Seventeen convicted male child sexual offenders underwent brief structured group treatment to reduce denial of sexual offenses. Treatment consisted of victim empathy, cognitive restructuring, assertiveness and social skills, education about sex offender therapy, and other elements. Following treatment, the majority of offenders came out of denial…

Questions to ask when a behavior modification program is not working address the classroom environment, time factors, importance of emphasizing the positive, appropriate reinforcers, time lag before receiving reinforcement, criteria for reinforcement, reinforcer satiation, schedules of reinforcement, shaping to reduce inappropriate behaviors, and…

This article summarizes recent research into incidence of speech and language disorders in behaviorally handicapped children. Issues facing clinicians working with these children are discussed, including speech-language objectives and techniques, appropriate behavior management techniques, and consultation with other professionals. (Author/PB)

The literature on fears and phobias of children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities is reviewed. Assessment procedures are then examined, including interviews, self-reports, parent rating scales, and behavioral observations. Interventions are drawn from the principles of respondent, operant, and vicarious conditioning. (Author/DB)

This study examined effect of initial differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) intervals on disruptive behavior of nine students with moderate disabilities. Results indicate initial DRO value equal to the mean number of intervals between responses in baseline was much more effective than a value twice that size. (Author/PB)

A retrospective evaluation of restrictive behavior programs in a state residential facility for persons with mental retardation found beneficial behavioral effects. The behavior programs reviewed utilized isolation timeout, exclusion timeout, response cost, prone restraint, seated restraint, timeout device, nonexclusion timeout, standing…

Discusses a microcomputer program that was created to simulate the behavior of a computerized "animal" so that students could practice the shaping of behavior. Describes mathematical algorithms that allowed the "animal" to show gradual improvements in directional movements after appropriate shaping. Reports that students were…

Reviewed 181 experimental studies published between 1980 and 1990 in seven journals known for behaviorally based interventions to determine whether treatment integrity (degree to which treatment is implemented as planned) was assessed, degree of treatment integrity, operational definitions of treatments, and effect sizes produced by interventions.…

A study compared the effects of two treatments, noncontingent reinforcement (NCR) and sensory extinction, on the self-injurious behavior (SIB) exhibited by three adults with developmental disabilities. Results indicated that both procedures were effective in reducing SIB, although NCR was associated with either more rapid or greater overall…

This study involving five individuals (ages 5 to 21) with mental retardation and behavior problems, found that momentary changes in establishing operations can influence responding during the course of a functional analysis, and that comparisons of response levels associated with the presence or absence of putative reinforces can provide…

Discusses strategies for preventing and responding to aggression among students with Asperger's syndrome, including structuring the environment for social success, cognitive behavior-modification, behavioral contracts, social stories, scripts and autopsies, and traditional behavioral consequences. Examples of a social story, social script, and…

A study investigated the effectiveness of a school-based prevention program consisting of social skills activities, peer tutoring, and individual and class-wide behavioral management components for improving the behaviors of 38 students (ages 5-11) with emotional disturbances. Results indicated that inappropriate behaviors decreased and positive…

Survey examines gender differences in sexual practices and beliefs about condom use among rural injecting drug users admitted to treatment programs. Results indicate that Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome knowledge was extremely limited for both males and females in this sample, suggesting that basic HIV/AIDS…

A study evaluated the effectiveness of functional communication training (FCT) in reducing problem behavior of 5 individuals with severe mental retardation and in strengthening alternative behavior. Four participants shifted response allocation from problem to alternative behavior as the schedule of reinforcement of problem behavior became more…

A study examined idiosyncratic environment-behavior relations associated with increased levels of problem behavior of a child with mental retardation and a typical child. Results indicated that idiosyncratic antecedent stimuli set the occasion for occurrences of problem behavior and that the behavior persisted in the absence of social…