A 20-year-old institutionalized nonverbal male with Down's Syndrome was trained via total task chain training, verbal prompts, and self-reinforcements to acquire skills of a busperson at a community restaurant. The S acquired and performed skills at a situationally appropriate rate. (CL)

Three approaches demonstrated the usefulness of visual feedback and auditory feedback to improve the on-task behavior and academic productivity of deaf multihandicapped adolescents. The approaches feature inexpensive portable equipment that do not require lengthy teacher training. (CL)

Goal attainment scaling was used to monitor changes in seventh- and eighth-grade students with each student meeting with a health counselor several times during the study. Health counseling appears to be an effective educational strategy. (Author/DF)

Three articles discuss (1) an investigation of how nurses' attitudes, knowledge, and practice changed after a continuing education program on nursing management of adults with essential hypertension; (2) a study showing that even with enforced behavior changes, attitudes are slow to change; and (3) a workshop on principles of effective patient…

Describes how adults and teachers can change the negative behavior of children with positive affirmations. Steps include displaying a positive view of children, deciding who will be responsible for affirmations, individualizing affirmations for each child, and identifying appropriate delivery systems. Includes examples of affirmations and case…

Discusses issues concerning children's vulnerability to crisis during the early childhood years and describes an ecological model finding increasing favor among family researchers and clinicians. (Author/BJD)

Smoking cessation behaviors of college students using a university health service were examined. Forty successful and 32 unsuccessful quitters were interviewed through an open-ended questionnaire. Differences in success seemed related to techniques used to remain abstinent from cigarette smoking, expectations of ease or difficulty in quitting, and…

Describes Expandovision, a microcomputer-television connection which enables users to flash brief messages designed to improve their behavior on their television screens. Several incidents where subliminal persuasion has been used on television viewers in the past are recounted, and the effectiveness and dangers of subliminal persuasion are…

Intervention strategies to reduce the frequency of shuddering behavior of a preschool child are described. The techniques were explained and demonstrated to the parents for use at home. The multifaceted approach included relaxation exercises, planned activities, and positive reinforcement to induce behavioral change. (DWH)

Children in kindergarten and first grade were rewarded for telling stories about fantasy figures, then encouraged to donate their rewards to handicapped children. Main effects were found only for grade, with first-grade children donating more than kindergarten children. Type of story had a greater influence on first grader's donations. (Author/DWH)

The study compared changes in mental retardation level among persons in community-based services and institutionalized persons from the same geographic region. In general, persons in the community were more likely to increase their functioning level, while institution Ss decreased at a higher rate. Noteworthy differences were found among severely…

Studied an intra-institutional relocation of a long-term care facility by documenting changes in the environment and in residents' and staff members' use of space and patterns of behavior. Behavioral changes were conceptualized as attempts to adapt to the larger design and altered layout of the new facility. (JAC)

Questions the effects of training on the confidence people have in their ability to perform newly-learned tasks. Factors that affect confidence and measurement of confidence are discussed, and examples are given of ways in which training might intentionally try to increase confidence. (MBR)

Describes the benefits of group counseling for abusing parents. Suggests that groups structured to maximize peer support and reduce social isolation provide a context in which parents can make changes in cognition and behavior. (Author/JAC)

Surveyed 173 parents, 293 teachers, and 430 students to examine behavior change among referred students following counselor intervention. Results suggested elementary school counselors had a positive impact on self-acceptance, school attitudes, following rules, and family relations. (JAC)