bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Behavior Support Strategies in Early Childhood Settings
Authors: Stormont Melissa , Lewis Timothy J. , Covington Smith Sandra
Published: December 2007

The current study investigated early childhood professionals' opinions regarding the use of behavioral supports for children with challenging behavior. Participants included early childhood special education teachers, Title I teachers, speech and language pathologists, instructional aids and paraprofessionals, physical therapists, and school psychologists. Participants rated 24 behavioral support strategies on both their importance and their feasibility. Overall, results indicated that early childhood professionals rated the majority of the behavior support items in the mostly important range. Participants did not rate as many items as mostly feasible, and statistical analyses documented a significant difference between overall importance of the items and overall feasibility. Early childhood professionals' characteristics were analyzed to investigate whether groups differed in their perceptions of the importance and feasibility of the behavioral support items. Findings indicated that early childhood special education and Title I teachers rated the support items as more important than did paraprofessionals and instructional aids. Educational level also differentiated groups on importance ratings; professionals with either undergraduate degrees or graduate-level educational experiences rated items as more important than professionals with high school—level educations or some college. Years of teaching experience was not associated with ratings, and no teacher characteristic was associated with the feasibility of behavior supports. The implications of these findings are discussed.
Team Involvement in Assessment-Based Interventions With Problem Behavior
Authors: Snell Martha E. , Voorhees Mary D. , Chen Lih-Yuan
Published: December 2007

Descriptive and qualitative analyses were applied to a database of 111 assessment-based studies published between 1997 and 2002 on the problem behavior of school-age individuals with disabilities, to determine how frequently key components of positive behavior support (PBS) were being used. While most of the database reported reductions in problem behavior, only half focused on and reported increases in replacement skills. Interventions frequently reported were positive reinforcement, antecedent-based approaches, and skill training. Interventions using parent/teacher skill training were infrequent, and self-management, peer-mediated intervention, and comprehensive lifestyle change were rare. Involvement of family and educators was reported in one quarter of the database, with the highest involvement of nonresearchers during assessment. Studies using functional assessment alone or in combination with functional analysis and studies conducted in natural settings were more likely to use key features of PBS than were studies that used only functional analysis or were conducted in atypical settings.
Expanding Interventions for Children With Autism
Authors: Symon Jennifer B.
Published: December 2007

The number of individuals diagnosed with autism has risen at an alarming rate. Expanding services should be a primary consideration of programs for children and their families. This article presents outcome data from a week-long parent education program for families of children with autism to suggest that parents can learn not only how to effectively implement strategies into their interactions with their children but also to train others who work with their children. Single-case research methods were used to assess the spread of effect of a parent education program from parents to other care providers. Results indicate that parents successfully trained others to implement the techniques presented during the program. Additionally, the children's social communication and behaviors improved during interactions with the other caregivers.
Schoolwide Screening and Positive Behavior Supports
Authors: Walker Bridget , Cheney Douglas , Stage Scott , Blum Craig , Horner Robert H.
Published: December 2007

As schoolwide positive behavior supports (PBS) become more commonplace in public schools, efficiently and effectively identifying and supporting students who are at risk for school failure has become increasingly important. This descriptive study examines the functioning of 72 students identified as at risk in 3 elementary schools with established PBS systems, using schoolwide screening, rating scale instruments, and office discipline referrals. The students were identified through the use of the Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders (Walker & Severson, 1992) administered in the fall. School teams matched the identified students to existing supports and tracked their functioning twice monthly. Teachers completed the Social Skills Rating System (Gresham & Elliot, 1990) on each of the students in the following spring. The number of office discipline referrals for each student was monitored, as was the number of students referred to school-based support teams—such as a Student Study Team, a Functional Behavior Assessment Team—and the number of students who qualified for special education that year. Results suggest that students at risk for school failure are best identified by monitoring office discipline referrals and the use of a systematic schoolwide screening process.
Using the Effective Behavior Supports Survey to Guide Development of Schoolwide Positive Behavior Support
Authors: Safran Stephen P.
Published: December 2007

As the use of school-based positive behavior support (PBS) spreads nationwide, the development of assessment strategies to identify intervention priorities becomes more critical. This study addresses the validity of the Effective Behavior Supports Survey (Lewis & Sugai, 1999) by examining reliability, determining whether rating differences exist across the four PBS systems and among schools, and reporting the use of the scale in schoolwide planning. Total scale internal consistency reliability reflects a moderate to high level, suggesting that the instrument does contain a cohesive set of items. A large effect size was also found differentiating ratings for the PBS systems, indicating that Individual Student Systems were considered least in place. A case example illustrating the use of the scale as a vehicle for collaborative action planning in a middle school is also discussed.
Using Office Discipline Referral Data for Decision Making About Student Behavior in Elementary and Middle Schools
Authors: Irvin Larry K. , Horner Robert H. , Ingram Kimberly , Todd Anne W. , Sugai George , Sampson Nadia Katul , Boland Joseph B.
Published: December 2007

In this evaluation we used Messick's construct validity as a conceptual framework for an empirical study assessing the validity of use, utility, and impact of office discipline referral (ODR) measures for data-based decision making about student behavior in schools. The Messick approach provided a rubric for testing the fit of our theory of use of ODR measures with empirical data on reported and actual use. It also facilitated our demonstration of Messick's principle that validation is both a developmental and an ongoing collaborative process among developers of educational and psychological measures, researchers interested in theories underlying such measures, and educators who use these measures in professional practice. We used a single-group, nonexperimental evaluation design to survey users of ODR measures from the standardized School Wide Information System in 22 elementary and 10 middle schools; respondents included school staff involved exclusively with data entry and staff actively involved in data-based decision making. Results were highly consistent across 2 independent data sources—electronic database records of actual access of summaries of ODR measures and self-report survey responses regarding frequencies and types of uses of ODR measures for decision making. Results indicated that ODR measures are regularly used for a variety of types of data-based decision making and are regarded as both efficient and effective for those purposes. We discuss implications of our SWIS ODR validity evaluation results within the context of the Messick framework.
Elimination of Drooling by an Adolescent Student With Autism Attending Public High School
Authors: Kay Shannon , Harchik Alan E. , Luiselli James K.
Published: December 2007

We evaluated a multicomponent intervention that successfully eliminated drooling by a 17-year-old student with autism who attended a public high school. The student was taught to perform compensatory responses (wiping his mouth and swallowing saliva), received positive reinforcement for having a “dry mouth,” and was given opportunities to monitor his appearance. Implemented in a multiple-baseline design across three school locations, intervention was applied with high integrity and judged positively by staff.
Using Social Stories to Improve the Social Behavior of Children With Asperger Syndrome
Authors: Sansosti Frank J. , Powell-Smith Kelly A.
Published: December 2007

To date, the empirical support for the use of social story interventions for children with Asperger syndrome (AS) is small. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of individualized social story interventions on the social behavior of three children with AS. Using a multiple-baseline-across-participants design, social stories were implemented, and direct observations of the participants' identified target behaviors were conducted three times per week during unstructured school activities (e.g., recess). Data revealed an increase in the social behavior of two of the three participants when the treatment was implemented. Unfortunately, maintenance of target behaviors was not observed. These data provide some initial support for the use of social stories to teach social skills to children diagnosed with AS. However, failure to demonstrate skill maintenance and poor results for one participant highlight possible limitations of the social story intervention and suggest a strong need for further research. Recommendations for future research endeavors and the potential benefits of social story interventions are discussed.
An Evaluation of the Predictive Validity of Confidence Ratings in Identifying Functional Behavioral Assessment Hypothesis Statements
Authors: Borgmeier Chris , Horner Robert H. , Koegel Robert L.
Published: December 2007

Faced with limited resources, schools require tools that increase the accuracy and efficiency of functional behavioral assessment. Yarbrough and Carr (2000) provided evidence that informant confidence ratings of the likelihood of problem behavior in specific situations offered a promising tool for predicting the accuracy of function-based hypotheses developed from staff interviews. The current study evaluated conditions in which a similar rating of informant confidence was effective in predicting the accuracy of functional assessment hypothesis statements. Nine students with problem behavior were identified, and functional behavioral assessment interviews with confidence scores were completed with 58 staff members. Between five and eight adults were interviewed about each student. The adults were selected based on their range of contact with the student (0 to 10+ hours per week) and their self-assessed knowledge about behavioral theory (no knowledge to extensive knowledge). Functional analyses were conducted to assess agreement with functional assessment hypotheses and the predictive value of confidence ratings. Results suggested limitations to the general use of confidence ratings in distinguishing accurate from inaccurate functional hypotheses across school staff with a broad range of contact with the target student. The study did find that informants who were both highly confident and who identified accurate functional assessment hypotheses had significantly higher levels of contact with the student in the target routine than those informants who had low confidence ratings and/or identified an incorrect function for the problem behavior.
Longitudinal Outcomes of Functional Behavioral Assessment—Based Intervention
Authors: Kern Lee , Gallagher Patricia , Starosta Kristin , Hickman Wesley , George Michael
Published: December 2007

A critical measure of intervention effectiveness is durability over time. Still, few studies have examined the long-term outcomes of support derived from a functional behavioral assessment as well as enablers and barriers that contribute to or impede successful outcomes. In the current study, a functional behavioral assessment was conducted with a 10-year-old boy with developmental disabilities who engaged in high-rate aggression. Based on the assessment results, a comprehensive support plan was developed and implemented, which resulted in a decrease in aggression and increase in activity engagement. His subsequent progress was followed for 3 consecutive school years. This longitudinal follow-up indicated that components of the plan remained effective; however, illness and implementation lapses resulted in decrements in progress.
Including Parent Training in the Early Childhood Special Education Curriculum for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders
Authors: Ingersoll Brooke , Dvortcsak Anna
Published: December 2007

Parent training has been shown to be a very effective method for promoting generalization and maintenance of skills in children with autism. However, despite its well-established benefits, few public school programs include parent training as part of the early childhood special education (ECSE) curriculum. Barriers to the provision of parent training include the need for parent education models that can be easily implemented in ECSE programs and the need for preparation of special educators in parent education strategies. This article describes a parent training model for children with autism developed for use in ECSE programs. The implementation of the program, teacher preparation, and preliminary outcomes and challenges will be discussed.
Effects of Response Cards on Disruptive Behavior and Academic Responding During Math Lessons by Fourth-Grade Urban Students
Authors: Lambert Michael Charles , Cartledge Gwendolyn , Heward William L. , Lo Ya-yu
Published: December 2007

The authors evaluated the effects of response cards on the disruptive behavior and academic responding of students in two urban fourth-grade classrooms. Two conditions, single-student responding and write-on response cards, were alternated in an ABAB design. During single-student responding, the teacher called on one student who had raised his or her hand to answer the question. During the response-card condition, each student was provided with a white laminated board on which he or she could write a response to every question posed by the teacher. Nine students were targeted for data collection because of their history of disciplinary issues in school and frequent disruptive behavior in the classroom. Data revealed substantial reductions in disruptive behavior and increases in academic responding during the response card condition compared to single-student responding. The findings are discussed in terms of the beneficial effects of direct, high-response strategies for urban, low-achieving learners.
Demonstration of Combined Efforts in School-Wide Academic and Behavioral Systems and Incidence of Reading and Behavior Challenges in Early Elementary Grades
Authors: McIntosh Kent , Chard David J. , Boland Joseph B. , Horner Robert H.
Published: December 2007

This study provides descriptive data on the rates of office discipline referrals and beginning reading skills for students in grades K—3 for one school district that is implementing a three-tier prevention model for both reading and behavior support. Students in the district are provided a continuum of reading and/or behavioral support based on screening measures that indicate response to universal, targeted, and intensive support. This combined approach may be more successful due to the number of shared critical features in both systems. Results document positive outcomes in prevalence of students needing additional reading and/or behavior support (in comparison to national figures) and are reported with recommendations for future experimental analyses.
Contingency Mapping
Authors: Brown Kenneth E. , Mirenda Pat
Published: December 2007

This study evaluated the effectiveness of contingency mapping, a new visual support strategy designed to enhance clients' understanding of the contingencies associated with functional equivalence training (FET). The study was conducted in a general education classroom with an adolescent boy with autism who engaged in prompt dependent behavior. A multiple baseline ABCD design across three activities was used to evaluate intervention effectiveness and to compare a verbal contingency intervention with contingency mapping. Results indicated that the verbal contingency had no effect, whereas contingency mapping was related to immediate, dramatic, and sustained reductions in problem behavior and increases in alternative behavior. Social validation and follow-up data are also included. The potential of contingency mapping as an adjunct to FET is discussed. e-mail: kennethbrown@telus.net
A Demonstration of Training, Implementing, and Using Functional Behavioral Assessment in 10 Elementary and Middle School Settings
Authors: Crone Deanne A. , Hawken Leanne S. , Bergstrom Melissa K.
Published: December 2007

The primary goal of this project was to increase schools' resources and staff skills in providing function-based behavior support to individual students with chronic problem behaviors. Over the course of a 3-year period, 10 school teams received training in and on-site consultation on functional behavioral assessment (FBA) and behavior support planning. This article documents (a) how the teams were trained, (b) the level of FBA knowledge gained by each participating team member, (c) the extent to which critical features of FBA were implemented in each school, (d) the extent to which the training and procedures were found acceptable by school staff, and (e) lessons learned on how to train school teams to implement systems of FBA. Limitations of the current demonstration and future research directions in the area of FBA and behavior support are discussed.
Daily Behavior Report Cards
Authors: Chafouleas Sandra M. , Riley-Tillman T. Chris , Sassu Kari A. , LaFrance Mary J. , Patwa Shamim S.
Published: December 2007

In this study, the consistency of on-task data collected across raters using either a Daily Behavior Report Card (DBRC) or systematic direct observation was examined to begin to understand the decision reliability of using DBRCs to monitor student behavior. Results suggested very similar conclusions might be drawn when visually examining data collected by an external observer using either systematic direct observation or a DBRC. In addition, similar conclusions might be drawn upon visual analysis of either systematic direct observation or DBRC data collected by an external observer versus a teacher-completed DBRC. Examination of effect sizes from baseline to intervention phases suggested greater potential for different conclusions to be drawn about student behavior, dependent on the method and rater. In summary, overall consistency of data across method and rater found in this study lends support to the use of DBRCs to estimate global classroom behavior as part of a multimethod assessment. Implications, limitations, and future research directions are discussed.
Implementing Positive Behavior Support With Chinese American Families
Authors: Mian Wang  , McCart Amy , Turnbull Ann P.
Published: December 2007

In positive behavior support (PBS) practices, one critical issue involves helping professionals understand and respect the values of families from culturally diverse backgrounds. This article summarizes embedded cultural values of PBS represented in four key features of the PBS process: collaborative partnerships, functional assessment, contextual fit, and meaningful lifestyle outcomes. With acknowledgment of acculturation, the contrast between Chinese cultural values and embedded PBS values is illustrated in the context of implementing PBS for Chinese American families.
Child Demographics Associated With Outcomes in a Community-Based Pivotal Response Training Program
Authors: Baker-Ericzén Mary J. , Stahmer Aubyn C. , Burns Amelia
Published: December 2007

Although knowledge about the efficacy of treatments such as pivotal response training (PRT) for children with autism is increasing, studies of large-scale effectiveness for and transportability to diverse community populations are needed. The current study provides a large-scale preliminary assessment of (a) the effectiveness of a community-based parent education PRT intervention and (b) whether specific child variables are associated with outcomes. One hundred fifty-eight families with children having an autism spectrum diagnosis participated. Children were heterogeneous with regards to age, gender, and race/ethnicity. Results indicate that all of the children showed significant improvements in adaptive functioning on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (Sparrow, Balla, & Cicchetti, 1984). However, younger children (3 years old or younger) showed the least impairment at intake and the most improvement postintervention. This is one of the first large-scale community studies of PRT that included a diverse sample.
Effects of the Behavior Education Program (BEP) on Office Discipline Referrals of Elementary School Students
Authors: Hawken Leanne S. , Sandra MacLeod K. , Rawlings Linda
Published: December 2007

The Behavior Education Program (BEP; Crone et al., 2004) is a modified check-in, check-out intervention implemented with students who are at risk for more severe problem behaviors. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of the BEP on problem behavior with 12 elementary school students. Results indicated that the BEP was implemented with high fidelity, led to a decrease in office discipline referrals for the majority of students who received the intervention, and had high social validity ratings. Limitations of the current study are presented, along with suggestions for future research.
Training Classroom and Resource Preschool Teachers to Develop Inclusive Class Interventions for Children With Disabilities
Authors: Hundert Joel P.
Published: December 2007

Four preschool supervisors were individually trained in a collaborative team approach in which classroom and resource teachers together developed a plan to increase the peer interactions of the entire class, including children with disabilities. The purpose of the research was to assess the generalization of effects to a new program target (children's on-task behavior during circle time) and over time (3 months). The experimental phases of baseline, supervisor training, and follow-up were introduced in a multiple-baseline design across four preschool classes, each containing 2 children with disabilities. Behaviors of teachers, 8 children with disabilities, and 8 comparison children were measured during daily 20-min training sessions (indoor play periods) and generalization sessions (circle time). Results indicated that following supervisor training, teachers increased their focus on groups of children that included children with disabilities in both training and generalization sessions. After supervisor training, children with disabilities and comparison children increased their peer interactions during training sessions and their on-task behavior during circle time. Changes in teachers' and children's behaviors in both settings were maintained at the 3-month follow-up observation. Implications for teacher training and consultation are discussed.
Escape-Maintained Problem Behavior in a Child With Autism
Authors: Butler Laura R. , Luiselli James K.
Published: December 2007

A functional analysis with a 13-year-old girl who had autism documented that her problem behavior was maintained by escape from instruction. Additional assessment revealed that certain types of requests and specific practitioners were associated with the highest frequency of problem behavior. In a subsequent intervention evaluation, response reduction was achieved using a combination of noncontingent escape and instructional fading. The frequency of requests presented to the child also increased with intervention. The study highlights the importance of identifying specific sources of control over escape-maintained problem behavior and manipulating antecedent variables to affect change.
Adding Functional Behavioral Assessment to First Step to Success
Authors: Carter Deborah Russell , Horner Robert H.
Published: December 2007

First Step to Success is a manualized early intervention program with documented success in reducing the problem behavior of young children. Walker and colleagues (2005) are now engaged in analyses of variables that will increase the proportion of children for whom First Step is effective. A possible enhancement to the First Step to Success protocol is the use of functional behavioral assessment and individualized, function-based behavior support. The present analysis provides a case study with one 6-year-old student who received First Step to Success. Following the coaching phase of First Step, a reversal design was employed in which function-based features of behavior support were withdrawn and then re-implemented. Analysis of problem behavior and academic engagement data suggests that incorporation of function-based features enhanced the impact of First Step to Success. Implications for modifications of the First Step protocol and future research are provided.
Three-Tier Models of Reading and Behavior
Authors: Stewart Rachel M. , Benner Gregory J. , Martella Ronald C. , Marchand-Martella Nancy E.
Published: December 2007

The purpose of this study was to analyze the research literature on three-tier models of reading and behavior and to provide a descriptive analysis and meta-analytic review of these models. An in-depth review of 17 articles was conducted on the similarities and differences between and among three-tier models of reading ( n = 5), models of behavior ( n = 7), and integrated models (combining reading and behavior; n = 5). Descriptive analyses were conducted across three areas: student populations, intervention level, and setting. Finally, a meta-analytic review was completed of 11 of the 17 investigations. Scientific evidence shows that one or more levels of these three-tier models leads to improved reading or behavior performance; however, there is a paucity of research detailing the integration of three-tier reading and behavior models. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.
Comprehensive Multisituational Intervention for Problem Behavior in the Community
Authors: Carr Edward G. , Levin Len , McConnachie Gene , Carlson Jane I. , Kemp Duane C. , Smith Christopher E. , McLaughlin Darlene Magito
Published: December 2007

Assessment and intervention approaches for dealing with problem behavior need to be extended so that they can be effectively and comprehensively applied within the community. To meet assessment needs, the authors developed a three-component strategy: description (interview followed by direct observation), categorization (aggregating multiple instances of problem behavior into thematic groups, each characterized by a specific function), and verification (manipulating situational parameters to test the accuracy of the assessment data). To meet intervention needs, the authors employed a five-component, assessment-based, hypothesis-driven strategy consisting of rapport building, functional communication training, tolerance for delay of reinforcement, choice, and embedding. Following intervention, improvements in participants' lifestyle, communication, and problem behavior were noted. The intervention was practical in that parents, teachers, job coaches, and group home staff were able to efficiently implement it without compromising high levels of task engagement. Long-term maintenance of intervention effects (ranging from 1.5 to 2.5 years in duration) was also observed. Finally, 100 group home staff judged the effects to be socially valid in that problem behavior was rated as less severe and less dangerous, and as requiring less restraint following intervention. In light of these results, the authors discuss how future community-based intervention will require additional changes in assessment practices and intervention strategies and a redefinition of successful outcomes to include lifestyle change and life-span perspectives.
Support for Children with Developmental Disabilities in Full Inclusion Classrooms Through Self-Management
Authors: Koegel Lynn Kern , Harrower Joshua K. , Koegel Robert L.
Published: December 2007

The literature has suggested that without the implementation of support procedures, placements of children with severe disabilities in full-inclusion classrooms are often unsuccessful. This study assessed whether a support person who taught young elementary school students to use self-management procedures and then faded involvement with them would be effective in increasing these students' appropriate performance on schoolwork tasks and reducing disruptive behavior in full inclusion classrooms. The percentage of time the children engaged in appropriate performance of schoolwork tasks and disruptive behavior was recorded during in-class periods. Data were collected over a 9-month period in a multiple baseline design during the academic year. The results showed that implementation of self-management resulted in high levels of appropriate performance of schoolwork activities, negligible levels of disruptive behavior, and complete elimination of time spent in time-out. Following the intervention, both appropriate schoolwork performance and disruptive behavior exhibited by the children with severe disabilities were within the range of the typical children in the classroom.
Perspectives of Five Stakeholder Groups
Authors: Ruef Michael B. , Turnbull Ann P. , Turnbull H.R. , Poston Denise
Published: December 2007

Data from five focus groups, each representing a different stakeholder constituency interested in the challenging behavior of individuals with mental retardation and/or autism, were reported. Emergent themes across administrators and policy makers, families, friends, individuals with disabilities, and teachers and practitioners included current barriers faced; practical, positive solutions found; and preferences for helpful informational products concerning challenging behavior. Key recommendations focus on the implications of this information for research, training, and dissemination activities.
A Demonstration of Behavioral Support for Young Children with Autism
Authors: Dunlap Glen , Fox Lise
Published: December 2007

Young children with autism sometimes display severe behavior problems that can cause great disruptions in family life and interfere with attempts to provide needed services. Strategies are needed to resolve these behavior problems in a manner that is effective, durable, and consistent with current approaches to positive, comprehensive, and inclusionary practice in early childhood intervention. This article provides a description of behavioral support as applied in the context of a family-centered early intervention program for young children with autism. Demonstration data are presented to illustrate the effects of the approach in reducing the problem behaviors of six children. The practices and data are discussed in the context of changing perspectives toward early intervention and the prospects of developing effective preventive strategies and functional deterrents to the emergence and occurrence of serious problem behaviors.
Using Self-Management Strategies to increase the On-Task Behavior of a Student with Autism
Authors: Callahan Kevin , Rademacher Joyce A.
Published: December 2007

A multiple-baseline design was used to investigate the effectiveness of using self management strategies and reinforcement to increase the on-task behaviors of a high-functioning second-grade student with autism who was fully included in a general education classroom. Results of data collected over 9 weeks indicated that when self-management and reinforcement procedures were implemented, rates of on-task behavior were significantly higher than during baseline. Improvements in independent academic and behavioral functioning were also noted. Further research is recommended to determine the viability of using self-management procedures in full-inclusion settings for students with a wider range of skills and deficits.
Intermediate School Students with Severe Disabilities
Authors: Shukla Smita , Kennedy Craig H. , Cushing Lisa Sharon
Published: December 2007

Abstract: We compared two approaches for supporting the social participation of students with severe disabilities in general education classrooms. Three students with severe disabilities were studied in four different general education classrooms. Dependent measures included the Kennedy active engagement of students with severe disabilities and their nondisabled peers and the social interactions that peers had with the students. We compared direct assistance from a special education instructional aide with peer support supervised by a special education instructional aide. Our results indicate that the peer support program produced more frequent and longer social interactions for all three students. Also, peers without disabilities demonstrated a more frequent and greater variety of social support behaviors to students with disabilities. Some improvements in the active engagement of students with disabilities and their peers were observed in the peer support condition. Our results suggest that peer support may be preferred to direct support by an instructional aide for students with severe disabilities in general education classrooms.
Promoting Augmentative Communication During Daily Routines
Authors: Stiebel Dara
Published: December 2007

Abstract: The field of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) continues to struggle with issues relating to generalization and maintenance. Current methods of modifying instructional practices and teaching skills directly to the communication partner have contributed to developing successful treatment outcomes. However, few studies have examined AAC in the home setting during daily routines with parents. This study examined whether teaching parents a problem-solving intervention that considered the family's lifestyle would promote child spontaneous picture card use and parent-provided communication opportunities during daily routines. Data were collected in the context of a multiple baseline design across child and parent behavior. The results showed increases in the child's use of cards and in the parent's use of communication opportunities across multiple routines, parent and child behavior maintenance over time, and increases in the parent's perception of their child's communication skill and of their own ability to promote communication. The findings support the use of a problem-solving intervention that incorporates the family's lifestyle as a method to promote augmentative communication during daily routines.
Intervention Research in Behavioral and Developmental Disabilities
Authors: Dunlap Glen , Clarke Shelley , Steiner Miriam
Published: December 2007

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the status of experimental research on interventions intended to improve the responding of children and youth with behavioral disorders and developmental disabilities. The data pool consisted of all the articles published between 1980 and 1997 in 10 selected journals. Articles that met the criteria for intervention research were identified and scored on a number of descriptive dimensions (e.g., participant characteristics, settings, dependent measures, independent variables, ecological validity). The data revealed few notable trends over the 18-year period; however, there seemed to be some tendencies toward younger participant populations, general education settings, and studies of interventions in more typical contexts. Moreover, an increasing proportion of interventions are based on preliminary assessments. The discussion considers the general status of intervention research and its value in understanding and helping to guide practice.
Using an Instructional Intervention to Reduce Problem and Off-Task Behaviors
Authors: Lee Young-Yon , Sugai George , Horner Robert H.
Published: December 2007

Functional relationships between the presentation of easy versus difficult math tasks and the occurrence of problem and off-task behaviors of students with emotional or behavioral disorder (EBD) were investigated. Subsequently, the effects of academic instruction on the accuracy of responses to difficult tasks and the occurrence of problem and off-task behaviors were assessed. The results of independent experiments conducted with two third graders indicated (a) the existence of functional relationships between the presentation of difficult tasks and occurrences of problem and off-task behaviors among students with EBD and (b) the effectiveness of academic instruction on reduction of escape-motivated problem and off-task behaviors.
Using Functional Behavioral Assessment to Develop Effective Intervention Plans
Authors: Scott Terrance M. , Nelson C. Michael
Published: December 2007

Functional behavioral assessment was mandated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Amendments of 1997 as a behavioral evaluation for students who display behaviors that are likely to result in school exclusion. Functional behavioral assessment is not intended to be used solely as a reaction to chronic and serious behaviors. Rather, functional behavioral assessment is most effective when used proactively at the first display of challenging behaviors by students. Through case examples, this article presents step-by-step procedures for conducting functional behavioral assessment and developing effective intervention plans for students in public school classrooms.
Fighting for the story's life
Authors: Tenenboim Weinblatt Keren
Published: December 2007

This article develops the concept of non-closure in sustained news stories, based on the case study of Ron Arad, an Israeli soldier who was taken captive in 1986 and whose story still continues to produce headlines in the Israeli press. Coverage of the Arad case was examined in the three major Israeli daily newspapers for a period of 17 years, and the textual mechanisms through which the story has been kept alive were identified. The article offers an analysis of three central non-closure strategies: maintaining suspense, thickening the plot, and keeping the protagonist alive. It is suggested that these strategies enhance readers' involvement with the journalistic texts and function as a bridge between the ritual and information transmission functions of news. Non-closure is thus conceptualized as a force that operates alongside the well-studied forces of closure and renders individual news pieces as episodes in a serial narrative rather than self-contained narrative units.
Attending the news
Authors: Martin Vivian B.
Published: December 2007

This article proposes a theory about how people negotiate news as a daily regimen. The theory of purposive attending proposes a feedback loop in which awareness increases relevance, which can increase attending, which can then reset awareness. This article focuses on two aspects of the broader theory: the ambivalence surrounding everyday news-attending and the role cultural identities such as gender and race might play in heightening that ambivalence. The work, influenced by Carey's call to treat news-attending in a ritual context, demonstrates how news-as-ritual and news-as-information-acquisition exist in daily tension. The work was developed using classic grounded theory methodology, which outlines protocols for building theory from data, which included interviews, participant observation with a book discussion group, and qualitative document analysis of news discussions in selected internet communities, letters to the editor, news articles, and industry reports.
Media ritual in catastrophic time
Authors: Durham Frank
Published: December 2007

Television news coverage of Hurricane Katrina's impact on Mississippi and New Orleans presented viewers with broadcast journalists who were on the scene but were largely left without access to traditional government sources. Through a textual analysis of transcripts of cable and network news reports, this study compares the media's performance during the six days following 29 August, 2005 to news coverage following 11 September, 2001. In this way, it interprets how and why the 11 September attacks produced a `sphere of consensus' unifying the media and the state, while Katrina produced the opposite dynamic. Central to this analysis is the normative concept of `media ritual', especially where the media's ritual consensus with government was `de-centered' by the federal government's de facto absence from the storm scene for that crucial week.
Creating a new discipline of memory studies
Authors: Roediger Henry L. , Wertsch James V.
Published: December 2007

The multidisciplinary field of memory studies combines intellectual strands from many domains, including (but not limited to) anthropology, education, literature, history, philosophy, psychology and sociology. Our article has four parts. We first consider definitions of memory and note that the single term itself is not particularly useful. Rather, scholars must specify the type or variety of memory under investigation. Second, we consider the breadth of memory studies and briefly survey disciplines in addition to those listed above that may prove interested parties to the new field. Third, we argue that the field of memory studies is just emerging, and that its proper development will require creation of a systematic set of methodological tools (qualitative and quantitative) that may be borrowed from various social sciences and adapted to new purposes. Finally, we describe two undergraduate programs in memory studies that have been developed at Washington University in St. Louis, USA and that might be used as models for similar programs.
The second voice
Authors: Campbell Sue
Published: December 2007

Understanding of social aspects of remembering in diverse communities requires a focus on the listener, and on the role of uptake in memory's inter-individual dramas. We come repeatedly under the influence not only of our own pasts as understood by others, but of the pasts of others. Sharing memory is our default. So we can respond to any preoccupation with accuracy in the philosophy and psychology of memory by theorizing the self as relationally shaped, and by acknowledging the value of ongoing renegotiation over the significance of shared experiences as communities forge a useable past together.
Seven types of forgetting
Authors: Connerton Paul
Published: December 2007

Much of the debate on cultural memory has been shaped by the view, commonly held if not universal, that remembering and commemorating is usually a virtue and that forgetting is necessarily a failing. But this assumption is not self-evidently true. This article seeks, therefore, to disentangle the different types of acts that cluster together under the single term `to forget'. I suggest that we can distinguish at least seven types: repressive erasure; prescriptive forgetting; forgetting that is constitutive in the formation of a new identity; structural amnesia; forgetting as annulment; forgetting as planned obsolescence; forgetting as humiliated silence.
Artistic and activist memory-work: Approaching place-based practice
Authors: Till Karen E.
Published: December 2007

While an emerging interdisciplinary field of memory studies exists, what it is and might become remains open to debate. This article calls for a memory studies agenda that remains sensitive to the ways individuals and groups experience memory as multi-sensual, spatial ways of understanding their worlds. Artistic and activist memory-work in particular offers at least two contributions to such an agenda. It challenges ontological assumptions that underpin much of the recent interdisciplinary body of research on memory, including understandings of site, social and body memory, and the role of place in memory; and it invites scholars to consider their research in terms of socially responsible place-based practice. In this article, I discuss sites of social engagement, embodied and social memory, and wounded places to consider how artistic and activist place-based practice might fundamentally change how memory studies scholars think about their research.
Notebooks as memory aids: Precepts and practices in early modern England
Authors: Yeo Richard
Published: December 2007

The theory and practice of note-taking were matters of concern for Renaissance humanists. They recommended commonplace books as stores of copious literary material for use in speeches and writing; but these notebooks were regarded as tools for training and improving recall from memory, not as substitutes for it. This article examines the operation of this assumption and the challenges to it that appeared, especially during the 17th century. There was a shift away from notebooks as memory prompts so that they began to be seen as external sources from which information might be retrieved when needed. This development involved a profound re-assessment of the cultural status of memory.
A phase 1 multidose study of SGN-30 immunotherapy in patients with refractory or recurrent CD30+ hematologic malignancies
Authors: Bartlett Nancy L. , Younes Anas , Carabasi Matthew H. , Forero Andres , Rosenblatt Joseph D. , Leonard John P. , Bernstein Steven H. , Bociek R. Gregory , Lorenz Jennie M. , Hart Bruce W. , Barton Jeremy
Published: December 2007

Phase 1 testing of SGN-30, a chimeric monoclonal antibody for the treatment of CD30+ malignancies, was conducted in a multicenter study. To explore the safety profile and establish the maximum tolerated dose (MTD), 24 patients with refractory or relapsed Hodgkin lymphoma or CD30+ non-Hodgkin lymphoma received 6 weekly doses of intravenous SGN-30 at 4 dose levels (2, 4, 8, or 12 mg/kg). Serum concentrations of SGN-30 rose rapidly and were dose dependent. Adverse events were mild, with nausea, fatigue, and fever attributed to study treatment. One episode of hypersensitivity rash was reported. The MTD was not reached. Serious adverse events included herpes zoster (n = 2), influenza, and pneumonia. One patient with cutaneous anaplastic large cell lymphoma (8 mg/kg) achieved a complete response. Six patients, of whom 4 had Hodgkin lymphoma, achieved stable disease with durations ranging from 6 to 16 months. The pharmacokinetic profile of SGN-30 showed a biphasic disposition, and estimated half-lives ranging between 1 to 3 weeks. The 6 weekly infusions of SGN-30 resulted in approximately 2- to 3-fold accumulation in serum exposures consistently across the dose range. These results demonstrate that weekly administration of SGN-30 is safe and has modest clinical activity in patients with CD30+ tumors. This trial is registered at http://www.ClinicalTrials.gov as no. NCT00051597.