Many schools have problem-solving teams that support teachers by helping identify and resolve students' academic and social problems. Although research is limited, it has been found that teams sometimes fail to implement problem-solving processes with fidelity, which may hinder the resolution of problems. We developed the Team-Initiated Problem…

Selective mutism is a childhood disorder that most school psychologists and educational providers will come across at least once in their careers. Selective mutism is associated with significant impairment in educational settings where speaking is necessary for academic and social skill development. Effective treatments for selective mutism…

One proactive approach to aid in reducing disciplinary problems in schools is implementing Positive Behavior Support (PBS) strategies. To successfully implement PBS school-wide, Sugai and Horner (2002a) emphasize a multisystems perspective, which focuses on school-wide discipline, classroom management, non-classroom settings, and individual…

The Check in/Check out (CICO) program was developed as a secondary-level, targeted behavioral intervention in a three-tier preventative model of behavior support and has received empirical support as an effective way to reduce problem behaviors (Hawken & Horner, 2003; March & Horner, 2002). The purpose of the present study was to evaluate,…

Momentary time samples (MTS) of 2, 4, and 6 minutes were compared to continuous recording samples of on-task behavior for three elementary-aged students with emotional/behavioral orders (EBD). Results indicated that the 2-minute, but not the 4- or 6-minute, interval MTS were consistent with the continuous measure. Implications for research and…

This study evaluated a treatment package to improve on-task academic skills by three children with autism. Program components included delayed reinforcement for on-task and on-schedule responding, fading of instructional prompts and instructor's presence, unpredictable supervision, and response cost for off-task responding. On-task and on-schedule…

This article describes use of the Awareness Enhancement Device with a typically developing 6-year-old child to reduce finger sucking despite the child's lack of motivation. This device delivers a tone contingent on occurrence of the target behavior. Substantial reductions in finger sucking resulted only with the addition of a more intense tone (90…

A study assessed the efficacy of a written script/cue card program to teach conversational speech skills to three verbal, literate boys (ages 8-10) with autism. Initially boys demonstrated low frequencies of conversational speech. Following intervention, all three quickly met the training criteria and maintained correct responding without cue…

A study compared 422 Head Start children with a putative diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with typical Head Start children from kindergarten through third grade. Children with putative ADHD who had received medications were significantly more likely to be found eligible for special education than non-medicated children.…

This study involved 14 students (ages 6-12) with developmental disabilities in inclusive classrooms, their 324 typical classmates, and 221 typical students in noninclusive classes. Students with developmental disabilities made gains in adaptive behavior. The academic performance of the typical students in reading/language arts and mathematics did…

The effects of key words and previewing on the rate of words read correctly and the reading comprehension of a language minority student (age 10) were analyzed. The student read more words correctly and answered more comprehension questions accurately after the material was previewed and key words were discussed. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

A six-week cooperative learning intervention using positive peer role models was used to teach interpersonal problem-solving skills to 42 first-grade boys at risk of antisocial behavior patterns. Participants showed an increase in academic engaged time. However, the intervention failed to produce significantly lower rates of externalizing…

A study examined the effectiveness of a supplemental early literacy program for 7 first-graders at-risk for antisocial behavior who were unresponsive to a school-wide intervention. Despite initial variability in decoding skills and problem behaviors, all students made growth in word attack skills and demonstrated lower levels of disruptive…

A two-year study involving 173 Portuguese fifth-graders found students who were rejected by their peers were more disruptive, aggressive, and had more trouble with teachers. Students who were rated as lower status students (rejected and neglected) achieved poorly in 5th grade and more poorly in 6th grade. (Contains references.) (CR)

A theoretically and empirically based intervention, Self-Regulated Strategy Development (SRSD), for students who struggle with academic tasks is described. The instructional implications and evaluation of performance for one student with learning and behavioral difficulties highlights the usefulness of this instructional approach. Six individual…