Examined one-year follow-up data on a cognitive-behavioral treatment. Improvements were found for subjects in all treatment groups, and these effects were attributed to increased age. Results indicated that conceptually trained children showed significantly better recall of the material than either concrete trained or control group children.…

Reports a successful method of teaching toileting procedures to a young elementary student. Implications discussed for school psychologists were: (1) handling intervention through a consultation model; (2) using the simplest approach before attempting more powerful procedures; and (3) attempting treatment despite previously unsuccessful…

Studies the research and other literature on "special care" children and its implications for practice. Concentrates on studies concerning the most severely handicapped children, but also makes use of work on children less severely handicapped, where there are clear possible ways of applying the work to the most severely handicapped. (Author/CT)

The study sought to identify some of the variables controlling the severely aggressive behavior of two severely retarded children (ages 9 and 14). Experiments conducted under various conditions showed that, while aggressive behaviors sometimes serve as an escape function, the behaviors can be terminated through reduction of the causative situation…

Relative to children in the attention-placebo and waiting-list control, skills-training children demonstrated increased skill in a role-play situation, a greater verbal knowledge of how to interact with peers, and more initiation of peer interactions in school. (Author)

An adaptation of a school-based preventive mental health program is described and evaluated. Teachers and college student volunteers used behavioral reinforcement techniques to work with groups of maladapting second graders. Experimental subjects compared to controls improved significantly in classroom adjustment. (Author)

Reviews the book "Handbook of Child Behavior Therapy in the Psychiatric Setting." Discusses impact of professional and scientific writing on the reputation and growth of the field of behavior therapy. Considers the book impaired by lack of consistency across chapters with respect to level of sophistication, by redundancy, by an almost total…

A study of an 11-year-old boy with autism and mild mental retardation found that his escape-maintained destructive behavior was reduced during instructional sequences with differential reinforcement of compliance, escape extinction without physical guidance, and demand fading. The procedure decreased destructive behaviors to near-zero levels and…

This study examined the effects of methylphenidate drug therapy and differential reinforcement on the disruptive behavior and task engagement of 3 children (ages 6 through 11) with mental retardation. Results indicated that both interventions were effective for two of the children. No evidence of an additive or synergistic effects of the two…

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…

A review of 10 research articles on the use of auditory prompting systems with persons with moderate to severe disabilities found a functional relationship between the use of an audio prompt system and increased task performance. Results support the use of an audio prompt system as an effective intervention. (Contains references.) (CR)

Evaluated alternative treatments for children (N=112) referred for severe antisocial behavior. Assigned children to one of three treatments: (1) problem-solving skills training (PSST); (2) PSST with in vivo practice (PSST-P); or (3) client-centered relationship therapy (RT). Found increases in prosocial behavior in PSST and PSST-P children while…

The article describes a training program which effectively taught a profoundly retarded and blind nine-year-old boy to use a walker. One year follow-up indicated maintenance of treatment gains. Ambulation training was correlated with a significant reduction in stereotypic behavior. (Author/DB)

Documents the effects of training in behavioral consultation on 17 school psychology graduate students and on 44 client outcomes. Training focused on principles and mastery of applied behavioral therapy and consultation, relationship skills, and systems entry issues. Consultees and consultants expressed overall consumer satisfaction with the…

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…