The newsletter describes the development of a therapeutic recreation program for the severely and profoundly retarded using a recreational programing hierarchy approach. Sections address the following areas: identifying the habits and habit systems of the retarded individual as they relate to the interactional process of the family system,…

In recent years there has been an increasing interest in the role of cognitive factors in behavior modification. In order both to nurture this development and influence the dialogue between semantic-cognitive therapists and behavior therapists, a newsletter was begun. The newsletter, which will appear annually, summarizes ongoing research projects…

A parent-monitored program of oral hygiene, stressing regular brushing and flossing, resulted in statistically significant improvement in palque and gingivitis ratings. (MJB)

Rising divorce rates have made it necessary to devise ways of helping the millions of persons involved in marital and family disruption. This paper describes the Adjustment to Divorce and Problems of a Second Marriage informational-educational series for adults. (Author)

Wants counseling to include more focus on the dialectical process of personal change. Dialectics, in Lenin's words "reveals the transitory character of everything and in everything...the uninterrupted process of becoming and passing away...." Contradiction, conflict, and ambivalence are affirmed, in this approach, as the essential,…

Reports on a follow-up mail survey of the continuing use of behavior modification procedures learned by 30 families who had participated in a training program for parents of autistic preschool children four to seven years previously. More than half no longer used formal behavior modification procedures. (PS)

By watching and responding to the way a shill answered "yes-no" questions about food items, a developmentally delayed preschool boy greatly improved over his poor base-line "yes-no" answers to these same items. He was also able to give correct answers subsequently during generalization probe sessions. (PS)

Assessed the effectiveness of a combined program of very low calorie diet and behavior therapy in treating obesity. Combined treatment and behavior therapy alone subjects maintained weight losses; none of the diet alone subjects met the criterion used to define maintenance. Only those receiving behavior therapy alone and combined treatment showed…

Examined the value of assessing affect and attitudes in addition to daily behavior in the prediction of marital satisfaction. Multiple regression analyses and semipartial correlations indicated that the affective and attitudinal variables accounted for more unique variance in marital satisfaction than did the behavioral variables. (Author/ABB)

Outlines a treatment approach integrating behavioral and marital interventions for working with agoraphobics and their partners. Where interactions arouse anxiety, agoraphobes and significant others become embroiled in a circular transaction which causes mutual resentment and entrenched symptomatology. Suggests a method to help develop a…

Analysis of the psychotic speech of a nine-year-old autistic boy suggested that psychotic speech (intelligible but out of context phrases) was maintained through escape from task demands and that teaching an appropriate equivalent phrase ("Help me") reduced the frequency of psychotic speech. (Author/DB)

The proliferation of community-based health education programs has outpaced the knowledge base of behavior change strategies that are appropriate for public health interventions. This article discusses eight essential aspects of the social marketing process. (JOW)

Results of a study of 47 smoking and 29 alcohol school-based programs indicate that smoking and alcohol interventions have modest effects on immediate behavioral outcomes. Smoking interventions have been more successful than alcohol interventions at altering students' long-term behavior. (JOW)

Provides detailed information on anxiety management training, a relaxation-based, self-control therapy for the treatment of generalized anxiety, phobias, anger, and other stress-related disorders. Describes in detail the specific procedures of anxiety management training, summarizes research findings, and outlines means for deciding on proper use…

This 102-item annotated bibliography lists studies from 1981-1985 published in seven journals on developmental disabilities-related treatment research. Selected entries focus on decelerating problem behaviors in the following general categories: aggression, self-injurious behavior, disruptive/destructive behavior, stereotypic behavior,…