A peer-mediated intervention was used to improve the social skills of 3 children with autism (ages 5 to 13). The intervention paired each child with a nondisabled peer who initiated interaction persistently within the autistic children's usual school setting. The autistic children demonstrated more frequent interactions and more positive and…

Evaluates a short-term residential program utilizing a behavior modification program in an outpatient unit for adolescents with mostly conduct problems. Evaluation indicated predictors of outcome, including: age, gender, diagnosis, length of stay, father's presence, other treatments received, and presence of learning problems. Factors such as…

The importance of discipline consistency in elementary school students (n=18) is examined by varying the probability of punishment and the nature of the discipline agent's response to manipulated transgressions. Discusses the importance of conceptualizing discipline consistency as a multivariate construct, and variables and parameters that…

Investigates the effectiveness of self-modeling as a treatment to increase on-task behavior. Results indicate immediate, substantial, and durable changes in students' on-task behavior that generalizes across academic settings. At 6- and 8-week follow-up, the students' percentages of on-task behavior were essentially indistinguishable from their…

A study examined the effects of naltrexone after acute treatment and the long-term effects of naltrexone on the self-injurious behavior (SIB) of 15 individuals with mental retardation. Results found that a subgroup of patients decreased SIB for a year without treatment after acute exposure to naltrexone. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

This paper is the result of a lecture series given at the Institute for New Dimensions, Palm Beach Community College, Lake Worth, Florida. The main objective was to provide direction for development of better listening skills by senior citizens and challenge each listener to change personal habits, thereby establishing new patterns for individual…

Twenty-one percent of the surveyed women (N=133) with cancer and 13% of their daughters (N=64) reported symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Prevalence of PTSD symptoms in daughters appears comparable to women with breast cancer. Discusses intergenerational patterns in reaction to breast cancer. (JDM)

Compared groups of colleges where students' binge drinking either increased or decreased over 2 years of campus prevention efforts. More institutions reported decreases than increases. Certain kinds of prevention programs appeared to work. Important characteristics of effective programs included changing the campus social environment, using…

Uses control theory to predict how important instrumental values and internalized memorable messages work together when undergraduate students self-assess their previous behavior. Finds none of the four higher-order value factors predicted the hypothesized relationships among values, messages, and behaviors; but the value of…

Twenty children with autism, ages 3 to 6 years, received either massage therapy or reading attention by their parents for 15 minutes daily for one month. Evaluation suggested that children in the massage group exhibited less stereotypic behavior and showed more on-task and social relatedness behavior during play observations at school, and they…

This commentary discusses three major factors that are reshaping the field of behavioral support: change in the outcomes of research/intervention, change in the comprehensive nature of interventions, and change in the contexts in which research is conducted. The focus on broader outcomes, comprehensive support, and real contexts is emphasized. (CR)

A judgment checklist can be presented to camp counselors through brainstorming sessions in which actual or imagined situations are reviewed. Camper and counselor behavior results from choices they make. Talking to children about their behavior is easier when adult jargon like "inappropriate behavior" is replaced with child-friendly…

A study examined the effects of progressive relaxation training on the disruptive behaviors of a 12-year-old boy with autism. The participant acquired progressive relaxation skills, displayed more relaxed behavior after performing the procedures, and showed a decrease in the duration of his disruptive behavior upon completing progressive…

Many adolescents whom professional school counselors regularly counsel are ambivalent and unmotivated to behavioral change. Motivational Enhancement Therapy (MET) is a counseling approach designed specifically for clients with these qualities. The purpose of this article is fourfold: (1) to identify the complexity and misconceptions of counseling…

Relapse prevention remains a major challenge to smoking cessation efforts. T. H. Brandon, B. N. Collins, L. M. Juliano, and A. B. Lazev (2000) found that a series of 8 empirically based relapse-prevention booklets mailed to ex-smokers over 1 year significantly reduced relapse. This study dismantled 2 components of that intervention: the amount of…