Defines the term "empowerment" as it applies to teachers and to children. Suggests the foundation needed for empowering includes respect, validation, and success. Also discusses the characteristics of ownership, choice, decision making, intrinsic motivation, responsibility, independence, risk taking, collaboration, and self-evaluation as…

The teacher of a second-grade gifted girl with disruptive classroom behaviors worked to modify the girl's behavior and to develop a cooperative relationship with the girl's mother despite early friction. Efforts included strengthening home-school communication, having the mother secretly observe the girl's behavior problems, and rewarding both the…

This article analyzes research on children's perceptions of emotional and behavioral difficulties. Virtually all studies concur that peers hold negative views of externalizing behavior problems. Findings suggest that professionals need to target peer-identified behavioral and social skill goals and develop programming aimed at normalization to…

Evaluation of peer-mediated reading instruction with three fifth-grade and sixth-grade boys with behavior disorders found that marked improvement in on-task behavior and positive peer-to-peer comments corresponded to the implementation of peer-mediated instruction. (Author/DB)

Using a series of reversal designs, interventions to improve the active engagement and peer social skills of five preschool boys with autism were investigated. In contrast to intervention for engagement, peer social skill intervention resulted in "free effects" for all participants, including increased engagement with peers and exposure…

Two hypotheses derived from the theory of action identification, which predicts that people are more likely to adopt a novel course of action if they concentrate on the "how" rather than the "why" aspects of their behavior, were tested with 95 undergraduate students. Hypotheses examined how the level of action identification…

Assessment and intervention of an eight-year old with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder who displayed disruptive behaviors during academic instruction involved three phases: (1) a brief functional analysis; (2) a curriculum-based assessment; and (3) an intervention derived from the assessments. Results showed an immediate reduction in…

Incorporating statistical process control (SPC) methods into applied behavior analysis is discussed. It is claimed that SPC methods would likely reduce applied behavior analysts' intimate contacts with problems and would likely yield poor treatment and research decisions. Cases and data presented by Pfadt and Wheeler (1995) are cited as examples.…

Nine mothers of children with physical disabilities in Ireland participated in a 10-week training program that focused on social learning theory and identification and modification of undesirable child behaviors. Evaluation indicated reduced maternal stress and substantial reductions in identified problem behaviors. (DB)

Classroom applications and implications of Kantor's field model and the concept of "setting events" for students with behavioral disorders are discussed, with attention to: current methods of assessing the effects of setting events on students' behavioral problems, methods for intervening in setting events, and research issues for assessment and…

Examines selected components of existing school smoking policies in schools nationwide as part of the Community Intervention Trial for Smoking Cessation. Schools were questioned about their smoking policies, related resources, and compliance. Results indicated that school tobacco use policies consistently failed to meet the conditions for health…

Discusses play as preparation for life, and the role of aggressive play. Provides guidelines for caregivers to help children modify their aggressive play, and for working with parents to help reinforce positive, prosocial behavior in children. (HTH)

This paper reviews the efficacy of aversive interventions in the treatment of individuals with developmental disabilities. It also considers the ethical and legal issues involved and concludes that there is empirical, ethical, and legal support for the continued availability of aversive interventions as treatment options if sufficient safeguards…

The comment on a paper about the use of aversive interventions with developmentally disabled persons (EC 602 022) questions the effectiveness of aversive interventions and suggests effective nonaversive or less aversive interventions can usually be found. (DB)

This paper explores the controversy surrounding gentle teaching, with particular reference to the relationship between gentle teaching and applied behavior analysis. Advantages and disadvantages of this approach are discussed, and it is suggested that gentle teaching and applied behavior analysis need not be regarded as mutually exclusive…