Described is an educational program to serve a heterogeneous population of mentally retarded children excluded from other treatment programs. (Author/MC)

Describes operant conditioning as an effective means of modifying behavior of children in typical classes. Emphasizes effective operant procedures as having a contingency between child's response and teacher's reward. Reviews relevant literature. Suggests only tentative evidence from the present review supports the contingency of response and…

A severely disabled and retarded 15-year-old girl was examined for: effect of music and approval as reinforcers for following a command; effect of a food-pairing procedure on an approval alone condition, an approval plus music condition, and an ignore condition; durability of newly conditioned reinforcers; and strength of the new reinforcers as…

Examines the relationship between learning and development in the most general terms, discusses the developmental distinction between concrete and formal operational thought as manifested in adult behavior, and considers the implications of the concrete-formal dichotomy for the design and use of job aids. Notes and a bibliography are provided.…

Operant and cognitive behavior modification procedures were used to decrease impulsive aggressive responding by six hyperaggressive children, aged 7-11, in interpersonal problem situations. The procedures sought to improve participants' alternative response repertoires and develop internal speech as a self-control mechanism. Compared to controls,…

Two boys, ages 7 and 9, with severe developmental disabilities were taught to use requests conditionally (when desired items were proximally distant) to obtain desired snack items. Results suggest that the conditioned discriminations were established quickly and both learners generalized their conditional discriminations to other contexts.…

Age-related changes in mental flexibility, in the form of task switching, were assessed in 292 children (58-156 months old). Task switching was examined with a new task for young children, the Switch Task for Children (STC). The STC consists of two easy, comparable games and does not require reading skills, which makes it suitable for children…

Discussed from a behavioral perspective are theoretical approaches and recent educational and research developments in the field of childhood autism. (CL)

This learning module, which is intended for use in in-service training for vocational rehabilitation counselors, provides information and practice for developing token economies. The following topics are discussed: tokens and the rationale for using them; advantages of token economies; procedures for using a token system (specifying behaviors that…

The background, organization, and operation of the Alaska Psychiatric Institute (API), a residential program for behavior disordered and emotionally disturbed children and adolescents, are described. Components of the educational program at API, including academic and social assessment, individual education plans, and elementary and secondary…

BEHAVIOR THEORY CAN FORTIFY SOCIAL CASEWORK BY PROVIDING PRACTICAL LINKS BETWEEN THE IDENTIFICATION OF THE CLIENT IN DISTRESS, THE DELINEATION OF CLINICAL GOALS, THE FORMULATION OF PLANS OF INTERVENTION, AND THE MEASUREMENT OF OUTCOME. THESE BASIC ASSUMPTIONS IN THE BEHAVIORAL APPROACH ARE IMPLICIT IN THE STRUCTURE TREATMENT--(1) ALL SOCIAL…