The study examined the effectiveness of strategies and instructional interventions used in the regular classroom setting in one California school district (1984-85) before students were referred to special education. Findings of a survey of 61 teachers from 41 schools indicated that the three most frequently applied strategies were individualized…

This handbook is intended to illustrate to students that they are not alone in their fear of tests and to help students reduce their own test anxiety. The handbook is a compilation of writings contributed by students who attended an adult basic education (ABE) program to prepare teenage and adult students to take the General Educational…

The paper presents case studies showing results of an interdisciplinary (I-Team) approach to behavior problems of five retarded residents of a group home. Stressed are the concepts of preparedness and prevention to individual case analysis and active treatment approaches. Individual case studies describe the I-Team's approach with such behaviors…

This paper reviews both the content and the methodological issues involved in the small but growing number of empirical studies on the use of Direct Instruction programs and teaching procedures with special populations. The research reviewed includes experimental and quasi-experimental work, summative evaluations of entire programs, and…

The manual is designed to help teachers develop effective and efficient individual educational plans for severely handicapped children. Initial sections explain the four major parts of educational programing (short- and long-term objectives, an instructional plan, and a means of monitoring progress) and the importance of a problem-oriented system.…

Arguments against the use of corporal punishment in schools are presented in the three publications collected here. "The Influence of Corporal Punishment on Learning: A Statistical Study," by Adah Maurer and James S. Wallerstein, examines the relationship between rates of corporal punishment use and noncompletion of high school in the 50 states.…

We evaluated contingent and noncontingent practice of an alternative behavior (appropriate play) as intervention for stereotypy that occurred with two play objects in a 5-year old boy with autism. Contingent practice was implemented as a consequence for stereotypy, and the rate of noncontingent practice was matched (yoked) to that schedule. On…

The paper describes the population served by the Dearborn Pre-Vocational Unit of the Schools for Children (Cambridge, Massachusetts) and discusses the Unit's major program components for meeting student needs. The needs of the behavior disordered/learning disabled adolescent population include basic academic skills, improved self image,…

Sixteen papers concerned with vocational habilitation of the severely and profoundly retarded are organized into three parts: issues in habilitation, stimulus control of vocational behavior, and instrumentation for program evaluation. Papers have the following titles and authors: "Structured Employment: Productivity and Productive Capacity" (R.…

One hundred sixty-three experienced, knowledgeable, elementary and secondary teachers were asked to identify classroom management strategies they believed to be most crucial to their teaching effectiveness. In rank order, the eight most frequently selected managerial strategies were: (1) using positive reinforcement; (2) applying logical…

Making others especially fearful of what can happen if they ignore the advice given in a health-threat warning (fear appeal) encourages their acceptance of the message most of the time, though occasionally this strategy backfires. Current formulations of fear appeals are unable to reconcile these findings satisfactorily. The drive model notion…

The role of the teacher is viewed as that of a decision maker and problem solver. It is pointed out that in daily work teachers must deal not only with planning lessons, selecting educational materials, initiating activities suitable for students of different abilities and motivating students, but also must deal with discipline, parent-school…

Commitment is a self-control technique to induce weight loss. Tow targets of commitment contingencies, completion of the study and behavior change, were examined among 42 female and 3 male subjects who made a monetary deposit to enroll in the 10-week program. The treatment consisted of self-monitoring of eating and exercise behavior. Subjects were…

Depression has been one of the last categories of psychopathology to be seriously investigated. A self-control behavior therapy program for depression was evaluated against a therapist-control behavior therapy program in an attempt to isolate the effects of control on alleviation of depression and to improve research designs. Clinically depressed…

In 1977, a Behavior Modification Clinic was established at William A. Wirt High School in Gary (Indiana) as an alternative to suspending disruptive youth. The clinic operates with two programs--a remedial academic instruction program in five basic subjects, and a counseling component in which all students are involved. The results of the clinic…