Differential reinforcement of other behavior (DRO) is a commonly used reinforcement-based system for reducing problem behavior. DRO systems are particularly useful in that they are effective for the treatment of maladaptive behavior and can be individualized based on the needs of the learner. One possible way to enhance the effectiveness of DRO…

Objective: Mobile health apps hold potential to support and reinforce positive health behaviours, especially among young people with chronic diseases like asthma that require continual self-management. We aimed to gain feedback from adolescents with asthma on two existing asthma self-management apps to guide the development of an evidence- and…

Little is known about outcomes for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) into adulthood. Several characteristics of individuals with ASD predict long-term outcomes, and the family environment may also play a role. The present study uses a prospective, longitudinal design to describe and predict trajectories of autism symptoms and…

Background: Peer mentoring can be a powerful complement to health instruction. Mentoring has been used to change health behaviors and promote sustainable lifestyle patterns in adults and, more recently, among adolescents. Purpose: This article reviews the use of peer mentoring to promote health practices and describes how this approach can be used…

Developmental neuroscience models suggest that changes in responsiveness to incentives contribute to increases in adolescent risk behavior, including substance use. Trajectories of sensitivity to reward (SR) and sensitivity to punishment (SP) were examined and tested as predictors of escalation of early substance use in a community sample of…

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in children and adolescents is a major public health problem. Fortunately, we can apply functional analysis, in conjunction with empirically validated NSSI assessment measurements, to precisely evaluate the biopsychosocial risk factors and reinforcements that contextualize NSSI. Empirically validated behavioral…

Response-cost refers to a procedure whereby a positive reinforcer is lost or some penalty is invoked following a specific misbehavior. In an alternate procedure called Differential Reinforcement of Other Responses (DRO), a reinforcing stimulus is delivered when a particular response is not emitted for a specific interval of time. This study…

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of social reinforcement by the teacher on the classroom behavior of economically disadvantaged adolescents. The study also investigated the length of time necessary to demonstrate marked changes in behavior and the effect of social reinforcement on non-target class members. Subjects were six…

The effects of a procedure based on differential reinforcement of other behaviors (DRO) on stereotypic responses and task performance were tested with three autistic students (14-21 years old). The procedure was unique because the time interval employed between potential opportunities for reinforcement was the natural length of one instructional…

Objective: Aggression is common in children and adolescents admitted to psychiatric inpatient units. Few interventions for reducing aggressive behaviors have been identified. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of a milieu-based behavioral management program on the frequency of aggressive behaviors in a child and adolescent mental health…

A sharp pinch on the back of the hand, contingent upon hand in mouth behavior, was found to be an economical and effective aversive stimulus in a program which successfully reduced compulsive hand in mouth behavior related to vomiting and rumination of a profoundly retarded adolescent over a 3-month period. (Author)

The reactivity of self-monitoring procedures with two retarded adolescents was investigated using single-case designs. (Author)

The effects of a token reinforcement program on the classroom behavior of 19 delinquent boys in a correctional institution were investigated. Findings suggest that the use of global, composite measures may mask program effects on important component behaviors. (Author)