A study was made to see if an educational program on the safe and proper use of pesticides would increase the opinion leadership activities of pesticide dealers and the amount of quality of information they conveyed to their customers and other dealers. The dealers selected came from eight rural counties and two urban communities in Nebraska; they…

The efficiency of behavior modification technology, as a therapeutic intervention process, has been amply demonstrated. The establishment of special educational settings for modification of deviant behavior, as reported here, provides opportunity for a controlled analysis of the effects of groups of experimental variables, where treatment in…

The influence of stimulated recall and emotional simulation films on client growth in short-term personal counseling was evaluated at Michigan State University with nine clients from vocational rehabilitation caseloads. The two experimental groups (stimulated recall and simulated film treatment) and one control group with traditional counseling…

An intervention strategy is described which uses stimulants and other medication for a group of high risk, acting out, learning disabled children, and shows that such treatment can prevent delinquency. The nature of learning disabilities and brain dysfunction is discussed. The use of behavior modification and medication is described. The results…

Presented are 10 teacher units designed to provide Head Start teachers with the basic techniques for working with preschool handicapped children. Unit I describes some of the possible handicapping conditions that may cause a child to need special education or supportive services in Head Start. Subsequent units cover the following areas (sample…

This chapter of "The Best of the Best of ERIC," Volume 2, contains 16 summaries of documents and journals on classroom discipline, all of which are indexed in either "Resources in Education" or "Current Index to Journals in Education." The materials included deal with various aspects of the topic, such as the use of behavioral modification and…

A timeout stimulus control procedure for reducing self-stimulation and disruptive behaviors in autistic children was examined. The three subjects were diagnosed as autistic, exhibiting numerous behaviors incompatible with learning. Severe hand biting, inappropriate noises, and prolonged tantrums were the target behaviors linked with the timeout…

Described is the behavioral program for autistic children in use at the Valley View School District in Illinois. Sections cover the following topics: (1) characteristics of the autistic child (basic impairments, special skills, and secondary behavior problems), (2) basic principles of operant conditioning, (3) description of the methods used in…

This article describes the use of the precise feedback and negative reinforcement to ameliorate problems at a community health center. Both procedures were successful in improving the performance (returning toys to their appropriate places) of undergraduate paraprofessionals involved in an educational program for disadvantaged children. The study…

Unsupervised do-it-yourself therapy constitutes an exceptionally important issue that calls for more empirical and scientific investigation of the validity of publications in this field. Rational-emotive therapy (RET), one of the most popular forms of self-help treatment, has led to several generalizations. (1) Cognitive and cognitive-behavior…

In order to examine the effectiveness of a token economy program, sheltered workshop attendance of chronic schizophrenics was investigated under the following conditions: response cost versus no response cost consequences for nonattendance; response cost and noncontingent token payment; and restricted versus unrestricted mobility during the no…

This paper summarizes discussions by behavior analysts on the issue of skill certification and licensing. The Department of Public Welfare funded two surveys to be conducted by the Minnesota Learning Center, each survey focusing on identifying relevant competencies and criteria to be used in assessing those competencies of behavior analysts. The…

After a survey of existing behavioral measures was made, a behavior rating scale was developed to measure the observable disruptive behavior of emotionally disturbed children in the classroom. Estimates of various types of reliability were calculated, and scale validity was examined. The scale was used to evaluate the effect of counseling on…

This document, prepared by a Study Group of the Institute on Rehabilitation Issues, highlights some of the more basic and timely issues regarding the measurement of client outcomes. Areas in which change should be measured, in priority order, are vocational functioning and potential, economic independence, physical functioning and psychosocial…

The author argues the value of using both standardized tests and behavioral principles for the indepth diagnosis and remediation of reading disabilities. An illustrative case study is given in which analysis of test results was used to resolve conflicting appraisals of an 11-year-old girl's reading abilities, and behavioral management methods were…