George Singer

Using pretask requests to increase the probability of compliance for students with severe disabilities.

This article describes a nonaversive procedure to increase the probability that students with moderate and severe handicapping conditions will follow a directive to begin to work. Pretask requesting was evaluated using an ABA and BAB reversal design across four students with moderate and severe handicaps. The study suggests that familiar, rapidly paced, verbal directions with reinforcement can effectively mediate transitions from one activity to another. The theoretical implications of the procedure for a nonaversive technology of preemptive behavioral treatment are discussed.

Tailoring Direct Instruction techniques for use with elementary students with brain injury

This article describes three case studies in which Direct Instruction techniques were used to teach students with brain injuries who participated in a 6-week tutoring program. The subjects were three children with closed head injuries who exhibited significant learning problems: two boys, ages 8 and 10, and a girl, age 6. After approximately 12 hourly instructional sessions, all three students made substantial academic progress as demonstrated by probe data collected in their targeted instructional areas (reading, language, math, and keyboarding). The gains were seen in both discrete and more complex skills, and some of the gains made represented new learning. In addition, the aggressive outbursts of one student were decreased substantially through use of a self-monitoring technique in the context of academic instruction. Results from these case studies suggest that Direct Instruction is a promising approach for teaching both academic and behavioral skills to students with TBI.

The need for a science of larger social units: A contextual approach

This paper describes current issues in behavior therapy which point to the need for research on the larger context for behavior problems of individuals. Contextualism is advocated as a paradigmatic framework for the analysis of larger social units. We discuss its implications for theoretical analysis and empirical research. The concept of the cultural practice is advocated as the key dependent variable to be addressed in work focused on the larger context for behavior problems. The main theoretical concepts of cultural materialism are briefly described (Harris, 1979). These concepts suggest key aspects of the larger context for the environments of individuals which must be manipulated for research on the larger context to help ameliorate or prevent behavior problems. Finally, detailed examples of contextual analyses of tobacco use and childrearing practices are provided to illustrate how the present framework can be applied to important behavioral and societal problems.

Evaluation of Community-Based Support Services for Families of Persons with Developmental Disabilities.

This article presents an evaluation of a multi-element parent and family support intervention for parents of school-aged persons with severe disabilities. Using an experimental design, we compared two randomly assigned groups of parents: one group received a modest level of support consisting of respite care and case management, and the second group received an intensive intervention that consisted of stress management and parenting skills training, support groups, and additional community-based respite care. Separate MANCOVA analyses were conducted for mothers and fathers. Mothers showed significant improvement on measures of depression and anxiety. Further analysis of the data revealed that a significantly greater number of intensive support group members also achieved clinically significant improvement on measures of anxiety and depression. Fathers participated in smaller numbers than mothers. A power analysis revealed large treatment effects for fathers as well as mothers although, due to the small sample size, the results for fathers were significant at p = 0.07. Analyses of 1-year follow-up data revealed that treatment gains maintained for mothers. We discuss the results and limitations of this study in light of current efforts to create family support services nationwide.

On serving students with head injuries: Are we reinventing a wheel that doesn't roll?

There is growing concern that placement needs of students with traumatic brain injury CTBI) are not being met adequately in the schools. In an effort to generate discussion regarding categorical versus noncategorical placement of these students and to prevent advocates for students with TBI from inadvertently “reinventing a wheel that does not roll,” this article outlines the assumptions underlying the categorical service delivery model, as well as the counterassumptions and evidence discouraging It. Implications for service delivery and future research are discussed

Human Rights Review of Intrusive Behavioral Treatments for Students with Severe Handicaps

A rationale for the establishment of human rights review procedures within local educational agencies is presented. School personnel who work with students served under P.L. 94–142 who have severe behavior problems with or without mental retardation should be familiar with the legal and educational foundations for human rights review processes, especially when intrusive behavioral treatments are considered.

Computer-Assisted Video Instruction for Training Paraprofessionals in Rural Special Education.

Computer assisted video instruction (CAVI) was tested as a way to improve the teaching skills of a paraprofessional who was responsible for the instruction of a deaf-blind student in a rural school. A multiple baseline design was used to examine the impact of CAVI on four teaching behaviors. Direct observation revealed that CAVI was effective in modifying three of the four target behaviors. The potential of CAVI in staff improvement efforts is discussed.