The recreation participation patterns of adults with (n=100) and without (n=100) mental retardation were compared using in-depth interviews. Adults with mental retardation reported participating in far fewer recreational activities than peers without disabilities. Similarities between the two groups were found in the types and ranking of…

The successful application of functional analysis to problem behavior suggests the need to examine: additional functional properties of behavior involving social avoidance, biological reinforcement, and respondent conditioning; the role of context (including social factors and biological factors); and the multidimensional character of assessment…

Functional assessment is redefining the standards for clinical interventions with problem behavior and reemphasizing the importance of basic behavioral mechanisms. It has shown the importance of complex patterns of behavioral control, functional assessment as an ongoing process, and the importance of attention to antecedent variables. Future…

Fifteen subjects ages 6 to 22 years with autistic syndromes and pathological urine patterns with increased urinary peptides were given diets free of gluten and casein and were evaluated at 1 and 4 years. Normalization of urine patterns, a decrease in odd behavior, and improvement in communication skills were found. (SLD)

This paper summarizes the case histories of four young children with concurrent autistic disorder and Williams syndrome. Williams syndrome comprises a peculiar facial appearance, learning disorder, and often hypercalcemia, mild microcephaly, large blood vessel stenosis, and a specific behavioral phenotype. Literature on Williams syndrome is…

A boy with severe mental retardation was unresponsive to his environment and spent 80% of his day body-rocking. Stereotyped body-rocking was greatly reduced via differential reinforcement of incompatible responding (DRI), physical restraint, and reprimand. (JDD)

Impact of parent alcohol misuse on the sexual behavior of female adolescents was studied with 1,134 teenagers of alcohol-misusing parents. Index adolescents were more likely to report sexual intercourse and greater frequency of intercourse. Gender of the drinking parent was related to a number of factors related to sexuality. (SLD)

Counteraggression is discussed as a biological function or survival instinct that escalates violence in schools. Expands Fritz Redl's explanation of underlying reasons why staff dealing with delinquent youth become counteraggressive. Preventing or controlling counteraggressive behavior through analysis of the reasons behind the reaction can help…

The prevalence of compulsions in 210 adults with severe/profound mental retardation was studied. Prevalences were as follows: stereotypy (60.9 percent), self-injury (46.6 percent), and compulsion (40 percent). The occurrence of compulsions was positively associated with the occurrence of stereotypy, self-injury, and stereotypy plus self-injury.…

A cognitive model of drug urges and drug use is proposed, hypothesizing that drug use in the addict is controlled by automatized-action schemata. Urges are conceptualized as responses supported by nonautomatic cognitive processes activated with drug-use action schemata. Implications for behavior assessment are discussed. (SLD)

Examined the relationship between dramatic play and creativity from three perspectives: (1) the existing theories related to the association; (2) the research on this issue; and (3) some situational factors of dramatic play related to this relationship. Most of the research supports the relationship between dramatic play and creativity, noting the…

This second article of the special section on chaos theory addresses implications of the definition of chaotic behavior for its measurement. The requirements to test the presence of chaotic relations among variables are in agreement with the conceptual and methodological hallmarks of behavioral assessment. (SLD)

An empirical typology of behavior styles was developed to define distinct variations of healthy, marginal, at-risk, and maladjusted behavior using a stratified national sample of 1,400 youths aged 5 to 17 years. Results are compared with recent epidemiological studies, and application of the typology is demonstrated. (SLD)

A new approach to behavioral control with individuals having both visual impairments and multiple disabilities stresses the use of positive intervention strategies, bases treatment on functional assessments of challenging responses, and emphasizes broad changes in the lifestyles of individuals. Case examples illustrate applications. (Author/DB)

Examined drug use patterns among incarcerated African-American juvenile delinquents (n=248). Found that 90 percent of participants had used some illicit mood altering substance, between 30 percent and 46 percent reported daily use, and average age at initial use was approximately 12 years. Alcohol use tended to precede by about five months use of…