This systematic review evaluates single-case research design studies investigating applied behavior analytic (ABA) interventions for people with Down syndrome (DS). One hundred twenty-five studies examining the efficacy of ABA interventions on increasing skills and/or decreasing challenging behaviors met inclusion criteria. The What Works…

Individuals who are dually diagnosed with Down Syndrome (DS) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) frequently engage in vocal stereotypy that can interfere with learning, impede socially appropriate behavior, and disrupt others. Response interruption and redirection (RIRD) is an intervention that blocks and redirects stereotypy to reduce behavior.…

The current study evaluates the concurrent relationship between parent ratings of executive functioning and maladaptive behavior among children and adolescents with Down syndrome and then repeats this evaluation using teacher reports. Parents and teachers of 63 school-age children with Down syndrome rated the child's executive functioning…

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare a sample of Italian (n = 29) and Finnish children (n = 32) with Down syndrome for possible differences emerging from diverse educational surroundings. Besides the level of adaptive and challenging behaviors, some other issues were compared, including teacher satisfaction. Methods: We used the…

Children with learning disabilities can be as sharp as their peers; however, they may find it challenging to write, read, reason out information, spell things correctly, or process information. Due to this, it is critical for students to understand the ways of learning that suit them the best. They may not be aware of the different ways they can…

A motivating operation (MO) alters both the effectiveness of a stimulus as a reinforcer and the current frequency of all behavior that has been reinforced by that particular stimulus. This article reviews studies that have manipulated a MO during interventions with school-age participants with intellectual disabilities and problem behavior. A…

The following article introduces the Solihull Approach, a structured framework for intervention work with families (Douglas, "Solihull resource pack; the first five years." Cambridge: Jill Rogers Associates, 2001) and aims to demonstrate the usefulness of this approach in working with school-age children with complex neurodevelopmental…

Analogue functional analyses are a well-researched means of determining behavioral function in research and clinical contexts. However, conducting analogue functional analyses in school settings can be problematic and may lead to inconclusive results. The purpose of this study was to compare the results of a trial-based functional analysis with…

Background: A number of genetic conditions with associated intellectual disability and/or special educational needs have increasingly well-defined behavioural phenotypes. Thus, the concept of "behavioural phenotype" and aetiology of intellectual disability may be important with regard to school-based interventions. Method: The evidence for…

Behavioural approaches can be used effectively to teach new skills and to change behaviours that are challenging and not socially adaptive. The behaviour modification approach--now called applied behaviour analysis--is based on the assumption that all behaviours are learned, both the useful ones (new skills) and the ones that are not so useful…

Researchers and clinicians are recognizing that a subgroup of children with Down syndrome (DS) also present with clinically significant impairments in social-communication and restricted patterns of behavior, such as those that characterize autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Efforts to better describe the behavioral presentation of children with…

Children with Down syndrome are at an increased risk for engaging in challenging behaviour that may present problems within community, leisure, and educational settings, and, in many instances, precludes them from accessing these environments. Factors contributing to the occurrence of challenging behaviours include characteristics associated with…

Children with genetic syndromes frequently have feeding problems and swallowing dysfunction as a result of the complex interactions between anatomical, medical, physiological, and behavioral factors. Feeding problems associated with genetic disorders may also cause feeding to be unpleasant, negative, or even painful because of choking, coughing,…

This article reviews recent advances in the "new genetics" and shows how such advances affect special education. Focusing on Williams, Fragile X, Prader-Willi, and Down syndromes, it notes how etiology-related cognitive-linguistic profiles and propensities to distinct personalities and behavior problems point the way to specific,…

Many commonly employed strategies used by teachers to manage noncompliance and problem behavior in the classroom focus on suppression of problem responses through reductive consequences. Errorless compliance training was developed to provide a nonaversive alternative to reducing child noncompliance and has been demonstrated effective as a…