Exhibiting Behavior Problems Research Articles

Becoming a Single Parent

Using a longitudinal sample of 4,010 mothers and fathers from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, we examine factors that predict whether children are living with both parents, only their mother, or only their father when the child is 3 years old. We considered parental characteristics and resources and couple\family-level characteristics and found that although many factors increased the odds of parents living together—including the financial resources of each parent, having a supportive relationship, and having a disability-free child—even more factors disproportionately increased the likelihood of either single fatherhood or single motherhood, including parents’ multiple-partner fertility and depression, mother’s drug use, and mother’s greater alcohol use. Our findings suggest that although most children living with a single parent live with their mothers, they are more likely to do so if their fathers exhibit problem behaviors, and more likely to live with their father if their mothers do so.

Minor Illnesses, Temperament, and Toddler Social Functioning

Research Findings: Minor illnesses, such as upper respiratory infections, stomachaches, and fevers, have been associated with children's decreased activity and increased irritability. This multi-method investigation of 110 day care–attending children examined whether experience with recurrent, minor illnesses and negative emotionality worked together to predict young children's social functioning. Minor illness experience was assessed via weekly health screenings conducted by nurses. Toddlers' negative emotionality and social behavior were assessed using mothers' and fathers' reports. The two dimensions of negative emotionality and minor illness experience operated in different ways to predict children's functioning. Toddlers rated as more temperamentally angry displayed less social competence, especially when they also experienced high proportions of minor illness. Temperamentally fearful children exhibited more externalizing problems when they experienced a higher frequency of illness, whereas fearfulness was not associated with externalizing problems for children who were not frequently ill. Practice or Policy: Children's frequent experience with minor illnesses combined with negative emotionality appears to place toddlers at a heightened risk for exhibiting behavior problems. These findings have implications for child and family well-being as well as interactions with child care providers and peers within child care settings. Interventions could be developed to target “at risk” children.

Teacher Reports of Student Health and Its Influence on Students’ School Performance

Physical health may be an important variable that influences students’ behavioral and academic performance in school settings. Poor health status is hypothesized to negatively influence student performance even in the presence of evidence-based practices. In this study, teachers reported their perceptions of students’ health status as well as their perceptions of the relation of health status to classroom performance and programming considerations for a sample ( N = 217) of elementary and middle school students identified as exhibiting problem behaviors. Results indicated inconsistencies between teachers’ perceptions of student health and school programming considerations. Limitations are presented along with implications for future research and practice.

Hipomineralização incisivo-molar: uma revisão da literatura

Molar Incisor Hypomineralization (MIH) is a hypomineralization of systemic origin affecting one to four permanent first molars and frequently associated with affected permanent incisors. Its etiology is still unclear and affected children often exhibit behavior problems, fear and anxiety, probably related to the repeated treatment needs, and also the difficulty in anesthetizing these teeth. Due to its potential negative impact on oral health of affected individuals and based on a literature search of scientific articles in English published between 1970 and 2011, the authors proposed to review the available information particularly: characteristics of the pathology, etiological factors, diagnosis and treatment of molar-incisor hypomineralization.

Latent profiles of problem behavior within learning, peer, and teacher contexts: Identifying subgroups of children at academic risk across the preschool year

Employing a developmental and ecological model, the study identified initial levels and rates of change in academic skills for subgroups of preschool children exhibiting problem behavior within routine classroom situations. Six distinct latent profile types of emotional and behavioral adjustment were identified for a cohort of low-income children early in the preschool year (N=4417). Profile types provided a descriptive picture of patterns of classroom externalizing, internalizing, and situational adjustment problems common to subgroups of children early in the preschool year. The largest profile type included children who exhibited low problem behavior and were characterized as well-adjusted to the preschool classroom early in the year. The other profile types were characterized by distinct combinations of elevated internalizing, externalizing, and situational problem behavior. Multinomial logistic regression identified younger children and boys at increased risk for classification in problem types, relative to the well-adjusted type. Latent growth models indicated that children classified within the extremely socially and academically disengaged profile type, started and ended the year with the lowest academic skills, relative to all other types. Implications for future research, policy, and practice are discussed.

The Peer Informant: Characteristics Related to the Perceptions of Peer Behavior Problems

Victimization and rejection by peers leads to and exacerbates behavior problems in children and adolescents. Given the implications of problematic peer relations for adolescents who experience behavior problems, the present study examined factors that may be related to how adolescents perceive peers who exhibit such problems. Specifically, the present study examined the relationship of adolescent informants’ socioeconomic status, their prior exposure to psychological symptoms, their perceived social acceptance, and their own behavior problems to their perceptions of peers’ internalizing and externalizing behavior problems, their liking and disliking of peers who exhibit such problems, and their attributions for the etiology of such problems when portrayed by fictitious peers of the same age. In particular, adolescents were asked to rate a set of vignettes portraying internalizing and externalizing behavior problems that are seen commonly in peers and to complete a set of brief questionnaires. Results revealed that adolescents were able to perceive the presence of both internalizing and externalizing behavior problems in vignette characters. Additionally, vignette characters who did not exhibit behavior problems were most likely to be approached and liked, whereas those vignette characters who displayed externalizing behavior problems were more likely to be disliked and ignored. Finally, although adolescents endorsed both internal and external etiological factors, ratings were related to the sex of the depicted vignette character and the nature of the portrayed behavior problems. Overall, this study provided additional evidence that, although adolescents can serve as valuable informants, they also tended to be rejecting of peers who display behavior problems.

Negative Caregiving Effects Among Caregivers of Veterans With Dementia

: This investigation was guided by the stress process model and had two objectives: first, to describe the extent of negative caregiving effects for family caregivers of veterans with dementia, and second, to identify salient predictors of negative caregiving effects. : Data were obtained from baseline, structured telephone interviews with family caregivers of veterans enrolled in "Partners in Dementia Care," a clinical trial testing a care coordination intervention. : The study included 486 family caregivers of veterans with dementia who received primary care from the Department of Veterans Affairs healthcare system and lived at home. : Six negative caregiving effects were described as follows: unmet needs, four role and intrapsychic strains, and depression. Predictive factors included the following: cognitive impairment, behavior problems, personal care dependency, number of chronic conditions, and characteristics of the caregiving context. : Sizeable portions of caregivers experienced negative caregiving effects; most common were unmet needs, social isolation, and depression. Cognitive, behavioral, and functional symptoms of dementia and other coexisting chronic conditions explained significant variation in all negative caregiving effects. Caregiving context had little impact. Behavior problems were the most consistent predictor; personal care dependency and other chronic conditions were also important. : Family caregivers, the foundation of long-term care for veterans with dementia who live at home, experience a variety of negative caregiving effects. Negative effects are greater when veterans exhibit behavior problems, require extensive assistance with personal care, and have a greater number of coexisting chronic conditions. Negative caregiving effects are an important target for interventions that support family caregivers and promote continued care at home.

COMPLIANCE, OPPOSITION, AND BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS IN TODDLERS BORN PRETERM OR LOW BIRTHWEIGHT.

Although children born preterm or low birth weight (PT LBW) are more likely to exhibit behavior problems compared to children born at term, developmental and family processes associated with these problems are unclear. We examined trajectories of maternal depressive symptoms in relation to toddler compliance and behavior problems in families with PT LBW infants. A total of 177 infants (93 boys, 84 girls) and their mothers enrolled in the study during the infant's NICU stay. Data were collected at five time points across 2 years. Assessments of maternal depressive symptoms were conducted at all time points, and toddler compliance and opposition to maternal requests and behavior problems were assessed at 2 years. Toddlers born earlier with more health problems to mothers whose depressive symptoms increased over time exhibited the most opposition to maternal requests during a cleanup task at 24 months, consistent with multiple risk models. Mothers with elevated depression symptoms reported more behavior problems in their toddlers. The study has implications for family-based early intervention programs seeking to identify PT LBW infants at highest risk for problem behaviors.

EVALUATION OF THE RATE OF PROBLEM BEHAVIOR MAINTAINED BY DIFFERENT REINFORCERS ACROSS PREFERENCE ASSESSMENTS

The rates of problem behavior maintained by different reinforcers were evaluated across 3 preference assessment formats (i.e., paired stimulus, multiple-stimulus without replacement, and free operant). The experimenter administered each assessment format 5 times in a random order for 7 children with developmental disabilities whose problem behavior was maintained by attention, tangible items, or escape. Results demonstrated different effects related to the occurrence of problem behavior, suggesting an interaction between function of problem behavior and assessment format. Implications for practitioners are discussed with respect to assessing preferences of individuals with developmental disabilities who exhibit problem behavior.

Helping Military Parents Cope

Developmentally, many military parents who are struggling with child-rearing issues have diffi culty meeting the fundamental needs for trust and safety for their children because they are consumed with their own needs. Stoicism in the military, or the need to be ready, maintain the face of a healthy family, and do what is expected without showing discontent or dissatisfaction is an important dynamic. A second critical dynamic is secrecy, or not allowing what happens in the family, impact the military parent’s career. A third dynamic of denial is present in most military families as they make numerous transitions and experience issues like deployment of the service member. In order to survive, the nonmilitary parent and children often deny the emotional aspect of these transitions, as well as more “normal” developmental transitions. In many parent-focused military families, particularly when there is a child who is acting out or in other ways exhibiting behavior problems, these three dynamics often lead to other characteristics such as the belief that the child is the problem, rather than the child may have a problem.

The role of context in preschool learning: A multilevel examination of the contribution of context-specific problem behaviors and classroom process quality to low-income children's approaches to learning

Research suggests that promoting adaptive approaches to learning early in childhood may help close the gap between advantaged and disadvantaged children. Recent research has identified specific child-level and classroom-level variables that are significantly associated with preschoolers' approaches to learning. However, further research is needed to understand the interactive effects of these variables and determine whether classroom-level variables buffer the detrimental effects of child-level risk variables. Using a largely urban and minority sample ( N = 275) of preschool children, the present study examined the additive and interactive effects of children's context-specific problem behaviors and classroom process quality dimensions on children's approaches to learning. Teachers rated children's problem behavior and approaches to learning and independent assessors conducted classroom observations to assess process quality. Problem behaviors in structured learning situations and in peer and teacher interactions were found to negatively predict variance in approaches to learning. Classroom process quality domains did not independently predict variance in approaches to learning. Nonetheless, classroom process quality played an important role in these associations; high emotional support buffered the detrimental effects of problem behavior, whereas high instructional support exacerbated them. The findings of this study have important implications for classroom practices aimed at helping children who exhibit problem behaviors.

Teachers’ Reported Use of Instructional and Behavior Management Practices for Students with Behavior Problems: Relationship to Role and Level of Training in ADHD

The present study examined general and special education teachers’ self-reported level of in-service training in attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a common childhood mental health disorder, and the relationship between teachers’ level of training in ADHD and their reported use of a range of recommended instructional and behavior management approaches for students exhibiting behavior problems. The analyses revealed that the majority of general education teachers (76%), and almost half (41%) of the special education teachers, reported having no or brief in-service training in ADHD. General education teachers with moderate to extensive in-service training in ADHD reported significantly greater use of the recommended approaches (as indicated by their scores on the Instructional and Behavior Management Survey) than general educators with little or no training in ADHD. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

Improving Interactions Between Teachers and Young Children with Problem Behavior: A Strengths-Based Approach

Young children who exhibit problem behavior are at-risk for a host of negative developmental outcomes. Early intervention at multiple ecological levels is crucial to interrupt what can be a detrimental transactional cycle between children and their caregivers, including their teachers. In this article we promote a strengths-based approach to improving teacher-child interactions, which may serve as a protective factor for children with early-onset problem behavior in early childhood classrooms. Specifically, we describe how increases in targeted teacher behaviors can foster the desirable behavior of young children by capitalizing on skills the children already possess while enhancing those skills necessary for social competence and pre-academic success.

PROBLEM BEHAVIOR DURING PREFERENCE ASSESSMENTS: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS AND PRACTICAL RECOMMENDATIONS

Preferences of 2 children with developmental disabilities, whose functional analyses indicated that their problem behavior was maintained by access to tangible items, were assessed using three formats (i.e., paired stimulus [PS], multiple-stimulus without replacement [MSWO], and free operant [FO]). The experimenter administered each format five times and compared levels of problem behavior across formats in a multielement design. Both participants exhibited problem behavior in PS and MSWO formats but not in the FO format. Results are discussed in terms of recommendations for practitioners.

Use of the Mystery Motivator for a High School Class

This study examined the effect of one interdependent group contingency intervention, the mystery motivator, as it affected three students identified as exhibiting problem behaviors, as well as the effects on nonidentified students in a ninth-grade high school biology class. An A/B/A/B single-case design was used to evaluate the effects of the intervention. Results indicated a decrease in problem behaviors for the three identified students, as well as a general decrease in problem behaviors for randomly selected, nonreferred students in the class. Implications, limitations, and further directions are discussed.

Introduction for the special issue on functional assessment and treatment development.

The literature on functional assessment and function-based treatments is robust. Since the seminal articles published by Carr (1977) and Iwata Dorsey, Slifer, Bauman & Richard, (1982/1994), the field of functional analysis not only flourished, but it has revolutionized the assessment and treatment process. Functional assessment procedures have been used to guide the treatment process for a wide range of behavioral difficulties, including, aggression, self-injurious behavior, disruption, property destruction, ritualistic behavior, feeding disorders, pica to name a few. This literature has consistently shown that understanding why challenging behavior occurs is far more important than what it looks like to develop effective interventions. Prior to this research, treatments for problem behavior were often selected arbitrarily, without knowledge of the cause, which ultimately led to less effective, non-function based interventions (Carr & Durand, 1985; Durand & Kishi, 1987; Kahng, Iwata & Lewin, 2002; Repp, Felce & Barton, 1988). The importance of this body of literature cannot be underestimated. The literature has had a tremendous impact on clinical practice as we currently know it. Not only have functional assessment and treatment procedures been shown to benefit individuals exhibiting problem behavior (see Hanley, Iwata & McCord, 2003 and Kahng, et al., 2002 for reviews on the topic), but the model of evidence-based practice employed by practitioners using the procedures has influenced federal and state legislation regarding best practice (IDEA, 1997, 2004). While the literature on functional assessment and intervention development has changed the landscape of the educational system, gaps still remain in the translation of research to practice. Although these procedures have widespread support in the behavioral literature, they are often inconsistently applied in clinical settings. Some of these gaps are related to the use of empirically supported functional assessment procedures. Other gaps are related to treatment issues in applied settings. The current issue of Behavior Analyst Today will address some of these gaps in the literature related to the translation from empirical evidence to clinical practice. There remain questions about the practical application of functional assessment procedures. The article by Delfs and Campbell (2010) provides a unique quantitative review of the empirical literature on the topic of functional assessment. The authors discuss the validity of different types of functional behavioral assessment as well as the use of the procedures to determine if behavioral function and treatment effectiveness varies as a function of diagnosis. Sloman (2010) outlines critical issues as they relate to the use of descriptive assessment. While research findings have been mixed regarding the validity, the author reviews the circumstances under which descriptive assessment may be most useful. In addition, Sloman identifies novel uses of descriptive assessment procedures that may be useful for monitoring treatment integrity and providing feedback on implementation. In the paper by Manente, Maraventano, LaRue Delmolino & Sloan (2010), the authors review best practices in the assessment and treatment of adults with autism. They identify some of the unique challenges to the implementation functional assessment procedures and identify procedural modifications to facilitate their use in applied settings. Gadaire, Kelley, & DeRosa (2010) address one of the most glaring issues in the functional assessment and treatment literature at this time. Although the principles of operant behavior apply across diagnostic boundaries, the majority of behavioral assessment and treatment literature has focused exclusively on younger populations with developmental disabilities. As a result, best practice is often only extended to this population, and the extent to which other populations have benefitted from the advances in our science is limited. …

Diagnostic Manual–Intellectual Disability: A Textbook of Diagnosis of Mental Disorders in Persons With Intellectual Disability, by R. Fletcher, E. Loschen, C. Stavrakaki, and M. First

Diagnostic Manual–Intellectual Disability: A Textbook of Diagnosis of Mental Disorders in Persons With Intellectual Disability, by R. Fletcher, E. Loschen, C. Stavrakaki, and M. First

RELATIVE CONTRIBUTIONS OF THREE DESCRIPTIVE METHODS: IMPLICATIONS FOR BEHAVIORAL ASSESSMENT

This study compared the outcomes of three descriptive analysis methods-the ABC method, the conditional probability method, and the conditional and background probability method-to each other and to the results obtained from functional analyses. Six individuals who had been diagnosed with developmental delays and exhibited problem behavior participated. Functional analyses indicated that participants' problem behavior was maintained by social positive reinforcement (n = 2), social negative reinforcement (n = 2), or automatic reinforcement (n = 2). Results showed that for all but 1 participant, descriptive analysis outcomes were similar across methods. In addition, for all but 1 participant, the descriptive analysis outcome differed substantially from the functional analysis outcome. This supports the general finding that descriptive analysis is a poor means of determining functional relations.

The Effects of Open Heart Surgery (Coronary Bypass) on Depression and Social Adjustment of Hospitalized Heart Patients

Problem statement: Post treatment preparation is critical period, as patients may have difficulties with psychosocial adjustment, especially related to dissatisfaction with side effects of medicine taking therapy and a lack of socialization skills/social competence. Different psychological issues arise for patients depending upon where they are in the medical treatment process. Approach: The current research was processed with the intention of examining and presenting the effects of open heart surgery (coronary bypass) on male and female hospitalized heart patients' depression and social adjustment in Tehran Shahid Modarress Hospital; regarding age, sex, employment and marital status The research sample particularized 118 patients (42 female and 76 male) whom were selected by simple random sampling procedure. To obtain data, Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Social Adjustment Scale Self-Report (SAS-SR) were implemented a couple weeks before and after surgery procedure as pretest and post test with one group. The research design was quasi-experimental. Results: Results were considered significant at p value less than to equal to 0.0001 (p≤0.0001) and revealed that: Heart surgery decreased social adjustment but had no significant impact on heart inpatients' depression. Conclusion: After treatment, it was common for patients to exhibit behavior problems, depression, poor social adaptation and/or noncompliance with the medical regimen. The psychosocial adaptation of surgery procedure can be promoted through support and counseling by one or all members of the surgery team caring for the patients and their families. This process must start during the first visit to the treatment center.

A DEMONSTRATION OF INDIVIDUAL PREFERENCE FOR NOVEL MANDS DURING FUNCTIONAL COMMUNICATION TRAINING

Preference for mand topography was evaluated for 2 individuals with developmental disabilities who exhibited problem behavior. The results of a functional analysis showed that each participant's problem behavior was maintained by social reinforcement. Participants were taught two novel mand topographies for the same functional reinforcer, and each proved to be effective in reducing problem behavior. Finally, preference for mand topography was assessed within a concurrent-schedules design. Results indicated that functional communication training was an effective treatment, regardless of the mand used, and that each participant demonstrated a preference for one mand topography relative to the other.