to whole-school intervention articulated. The steps used to implement school-wide positive behavior…

Investigated behavioral intervention to control child distress during invasive cancer treatment. Children (n=23) requiring physical restraint to complete venipuncture were alternately assigned to behavioral intervention or attention control condition. Observed child distress, parent-rated child distress, and parent ratings of own distress were…

Parents (n=58) rated the acceptability of behavioral treatments recommended to them for their children's behavior problems and completed an attribution measure. Results indicated that a significant, negative correlation exists between physical attribution ratings and acceptability ratings of behavioral treatments, with the magnitude of the…

This response to a paper by Guess and Carr (EC 602 212) on stereotypy and self-injurious behavior in the disabled focuses on (1) potentially misleading statements that may discourage practitioners from operant approaches to stereotypy and self-injury, and (2) strengths and weaknesses of the model compared to existing operant models. (DB)

Lemont (Illinois) Township High School District 210 has developed a program that aggressively manages children of the 90s by using Behavior Modification-Tutorial program. Program goals are to change student behavior, maintain or improve student's academic standing while appropriate behavior is being learned, and monitor academic progress and…

Provides details of a response cost procedure to eliminate a nine-year old's public masturbatory behavior. Treatment was based on a procedure used by Pianta and Hudson and it incorporated the mother's and daughter's interest in art activities. Treatment reduced undesired behavior while increasing desired academic and social behaviors. (RJM)

Reviews practical issues involved in the behavioral treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Traditional treatment strategies, non-behavioral treatment approaches and their efficacy, behavioral methods of treatment, and best treatment practices are outlined. A summary sheet of treatment methods and best treatment practices is…

This article on the use of applied behavior analysis with students who have autism focuses on discrete trial training (DTT) to develop new forms of behavior, new discriminations, advanced skills, and manage disruptive behavior. Cautions include the need to combine the method with other interventions, provide intensive DTT during early phases of…

This study examined whether problem behaviors of three adults with profound mental retardation, which had been maintained by continuous reinforcement schedules, could be extinguished more rapidly than those maintained on an intermittent schedule of reinforcement. No significant differences in extinction rate were found between the two conditions.…

This paper examines behavior interventions for echolalic behavior in children with autism, including verbal prompting (focusing on the echolalic behavior itself) and the cues-pause-point procedure (which employs the child's prerequisite skills to teach correct verbal responses). A review of the literature indicated that both techniques were…

All too often, one behavioral intervention is used universally to handle a variety of problem behaviors, regardless of the function of the misbehavior. This article describes how a functional assessment of behavior can be used to identify the purpose of misbehaviors and plan effective behavioral interventions. (Author)

This paper identifies six factors that affect fidelity of treatment in relationship to functional behavioral assessment (FBA) in the classroom setting including: (1) understanding the function of and the contextual variables that support target behavior, (2) adult knowledge of effective interventions, and (3) adult acceptance of the intervention.…