A study evaluated the effectiveness of an abbreviated habit reversal procedure to reduce maladaptive oral self-biting in an adolescent boy in residential care. Treatment involved a combination of relaxation and two competing responses (gum chewing and tongue-lip rubbing). The intervention eliminated the biting and the tissue damage it caused.…

Results from two studies indicate the nonselective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) clomipramine is more efficacious than the relatively selective norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor desipramine and placebo in children with autism. A study of the selective SRI fluvoxamine found it to be significantly better than placebo for reducing repetitive…

The last decade has seen enormous expansion in the use of psychotropic medications to treat behavioral and emotional disorders in children and adolescents. Because much prescription of these agents is off-label, serious attempts are being made to encourage pharmacological research in children. Without examining the data upon which government…

The purpose of this study was to critically examine the positive approaches to behavioral intervention research and young children demonstrating challenging behavior. The authors conducted a comprehensive review of articles published between 1984 and 2003 across 23 peer-reviewed journals. Each article that met the criteria for inclusion in the…

Behavioral parent training (BPT) is one of the empirically supported psychosocial treatments for ADHD. Over many years and in many studies, BPT has been documented to improve both child ADHD behavior and maladaptive parenting behavior. In some studies, BPT has also been found to result in benefits in additional domains, such as parenting stress…

This study examined the role that the social support component of simplified habit reversal (SHR) plays in the treatment of body-focused repetitive behavior disorders (nail biting) in college-aged individuals. This study compared 2 versions of the SHR procedure, the first consisting of awareness training, competing response training, and social…

For the treatment of disruptive behavior disorders, parent training and child social skills training have established efficacy in research settings. But in community settings, these approaches are not often systematically implemented. In a hospital-affiliated psychology practice located in a rural community, parent and child group programs were…

Outdoor behavioral healthcare (OBH) programs treat adolescents with emotional, behavioral, and substance abuse problems using wilderness therapy and related therapeutic and educational curricula. Elements of OBH are designed to reveal and address problem behaviors, foster personal and social responsibility, and enhance clients' emotional growth.…

This study evaluated a multicomponent treatment package with three adults having profound mental retardation who engaged in self-injurious hand mouthing. The intervention, which involved brief response interruption followed by the introduction of a preferred leisure item, was successfully implemented during both individual and small group…

Groups of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) children taking a placebo, high dose, or low dose of Ritalin were compared in their responses to reward and punishment. Results suggest that Ritalin may improve the ability of ADHD children to withhold inappropriate responding by dampening their response to reward cues and, possibly, making…

The author of a paper on effects of risperidone on behavior in people with developmental disabilities rebuts a criticism by suggesting that a specific diagnosis of psychiatric disorder is unimportant, since risperidone was effective in reducing aberrant behavior regardless of psychiatric diagnosis and/or environmental contingencies. (Contains…

In response to James Mulick (EC 232 032), this paper agrees with the need for careful use of aversive techniques to treat severe behavior disorders of persons who are mentally retarded but justifies such use on moral, legal, ethical, and practical bases as well as scientific ones. (DB)

Assessed role of social support in outcome of child management training (CMT) for single parents and assessed impact of adjunctive ally support training (AST) on treatment outcome. Single parents (n=22) with oppositional or conduct-disordered child received either CMT or CMT plus AST. Both groups improved, with changes maintained at followup; AST…

An open, prospective assessment of the treatment of severe aggression and self-injurious behavior (SIB) with paroxetine in 15 institutionalized persons with mental retardation was undertaken. Frequency and severity of aggression and SIB were charted. Results found that aggression severity only was reduced over the entire four-month follow-up…

Three individuals with severe behavior disorders and mental retardation, whose destructive behaviors were being maintained by positive reinforcement, were treated using functional communication training with extinction. The case studies investigated techniques used to increase effectiveness of delayed reinforcement and to teach individuals with…