EBD Blog

Just a note to readers that a new little paper back (about 160 pages) that I authored with Rick Brigham (now of George Mason University) will be available before long. It might be used as a text in teacher education (special or general education) or as a resource by parents or anyone who works with children with emotional or behavioral problems. The reference is:
Kauffman, J. M., & Brigham, F.J. (in press). Working with troubled children . Verona, WI: Attainment.

It’s now available in an Advance Reader’s Edition (bound but uncorrected proofs), and we expect it’ll be available in final form in early spring. You may find Attainment Company at http://www.attainmentcompany.com/xcart/home.php . Here’s a Table of Contents:

Chapter 1 Recognizing Early Signs of Behavior Problems: An Overview of Early Intervention and Prevention
Cases in Point
Nathan
Pauline
Larry
Typical Responses to Early Signs of Behavior Problems
Understanding Normal Development and Differences
The Concept of Normal
Differences That Are Not Normal
Definitions of Disorders for Special Education
General Guidelines for Judging Signs of Behavior Problems
Signs of Problems in Infancy
Signs of Problems in Toddlerhood
Signs of Problems in the Early School Years
Signs of Problems in Middle Childhood
Signs of Problems in Adolescence
The Need for Early, Accurate Labels
The Dimensions of Early Intervention and Prevention
Summary
Chapter 2 Understanding Causes
Cases in Point
Mark
Tommy
Increasing and Decreasing Risk
Major Causal Factors
Biological Factors
Genes
Temperament
Brain Malfunction
Other Health-Related Issues
Family Factors
Family Definition and Structure, Including Substitute Parents
Family Interactions
School Factors
Insensitivity to Individuality
Inappropriate Expectations
Inconsistent Management
Instruction in Nonfunctional or Irrelevant Skills Ineffective Instruction in Critical Skills
Undesirable Models
Destructive Contingencies
Social and Cultural Factors
Mass Media: Television, Movies, and Music
Peers
Neighborhood and Urbanization
Ethnicity, Social Class, and Poverty
Summary
Chapter 3 The Dilemma of Early Identification: To Identify or Not to Identify
Cases in Point
Esther P. Rothman
Edith
True and False Identification: Trying to Get Labels Right
At-Risk and Response to Intervention: What Do They Mean?
The “At-Risk” Label
Meanings of Response to Intervention
What’s the Problem? A Caution
Spoiled Identity: Dealing with Pride and Prejudice
Expectations: Setting Them Not Too High and Not Too Low
Social Rejection and Isolation: Facilitating Peer Affiliation
Going From Bad to Worse: Facing The Ultimate Horror
Summary
Chapter 4 Why Responding to Trouble Immediately Is Important
Cases in Point
Dean
Larissa
Behavior Change Is Easier
Chances for Better Life Outcomes Are Enhanced
Academic Progress Is More Likely
Social Acceptance Among Helpful Peers Is Possible
Summary
Chapter 5 General Ideas for Making Things Better
Cases in Point
Derrick
Joshua
A Class That Is Separate and Better
The Centrality of Effective Instruction
The Help of School-Wide Discipline
The Usefulness of Structure and Routine
A Focus on the Positive in Behavior and Consequences
The Importance of Clear Communication
Why Consistent Follow-Through Is Essential
Understanding Cycles of Behavior and Implications for Prevention
Seeing the Cycle or Pattern
Responding Effectively to the Stage or Level
Anticipating the Next Level or Stage
The Use and Abuse of Medication
Summary
Chapter 6 Using Incentives Intelligently
Cases in Point
Rewards Versus Bribes
Andy
Try the Simplest Things First
Telling
Showing Examples
What to Use as Rewards
How to Use Rewards
Getting Started and Moving On
Being As Good As Your Word: Follow-Through
Thinking About Our Fears and Struggles
Summary
Chapter 7 Using Deterrents Deftly
Cases in Point
A Boy with Behavior Problems
Eddie
Commentaries on Punishment
The Necessity of Punishment
Punishment As Part of Teaching
Self-Perception
Keeping Punishment Nonviolent and Matter-of-Fact
Uses and Abuses of Time Out
Exceptions and Evidence Beyond Reasonable Doubt
Making Punishment Consistent, Informative, and Instructive
Making Punishment Stick: Follow-Through
Summary
Chapter 8 Finding Help
Parents as Sources of Support
Working with Consultants
Finding Help in the Literature
Summary

I have not yet had the chance to review it, but from the table of contents, the new book entitled Effective Practices for Children With Autism: Educational and Behavioral Support Interventions That Work and edited by James Luiselli and colleagues appears to be a valuable resource. I’ve sent a request to my library to have dibs on it when some other reader returns it.

Luiselli, J. K., Russo, D. K., Christian, W. P., & Wilczynski, S. M. (Eds.). (2008). Effective practices for children with autism: Educational and behavioral support interventions that work. New York: Oxford.

The most recent of a series of books examining the characteristics, causes, treatment, and consequences of antisocial behavior in children and youths, this volume by the Oregon Social Learning Center (OSLC) team examines the behavioral processes that build and sustain deviant interactions between children and their families (as well as teachers and others). Professors Patterson and Reid have been working on this topic for more than 40 years and they have examined these processes using many different scientific methods. They have assembled chapters from an all-star cast of people with whom they have worked during that time and the contributed chapters cover both the development of and intervention in antisocial behavior.

Reid, J. B., Patterson, G. R., & Snyder, J. J. (Eds.). (2002). Antisocial behavior in children and adolescents: A developmental analysis and model for intervention. Washington, D.C., American Psychological Association.

Learn more about the book from a page on the Web site of the American Psychological Association. To learn more about the OSLC, check the link in the sidebar. During my graduate studies, I worked with this research group for a bit more than a year; I learned a tremendous amount from the interactions and readings I had during that period.

Some of our favored ideas in education are supported by virtually no reliable data. Learning styles and multiple intelligences are among them, and I imagine you’ll find those ideas debunked in special education blogs related to this one.

An edited book, just published, challenges us to think carefully about some popular ideas and interventions. The book is Controversial Therapies for Developmental Disabilities: Fad, Fashion, and Science in Professional Practice, edited by the late John W. Jacobson, Richard M. Foxx, and James A. Mulick (and published by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2005). I am a great admirer of this book, not merely because I co-authored a chapter in it on the topic of full inclusion but because I believe it offers us a serious challenge to think about why we believe what we do. Along with another excellent volume, Clear Thinking with Psychology: Separating Sense from Nonsense (by John Ruscio, published in 2002 by Wadsworth), it urges us to be skeptics about popular notions in psychology and education.

The Jacobson, Foxx, and Mulick book contains chapters on the following intervention-specific issues:

• Person-Centered Planning (by J. Grayson Osborne)
• Sensory Integrative Therapy (by Tristram Smith, Daniel W. Mruzek, & Dennis Mozingo)
• Auditory Integration Training (by Oliver C. Mudford & Chris Cullen)
• Facilitated Communication (by John W. Jacobson, Richard M. Foxx, & James A. Mulick)
• Positive Behavior Support (James A. Mulick & Eric Butter)
• Nonaversive Treatment (by Crighton Newsom & Kimberly A. Kroeger)
• Gentle Teaching (by Chris Cullen & Oliver C. Mudford)

I didn’t give you the subtitles of the chapters, some of which you may see as pointedly uncomplimentary, particularly if you are fond of the intervention about which the authors are writing.

One intervention that is particularly popular just now, and one for which we might find even a legislative foundation, is Positive Behavior Support, often known as PBS (and not to be confused with public broadcasting). I’ve got to admit that some of my colleagues in special education–people I like a lot and whose work I admire–are quite taken with the practice of PBS. But is it (a) a new idea or concept and (b) a practice supported by scientific evidence?

PBS is important for all of special education, but particularly for students with emotional and behavioral disorders. I’ll address the “new” and “scientific” issues regarding PBS in a future post by summarizing the points made by Mulick and Butter in their chapter. I’ll also have some things to say about punishment and nonaversive interventions.