Staff members (n=152) assigned to 76 clients with moderate to severe mental retardation in Norway received training in behaviorally oriented treatment and assessment. Results did not support the hypothesis that training in treatment and assessment would produce greater improvement in client behavior than would training in treatment alone.…

This article chronicles the development of level systems designed for students with significant behavior problems, to foster student improvement through self-management and positive reinforcement. The article examines assumptions underlying level systems' concepts and components and offers recommendations to guide future research into the design…

High-probability requests were used to increase responsiveness to low-probability requests to initiate social interactions in three young boys with severe disabilities who were severely socially withdrawn. Increases were also found in unprompted social initiations and generalizations to a nontraining setting. Maintenance after training was also…

Describes intervention program in which caregiving wives/daughters are taught several specific skills (learning to relax in very stressful situations and learning to be appropriately assertive with frail elders and other family members) to enable them to manage their frustrations more effectively. Presents class content and structure, along with…

The following stages in planning a token economy with students having behavior problems are discussed: (1) identifying target behaviors; (2) specifying and selecting reinforcers; (3) identifying token types and schedules; (4) planning token distribution and redemption; (5) initiating and implementing the token economy system; and (6) planning…

In review of 19 clinically relevant comparative outcome studies published 1978-88, short-term psychodynamic psychotherapy (STPP) was evaluated as to overall effects, differential effects, and moderating effects vis-a-vis no-treatment controls and alternative psychotherapies, respectively. Overall, STPP was superior to controls at posttreatment,…

This paper reviews the use of self-management procedures such as self-monitoring, self-administering consequences, and self-instructing with students having developmental disabilities. The paper explores definitions of self-management, various self-management procedures, effectiveness in changing behavior, and effectiveness in maintenance and…

This analysis of the effects of self-management training on the acquisition, maintenance, and generalization of skills of persons with mental retardation found self-management training to be useful in promoting the maintenance of behavior change first effected by external control procedures. Training effectiveness may depend upon the cognitive and…

Teacher interpretations of student behavior frequently provide the data to analyze problem behaviors. There is no absolute way to determine whether behaviors are appropriate or inappropriate. Effective teacher intervention involves reducing the old behavior and introducing new activities to reinforce appropriate behavior. The article suggests…

A multicomponent intervention to change problem behavior, which prevented community integration of three adolescents with autism, was evaluated. The intervention (implemented in a supermarket setting) included choice making, embedding, functional communication training, building tolerance for delay of reinforcement, and presenting discriminative…

A behavioral consultation approach was effectively used to reduce problem behaviors in 2 field studies with 3 students (ages 10-14) having severe or profound mental retardation and their teachers. Intervention involved extinction of inappropriate behaviors, reinforcement of appropriate play behaviors, and teaching verbal skills functionally…

This article outlines the basic steps in designing and implementing a self-monitoring program and gives examples of such programs being implemented in classroom and clinical settings. Examples of program use in increasing on-task behavior, increasing responsivity to questions, improving articulation, and increasing accuracy on subtraction problems…

This study analyzed and compared the behavioral procedure standards of 39 state departments of special education and 41 state departments of developmental disabilities/mental retardation. Results are discussed in terms of systematic monitoring of procedures, staff training, procedures to increase behavior, prohibiting/restricting procedure use,…

Describes group therapy approach used by team of school psychologists to treat delinquent behavior of adolescents (n=82). Notes cooperative arrangement with the juvenile court made it possible for adjudicated delinquent youth to be referred directly to after-school sessions. Results from one-year follow-up study found no further arrests for 59.8…

Examines theoretical, methodologic, and research issues as well as strengths, limitations, and possible interactions pertaining to behavioral, cognitive, and pharmacological treatments of panic disorder with agoraphobia. Compares attrition, outcome, and maintenance effects and presents composite indices of significant improvement, endstate…