Purpose: Communication plays an important role in health decisions and behaviors. Friends and family exert influence through communication and, when considering smoking, this is particularly salient among those friends and family who smoke. Guided by primary socialization theory and integrated behavioral model, the present study examined the…

Five participants with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) between the ages of 10 and 14 years attended a twice-weekly social skills group for 8 weeks. A multiple probe design across skills with concurrent replication across participants was utilized to assess the effects of social skills training using multiple exemplars and lag schedules on social…

School personnel were concerned that the disruptive student behaviors at an urban, elementary school in the northeast United States had persisted despite positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) implementation and professional development (PD) for more than 7 years. The purpose of this basic qualitative research study was to explore…

Prior research has demonstrated the establishment of reinforcers for learning and maintenance with young children as a function of social learning where a peer and an adult experimenter were present. The presence of an adult experimenter was eliminated in the present study to test if the effect produced in the prior studies would occur with only…

In part one of this series, the authors discussed the connections among social and emotional learning (SEL), positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS), and response to intervention (RTI). Specifically, they compared the processes and fidelity components of these approaches. They attempted to highlight the similarities in systems,…

Many schools are working toward improving their overall social and behavioral climate. This endeavor is undertaken for its own sake, and in the anticipation that it will improve academic performance for students. There appear to be at least three predominant school-wide approaches to frame improving school climate: (1) positive behavior…

Peer-mediated instruction and intervention is based on principles of behaviorism and social learning theory. In this intervention approach, developing peers are typically taught ways to interact with and help children and youth with autism spectrum disorders acquire new social skills by increasing social opportunities in natural environments. The…

Electronic monitoring was originally designed as a system to facilitate the rehabilitation of young adult offenders. The concept was not well-received, and the first judicially sanctioned program was not initiated until 20 years later. Adoption of the technology then spread rapidly. The primary use of monitoring has evolved from being an adjunct…

Argues that the key question in psychotherapy and rehabilitation is not can we change a person's personality, but rather what behaviors can and should; and how do we maintain the behavior that we have changed. Several behavior innovation programs are examined. (Author/JM)

This paper presents a study designed to produce a change in the behavior and self-esteem of a 9-year-old boy who had been diagnosed as having learning disabilities and poor visual-motor ability. The boy was described by his teachers as having a very short attention span and as exhibiting disruptive behaviors, such as ignoring teacher requests,…

Problem behavior can interfere with learning, the development of appropriate skills, and socialization in persons with developmental disabilities. In severe cases, problem behavior could result in life-threatening injury. For one 21-month-old participant diagnosed with autism engaging in severe problem behavior for whom reinforcement-based…

The concept of entrapment, viewed as a conceptual framework for social interaction skills training, is a behavioral process whereby newly acquired social responses come under the control of naturally occurring reinforcers, usually the social behavior of peers. Selection of target behaviors and intervention procedures to promote entrapment are…

The study examined effects of training older siblings (ages 6-8) of six 1- to 3-year-old infants and toddlers with Down syndrome to employ social communication strategies in play sessions. Three secondary purposes included evaluating effects of intervention upon the communication skills of the Down syndrome children, effects of intervention on…

The history and accomplishments of the Arizona Center for Early Childhood Education from its founding in 1966, as a component of the National Laboratory on Early Childhood Education, to its reorganization in 1972, as the Arizona Center for Educational Research and Development, are presented. The Arizona Center originated with a commitment to the…