Many teachers struggle with effectively managing challenging behavior, which occurs in the majority of classrooms serving young children. Teachers of young children (ages 3-8) commonly cite noncompliance, aggression, disruptive behavior, and poor social skills as being among the most challenging behaviors (Snell et al., 2012). For many of these…

The newsletter describes the development of a therapeutic recreation program for the severely and profoundly retarded using a recreational programing hierarchy approach. Sections address the following areas: identifying the habits and habit systems of the retarded individual as they relate to the interactional process of the family system,…

Four principals were trained to supervise the implementation of a positively-oriented, token economy in all normal classrooms in their schools. Pre and post-implementation behavioral observations of teacher-delivered positive and negative events, student disruptions, and student involvement indicated the program was successful. (Author/CP)

This guide describes methods to help parents and others reduce the unacceptable behaviors of children with multiple sensory impairments and replace those behaviors with acceptable ones. The guide recommends that the behavior change program begin with simple changes so that both the parents and the child gain experience in changing behavior. The…

A 14-year-old student with moderate retardation rode a stationary bicycle, while rotation of the bicycle wheel operated one of three consequence conditions (television, flashing lights, or vibrator sound). Vibrator sound was the most potent reinforcing consequence. The activity led to the development of exercise behavior with a minimum amount of…

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…

This article presents answers to common questions about use of contingency contracts for behavior management with students needing individualized programs in academic or social-emotional areas. A methodological format for developing contracts, a planning worksheet, and a sample contract are included. (DB)

A knowledge of an individual's preferences is essential to create an effective reward or reinforcer program for individuals who have either a need to reduce maladaptive behaviors or to increase adaptive behaviors. The goal of the Missouri Automated Reinforcer Assessment (MARA) project is to develop an efficient yet thorough automated reinforcer…

Joint teacher and student development of a contingency management plan to help control disruptive behavior was explored with a class of 13 mildly mentally retarded elementary school children after several less extensive teacher directed contingencies were unsuccessful. All students in the self contained classroom had extensive school histories of…

The Contingencies for Learning Academic and Social Skills (CLASS) program is described. CLASS is a comprehensive, self-contained behavior management package designed for remediation of the behavior problems of disruptive, acting-out students in Kindergarten through grade 3. (Author/MH)

Selected literature on the use of daily/weekly report cards with parent-managed contingencies to modify school learning and behavior problems is reviewed. The development, implementation, evaluation, and fading of such programs are discussed and were found to be effective in modifying numerous school-related problem behaviors. (Author/RL)

This article reviews the current research-based knowledge on nonpharmacological interventions for students with attention deficit disorder and highlights findings related to behavior management, academic instruction, home and school collaboration, and comprehensive programing. A lack of research is noted on interventions concerning daily classroom…

This document is the second in a series of 12 early childhood program descriptions compiled by the Far West Laboratory for Educational Research and Development. The program described here is the Behavior Analysis Model developed by Don Bushell at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas. The program, designed for children from preschool…

Efforts of the Center for Career Development (Mesa, Arizona) to compare various strategies for promoting available career education materials and services in the Mesa Public Schools (to determine which strategies are more effective in increasing utilization of career education resources) are described. After identifying the career education…

The second of two documents designed to train paraprofessionals to work with mainstreamed mildly handicapped children presents a teacher's guide approach to inservice and preservice training. The following four topics are covered in the section on preservice training (sample subtopics in parentheses): the teacher (forming a good working…