Functional assessment is redefining the standards for clinical interventions with problem behavior and reemphasizing the importance of basic behavioral mechanisms. It has shown the importance of complex patterns of behavioral control, functional assessment as an ongoing process, and the importance of attention to antecedent variables. Future…

Looks at schools that serve children whose problems in learning and behavior mark them as marginal students. Identifies "cultural imperatives" by observing curriculum domains emphasized in "special" and largely separate school programs. Notes that increasing numbers of special programs have become highly disjointed and inefficient in schools and…

Describes rhythm and presence, then focuses on roles of rhythm and presence in forming connections with troubled youth. Contends that techniques used to manage behavior and promote growth only work when workers are present (real) and in sync with children's rhythms. Offers six suggestions that are helpful in creating situations in which rhythm and…

Tested hypothesis that children's contact with nonresident parents decreases children's behavior problems when interparental conflict is low but increases children's behavior problems when interparental conflict is high. Analyzed data from 1,285 children in single-parent families. Hypothesis was supported among boys from divorced families; no…

Students with learning disabilities (n=88) and without (n=84) were interviewed about 10 scenarios in which a teenager was caught after participating in misconduct. Students with learning disabilities were more likely to suggest escaping and less likely to suggest accepting the consequences. (Author/DB)

Examines how adults can build attachments to "unclaimed kids", kids that typically develop internal models of themselves as unworthy and unlovable. Contrary to popular belief, it is not "broken families" that cause delinquency, but rather broken bonds between youth and adults. Rekindling an adult relationship, though difficult, may be a solution…

Presents a case in which multimodal therapy is applied to an aggressive preadolescent in a high-management residential setting. Methods of data collection, analysis, and interpretation are demonstrated using a single-subject accountability model. A practical and usable method of determining the clinical significance of multimodal therapy is…

One primary class moved from seating in rows to groups to rows, the other from groups to rows to groups. In both, on-task behavior was higher in rows. In a second study using rows for individual work, time on task increased substantially and, for a target group of three disruptive pupils, it increased dramatically. (SK)

Examined the role that internalized cognitive representations may play as mediators of the link between family and peer relationships among 161 children age 7 through 12 years. Negative representations of self and others were found to be associated with increased social impairment, including dysfunctional social behavior and less positive status…

This article points out the demonstrated effectiveness of behavioral interventions across a broad spectrum of school populations. The article discusses the following aspects of applying reinforcement techniques in the classroom: commonly used behavioral terminology, reinforcer selection, critical application factors, advantages and disadvantages,…

In 2 studies, 200 mothers of 3-year-old boys and 87 mothers of 4- to 6-year-old boys completed measures of marital functioning and child behavior. Results indicated that parental child-rearing disagreements correlated with children's behavior problems and predicted a greater variety of behavior problems than did global marital adjustment. (BC)

A new approach to behavioral control with individuals having both visual impairments and multiple disabilities stresses the use of positive intervention strategies, bases treatment on functional assessments of challenging responses, and emphasizes broad changes in the lifestyles of individuals. Case examples illustrate applications. (Author/DB)

Evaluation of reductive treatment versus instructional treatments on the generalized reduction of problem behaviors in two adolescents with severe intellectual disabilities indicated that when only one member of a response class was blocked, a collateral increase in other problem behaviors was observed, but learning an alternative positive…

Examined college student (n=552) drinking behavior and explored underlying reasons for continued excessive drinking. Results revealed alcohol-related physical symptoms, negative behavioral outcomes, and high incidence of driving while alcohol impaired. Students who were frequent drinkers showed little, if any, concern for their own drinking…

Mothers, teachers, and assistant teachers completed two measures of child behavior when children born prematurely were two and three years old. Interinstrument correlations for total scores, and the stability of the Behavior Check List from two to three years, were moderate. Interrater agreements between teachers and assistant teachers were…