A multidisciplinary team, including representatives from medicine, psychology, and residential living, examined 436 mentally retarded residents' regimen of psychotropic medications, with the goal of finding the least restrictive method of behavior management and lowest drug dosage. Significant reductions in psychotropic drug use were observed,…

The paper discusses approaches designed to reduce, eliminate, or replace unconventional behavior in individuals with severe disabilities. Emphasis is placed on the need to analyze the communicative functions of behavior and to facilitate the development of an individual's communication system. A case example of a four-year-old nonverbal child is…

In response to James Mulick (EC 232 032), this paper encourages agreement in the field of mental retardation on the term "aversive"; new "outcome" standards for behavioral support; support that respects personal dignity; and fidelity of behavioral interventions in typical school and community settings. (DB)

Examined the possibility that individuals may confound measures of temperament and behavior problems because of the conceptual overlap between the measures. The psychologists involved in the study considered temperament items to be better measures of temperament than of behavior problems. (Author/BB)

Knowledge is reviewed regarding the social/emotional, cognitive, and language development of maltreated preschool-aged children, and a set of child and family patterns of development is presented. Implications for classroom management are then discussed, focusing on disruptive behavior, interventions for cognitive and language development, and…

Described are positive classroom practices used for behavior management at a child development center, including proximity control, signal interference, touch control, decoding skills, antiseptic bouncing, planned ignoring with positive reinforcement, and supporting cooperative play. Also described is a situational crisis controlled through use of…

D. Meichenbaum's cognitive behavior modification theory was applied in a study of 30 first graders and 25 third graders who exhibited mild classroom problem behaviors. Results of the controlled study indicate that the self-instructional training method derived from the theory is a viable classroom management option for regular education. (TJH)

Reports a survey of British secondary school teachers to determine the types and frequency of troublesome classroom behaviors. Finding that "talking out of turn" and "hindering other children" were the most problematic behaviors, the authors examined variables such as the sex of the teacher, age group taught, and subject…

A case study is presented of a seven-year-old girl with severe to profound mental retardation who exhibited excessive handmouthing. Contingent sensory reinforcement was successfully used to reduce her handmouthing to substantially lower levels. (Author/JDD)

Functional analysis of the aggressive behavior of 2 boys (ages 10 and 12) with autism involved 20 brief functional assessment trials in the classroom under 3 conditions. Results showed a clear pattern in each child's aggressive behavior and suggested logical intervention strategies. The discrete-trial approach presented a practical, ecologically…

Discussion of the functional relationship between self-injurious behavior (SIB) and self-restraint in people with severe disabilities considers SIB and self-restraint as members of the same functional response class, SIB and self-restraint as functionally independent responses, access to self-restraint as positive reinforcement of SIB, termination…

Skill-based social deficits exist in students with learning disabilities when a student has not learned a given skill; performance-based deficits exist when the student possesses a skill but doesn't perform in appropriate circumstances. Interventions for both types of deficit and a strategy to build self-control skills are offered. (DB)

An explicit, nondiscriminatory code of conduct that is based on due process standards, and the enforcement of relevant laws can constitutionally address offensive behavior problems in libraries. (AEF)

Multiple problem behaviors, stress, and personal resources were assessed over 2 years among 136 mainly black and Hispanic gay and bisexual males, age 14 to 19 years. Problem behaviors were found to be stable over time; the pattern of change in one behavior problem was not related to patterns of change in other problem behaviors. (MDM)

This paper describes the need for and effectiveness of a functional screening and initial assessment system for behavior problems among preschool children, called the Early Screening Project. Critical factors in the assessment of young children with behavior problems include measuring the frequency and intensity of problem behaviors relative to a…