Investigated were similarities and differences in the ability of 26 normally developing and 26 conduct-disordered children and adolescents to comprehend psychologically defensive behavior and the cognitive processes underlying differences due to age. Matched by cognitive level, subjects viewed vignettes depicting another child behaving…

Trends in delinquency are summarized and principles for treating violent adolescents are considered. Four major trends are identified: (1) an increase in violent crimes committed by juveniles, (2) a decrease in intact nuclear families of delinquents, (3) an increase in voluntary separation (divorce or abandonment rather than death) of parents, and…

The paper describes for elementary and secondary teachers a planned, direct, and systematic way of teaching prosocial behaviors to behaviorally disordered students. The assessment process involves a pre-teaching assessment in which students and specific instructional skills are selected and a post-teaching assessment phase which includes…

Object-relations (O-R) theory expands traditional psychoanalytic thinking beyond psychiatric hospitals and patients. This approach focuses on emotional development that leads to normal or disturbed behavior. O.R. theory is presented here to acquaint counselors with its basic concepts, its practical applications, and its impact on current…

The article describes the Pupil Assessment Summary (PAS) designed to help educators organize data on students with behavior disorders using four categories: disturber element (focus of problem); problem behavior element (specific behaviors); setting element (when/where problem behavior occurs); and disturbed element (who regards the behavior as a…

The article discusses special considerations in applying standard token economy techniques to behavior change with the head injured with examples of token economies at three rehabilitation facilities. (DB)

To determine degrees of impulsivity between emotionally disturbed/behavior disordered (ED/BD) students and their nonlabeled peers and to evaluate the developmental characteristics of impulsivity within both groups, 27 ED/BD and 27 nonlabeled students aged 9 to 13 took the Matching Familiar Figures Test. No significant differences between the…

The article describes three aspects of negative reinforcement as it relates to applied behavior analysis: behavior acquired or maintained through negative reinforcement, the treatment of negatively reinforced behavior, and negative reinforcement as therapy. Current research suggests the emergence of an applied technology on negative reinforcement.…

The study examined effects of aversive taste treatment of thumb sucking on untreated habitual hair pulling by two young males (ages 2 and 5). Concomitant with successful treatment of thumb sucking, hair pulling was also eliminated. Results suggest an efficient method for changing behaviors that are difficult to treat directly. (Author/JW)

The study examined effects of tutoring lower functioning students on 12 behaviorally disordered students tutors (third through fifth grades). Although anecdotal reports strongly favored tutoring, all objective measures (i.e., absences, disciplinary referrals, achievement test performance, behavior rating scales) failed to indicate behavior change…

The authors cite a critical need for adequate client description in program evaluation efforts and propose a set of characteristics that a useful classification of clients must possess. After reviewing current classification systems, the authors discuss behavioral and ecological models. (CL)

The rationale for process measurement in programs for behavior disordered students is presented, followed by a description of a matrix to conceptualize process evaluation methodologies. Examples are presented for each matrix cell to illustrate types of data that can be used to evaluate the teaching process. (CL)

A comparison of students on a standardized behavioral checklist and follow-up observations examined underidentification of behavioral disorders in preschoolers attending licensed daycare settings. (Author/CL)

Forty-three mainstreamed behaviorally disordered (BD) students were lower than nonhandicapped controls in regular classroom sociometric status on the Ohio Social Acceptance Scale. BD Ss were as well known as their peers and rated fellow BD Ss in the same classes higher than handicapped raters. (CL)

The author affirms the benefit of appropriate special education programing for behaviorally disordered students, particularly those with accompanying academic achievement problems, but cautions that problems with roots in other environments than the school may be best addressed by non-school agencies. (CL)