RESUMO
Peer interactions are among the greatest challenges experienced by children who have severe emotional and behavioral problems. This study evaluated an intervention package designed to increase the ratio of these children's desirable to undesirable interactions. The package included three principal components: (a) observation of videotapes following regularly scheduled peer activity sessions; (b) self-evaluation of the children's peer interactions observed on the videotapes; and (c) delayed feedback and reinforcement for desirable peer interactions. Five students from two elementary schools participated. Multiple baseline designs and one reversal were used to evaluate the effects of the intervention package. The results showed that the intervention produced lower levels of undesirable peer interactions and higher ratios of desirable to undesirable interactions for all participants. The results are discussed in regard to their conceptual and applied implications and in terms of specific directions for future research.
Assuntos
Sintomas Afetivos/terapia , Terapia Comportamental/métodos , Transtornos do Comportamento Infantil/terapia , Educação de Pessoa com Deficiência Intelectual/métodos , Retroalimentação , Relações Interpessoais , Grupo Associado , Comportamento Social , Gravação de Videoteipe , Sintomas Afetivos/psicologia , Criança , Transtornos do Comportamento Infantil/psicologia , Generalização Psicológica , Humanos , Controle Interno-Externo , Masculino , Meio Social , SocializaçãoRESUMO
An adolescent female with multiple handicaps and a long history of severely disruptive behavior participated in a functional assessment linked directly to specific revisions in her school curriculum. During Phase 1, reversal designs were used to test hypotheses pertaining to antecedent and curricular influences on problem behavior. During Phase 2, a multiple baseline across afternoon and morning time periods demonstrated that the curricular revisions were effective in eliminating severely disruptive behavior and increasing on-task responding. Data also showed that inappropriate "psychotic" speech was reduced and appropriate social interactions were increased. Follow-up results showed that the changes were maintained throughout the school year. Questionnaire data provided social validation of the procedures and outcomes. The findings are discussed in relation to their implications for functional assessment, individualized curricula, and positive programming for students with disabilities and serious behavior problems.
