Examines interplay between theory, research, and application in treatment of clinical problems in context of psychotherapy research program for Hispanic behavior problem youth and families. Discusses findings in structural family therapy, measurement of family and child psychodynamic functioning, development of culturally appropriate…

This study found consistently reduced levels of problem behaviors with three students (ages 5-11) with severe autism and/or mental retardation when the students were given opportunities, during a session, to make choices among instructional tasks and reinforcers. Choice-making opportunities did not impact the rate of correct responding on…

This replication study found that only 16 of 55 raters agreed on the category of reinforcement maintaining a disabled individual's self-injurious behavior after using the Motivation Assessment Scale. Additionally, only 15 percent of the correlation coefficients obtained were above 80 percent, and none of the reliability scores was above 80…

Evaluated six-week support group for six preadolescent siblings of children with mental or physical handicaps. Comparison with five nonparticipants revealed that group had significant effect on participants' perceptions of social support. Parents indicated some improvements in participants' behavior toward siblings. Found no significant…

This paper reviews the concept of adaptive behavior, the etiology of maladaptive behavioral patterns in learning-disabled individuals, and age-related trends in life adjustment. It advocates the use of adaptive behavior measures to identify homogeneous subtypes of learning disabilities, to predict educational consequences, and to determine…

This survey found that teachers (n=775) are willing to have mainstreamed students in their classrooms if students do not exhibit emotional or behavioral problems. They are willing to make interactive adaptations but not spend time conducting preplanning or postplanning. Elementary teachers were more likely to make planning adaptations. Barriers to…

This study evaluated whether behaviors often taught as part of social skills training for individuals with mental retardation were judged favorably by 61 community judges. Results indicated that the skills of following instructions, accepting criticism, and negotiating were relevant to judgment of social performance and likely to be reinforced by…

This study of three individuals (ages 12-14) with profound mental retardation found that visual screening was more effective than thioridazine in reducing stereotypy and increasing social behavior. Thioridazine produced modest stereotypy reductions and minor social behavior increases, with a higher dose slightly more effective than a lower dose…

Before working, adolescents who later worked more than 20 hours per week were less engaged in school and granted more autonomy by their parents than other adolescents. Working more than 20 hours per week further disengaged adolescents from school, increased delinquency and drug use, furthered autonomy, and diminished self-reliance. (BC)

In this study, functional communication training alone and combined with extinction and/or punishment was evaluated for four clients with severe retardation, behavior problems, and communication deficits. Results showed that the combination of training plus punishment produced the largest and most consistent reductions in target behavior problems.…

This paper examines the functions of challenging behavior in individuals with mental retardation, methods for determining the function of a particular behavior, strategies for implementing initial communicative functions that compete with challenging behavior, and procedures that specifically address attention-motivated and…

Mothers (n=112) with young, middle childhood, or older children with developmental delays completed the Parenting Stress Index. Child Domain scores were high for all age groups, but Parent Domain scores were within normal limits. The middle childhood group was higher in both domains than other groups. Degree of handicap and behavior problems were…

Grandparents' and mothers' drug use predicted hyperactivity, psychosomatic complaints, and social problems for boys, and acting-out behaviors for boys and girls. Maternal drug use predicted fearfulness, hyperactivity, and social problems for boys, and developmental problems for boys and girls. (BC)

This article comments on a paper by Mitchell Yell (EC 221 141) which asserts that five common law principles of suspension and expulsion retain their significance after the Supreme Court's decision in Honig v Doe. The article examines factors impacting on placement of students with disabilities, including litigation; federal regulations; and…

This paper responds to a commentary (EC 600 331) on a previously published paper (EC 221 141) discussing the Supreme Court's decision in the Honig v Doe case and its impact on suspension and expulsion of students with handicaps and on student placement. The paper responds to arguments presented in the commentary and notes misconceptions about the…