Melissa A. Bray

A packaged intervention to reduce disruptive behaviors in general education students.

This investigation employed a combination multiple baseline/reversal design across individuals to examine the effects of a packaged intervention designed to reduce disruptive behaviors in two 8-year-old female students, with a third 8-year-old female student serving as a control. The intervention was delivered through a contingency contract and was comprised of precision requests, antecedent strategies (i.e., public posting of classroom rules, and teacher movement), positive reinforcement (i.e., mystery motivators, token economy), and the reductive technique of response cost.During baseline, the percentage of intervals that the students evidenced disruptive behaviors averaged 41%. This was reduced to an average of 20% during treatment. In the withdrawal phase, disruptive intervals increased to an average of 25%. Reinstatement of the intervention resulted in a further reduction of disruptive intervals of 20%.

Augmented Self-Modeling as a Treatment for Children with Selective Mutism.

Abstract Three children with selective mutism were treated with a packaged procedure that incorporated self-modeling, mystery motivators, self-reinforcement, stimulus fading, spacing, and, in one case, antidepressant medication. All three children evidenced a complete cessation of selective mutism and maintained their treatment gains at follow-up. An argument was presented for the use of a series of single-case, baseline-intervention (AB) designs appropriate for this type of school-related, low incidence behavior. Specific conditions were met that allowed for inferences to be drawn that approached the quality of those typically obtained from experimental designs.

Randomization of Group Contingencies and Reinforcers to Reduce Classroom Disruptive Behavior

Abstract The present study employed an ABAB design to investigate the effect of randomizing both contingencies for reinforcement and reinforcers to decrease classroom disruptive behavior in 5 adolescent students with serious emotional disorder. With the introduction of the intervention, it was found that the percentage of observed intervals of disruptive behaviors decreased immediately and dramatically in all students. The effect sizes for the 5 participants ranged from 2.6 to 5.2.

A Multi-Component intervention designed to reduce disruptive classroom behavior

The intent of this article was to present an on-going line of research that has focused on the design of an effective, easily implemented, economical, and parsimonious treatment for disruptive classroom behavior in both general and special education students. This multi- component treatment has evolved to include mystery motivators, token economy with response cost, and antecedent strategies (i.e., public posting of classroom rules, and teacher movement) delivered within a group contingency format. Based on report data, the treatment in this research was well received by the teachers and students. Further, due to the substantial treatment effect, ease of implementation, and relatively low investment of teacher time, the multi-component intervention became a consistent choice by the teachers for classroom management.

Contemporary Review of Group-Oriented Contingencies for Disruptive Behavior.

ABSTRACT This review clarifies the vaguely defined and perplexing terminology that historically has been used in the descriptions of group contingencies. Group contingencies are reviewed and categorized as independent, interdependent, and dependent based on the seminal work of Litow and Pumroy. Further, group contingencies, based on these categorizations, are discussed in terms of their effectiveness and advantages over behavioral interventions designed for individual students.

Mystery Motivator as an Intervention to Promote Homework Completion and Accuracy

This study investigated the effectiveness of the mystery motivator intervention as a means to remediate mathematics homework accuracy and completion problems in five fifth-grade students. An ABAB reversal design with multiple baselines across two classrooms was used. The results indicated that the mystery motivator intervention was effective for all students on one or both outcome criteria. Additionally, both the teachers and students rated the intervention positively.

Self-modeling as an intervention to reduce disruptive classroom behavior

This study employed a multiple baseline design across individuals with a follow-up to examine self-modeling as a treatment for disruptive behavior in 4 school-aged males with social and emotional disorders. Self-modeling is defined as the positive change in behavior that results from viewing oneself on edited videotapes that depict only exemplary behavior. The students viewed two 5-minute edited videotapes of themselves behaving appropriately in the classroom on 6 occasions over a 2-week period. After viewing the intervention videotapes, all students evidenced a substantial reduction in disruptive behavior. To differing degrees, the students maintained their treatment gains at follow-up.

Behavioral interventions in schools : evidence-based positive strategies

This book provides school psychologists, counselors, social workers, school administrators, and teachers with a summary of ecologically sound primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention strategies. The contributors cover fundamentals such as how to conduct a behavioral assessment, how to measure treatment integrity and response to intervention, and how to promote generalization and maintenance of learned positive behaviors. They also discuss prevention measures such as positive behavior support and group contingencies that schools can implement system-wide. Several chapters describe more narrowly focused interventions such as daily report cards and self modeling, while the final section explains how to customize behavioral strategies for special populations such as preschoolers; children with autism, internalizing, or externalizing disorders; and those who have experienced trauma.

Self-Modeling as an Intervention to Increase Student Classroom Participation.

The effect of self-modeling as an intervention to increase individual participatory behavior in the classroom was investigated using a multiple baseline design across three second grade students with a follow-up. In addition, a control student was employed to further investigate the effects of the intervention. Self-modeling is defined as the positive change in behavior resulting from spaced viewing of oneself on edited tapes depicting exemplary behavior. Students viewed edited videotapes of themselves successfully volunteering to participate in class by raising their hand. The three students, during baseline, had a mean participation rate ranging between 8% and 24% compared with the control students rate ranging between 53% and 63%. During intervention, the mean participation rate ranged between 28% and 60% compared with the control students rate ranging between 43% and 46%. At follow-up, students had a mean percentage rate ranging between 44% and 64% compared with the control students rate of 53%. Thus, they more closely approximated or surpassed the control students mean rate of participation during intervention and follow-up, suggesting that the self-modeling intervention was effective in increasing individual participatory behavior in the classroom.

Profile Analysis with the Wechsler Scales Why Does It Persist

Despite the overwhelming evidence that mitigates against the use of profile analysis, the practice of diagnosing specific cognitive or processing disabilities continues. The reason that profile analysis remains popular is probably because school psychologists are simply unfamiliar with the literature. They have a difficult time understanding the notion of g, along with its implications. Generally, the users of profile analysis assume that because the IQ tests, particularly the WISC scales, generate scores from subtests that differ in content, they must be measuring different types of cognitive abilities, and therefore the profile of these cognitive abilities should be diagnostically important. Finally, they find profile analysis more socially acceptable in that it implies the existence of multiple intelligences. The notion that a single IQ score captures all that is meaningful and practical about the IQ test is simply not acceptable, regardless of evidence to the contrary.