Previous research has explored the applicability of Weiner’s (1986) attributional model of helping behaviour to support workers of people with learning disabilities regarding challenging behaviour using optimism as a measure of the expectancy of success. No research has investigated the applicability of Weiner’s (1993) attributional model of helping behaviour to this group which gives a role to attributions of responsibility. Other research has found that self efficacy affects emotional response to challenging behaviour. The aim of the current research was to examine the relative applicability of these two theories to support workers regarding challenging behaviour using self efficacy as a measure of the expectancy of success. Method A total of 88 support workers completed measures addressing causal attributional dimensions, emotional reactions, attribution of responsibility, self efficacy and willingness to help in response to each of three vignettes regarding the challenging behaviours of aggression, self injury and destruction of property. Data was analysed using Spearman’s r correlations. Results None of the hypothesised significant correlations were found between measures of causal attributional dimensions and measures of responsibility or self efficacy. Attributing responsibility for the development of a challenging behaviour to the person engaging in it was significantly positively correlated with negative emotion. Self efficacy was significantly negatively correlated with negative emotion and significantly positively correlated with willingness to help. Emotional reaction was not significantly correlated with willingness to help. Conclusions The results provided little support for Weiner’s (1993) attributional theory of helping behaviour but provided more support for the expectancy of success aspect of Weiner’s (1986) theory and indicated that self efficacy is a useful measure of the expectancy of success. No firm conclusion could be drawn as to whether the failure to find significant correlations between causal attributions and other aspects of the theories was a genuine finding or due to the modified use of the Challenging Behaviour Attributions scale. It is concluded that a measure specifically designed for measuring causal attributional dimensions in this area is required. It is also concluded that low self efficacy may contribute to the development and maintenance of challenging behaviour via its impact on support workers’ intent to help. Efforts should therefore be made to raise support workers’ self efficacy by altering the perceived cause of challenging behaviour and highlighting to support workers the role of their level of effort, adherence to support plans and the role of any temporary external factors in the development and maintenance of challenging behaviour.

Sensory integration techniques are a common treatment procedure among occupational therapists. The goal is to "apply" input that competes with input from problem behavior. Although this is a commonly recommended intervention, there is limited empirical evaluation with adults with intellectual disabilities. Therefore, we evaluated the effectiveness of occupational therapist-suggested sensory stimuli on the automatically maintained problem behavior of adults. Specifically, we compared the effects of non-contingent access to sensory stimuli and non-contingent access to highly preferred stimuli on the rate of problem behavior. Results suggested that, relative to highly preferred stimuli, sensory stimuli had either a limited effect on problem behavior, or in some cases, were correlated with increases in problem behavior. This suggests that sensory stimuli may not produce the same automatic stimulation as problem behavior. We will discuss implications for treatment, including methods for better identifying stimuli for use in the treatment of automatically maintained problem behavior.

Children with autism often experience substantial delays in the development of play behavior. Interventions to teach play skills are often complicated by challenging behavior and stereotypy. Previous research has demonstrated a potential relationship between stereotypy, challenging behavior and play in children with autism. However, few research-based methods for addressing stereotypy and challenging during play interventions are available to practitioners. The purpose of this study was to reduce stereotypy and challenging behavior during a play intervention for five children with autism by adding an abolishing operation component to a common research-based procedure for teaching play skills. The abolishing effect is one of several possible effects of MOs. An abolishing operation is any stimuli or series of events that reduces the value of a particular reinforcer. If an individual has unrestricted access to a particular reinforcer for an extended period of time that stimuli may eventually lose its reinforcing value. Incorporation of the abolishing operation concept into play interventions may allow practitioners to effectively reduce the reinforcing value of stereotypy prior to beginning a play intervention. If the reinforcing value of stereotypy is reduced, then the child may engage in less stereotypy and less challenging behavior when stereotypy is interrupted. By reducing these interfering behaviors, it was hypothesized that a research-based play intervention would be more effective and efficient. The effects of two conditions were compared. In one condition (abolishing operation condition) the child is allowed to engage in stereotypy freely prior to the implementation of an intervention targeting play skills. In the second condition the same play intervention was implemented without the prior free play period. The levels of functional play, symbolic play, stereotypy, and challenging behavior were compared across these two conditions. Results show decreased levels of stereotypy and challenging behavior and increased levels of functional play in the abolishing operation condition. Symbolic play did not occur following either condition. / text

Introduction: Children with a learning disability (LD) and/or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are known to suffer from significantly more sleep problems, anxiety and challenging behaviour (CB) than typically developing children, yet little is known about the relationships between these factors in the child LD/ASD population. Aims and Hypotheses: The aim of the current study was to examine the relationships between sleep problems, anxiety and CB in children with LD and/or ASD. It was hypothesised that there would be differences between levels of sleep problems, anxiety and CB in children with LD alone, LD and ASD, and ASD alone. It was further hypothesised that there would be significant positive correlations between the three factors and that sleep problems and anxiety would predict a significant amount of the variance in levels of CB. Method: Postal questionnaires were returned by parents of one hundred and sixty seven parents of children with LD and/or ASD. Questionnaires consisted of parental report measures of sleep problems, anxiety and CB, in addition to general demographic variables. Results and Discussion: Statistical analysis revealed no difference between groups (LD, LD+ASD, ASD) in relation to sleep problems, however, some differences were found between the groups in relation to anxiety and CB. Correlational analysis revealed significant positive associations between the three factors. A hierarchical multiple regression showed that medication, sleep problems and anxiety accounted for 42% of the variance in CB, with a large effect size. These findings suggest that the relationships between sleep, anxiety and CB found in the TD child and adult LD/ASD populations are also evident in the child LD/ASD population and that these relationships should be considered during clinical practice, particularly in the case of CB interventions where sleep problems and/or anxiety are also present.

Nonemergency transportation drivers play a critical role in helping individuals with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) gain access to community integration opportunities. Challenging behaviors can limit access to enrichment opportunities and possibly increase the likelihood that individuals with ID will be isolated from community enrichment activities. The purpose of this study was to determine if positive behavior support training improved nonemergency transportation drivers' perceptions of challenging behaviors displayed by individuals with ID. For purposes of this study, perception was defined as staff (driver) beliefs about the causes of challenging behavior. A convenience sample of 52 nonemergency transportation drivers was chosen from a Logisticare provider list using local zip codes. Data were collected using the Challenging Behavior Attribution Scale (CHABA) before and after training using the Positive Behavior Support Curriculum 2nd Edition. A 2-way ANOVA revealed no statistically significant differences in perception before or after training. Analysis of the data indicated that training had no impact on driver perception of challenging behavior. The drivers who participated in this study appeared to have positive perceptions of challenging behavior, and, as a result, no statistically significant results were found. Perhaps the results of this study might lead community organizations that support individuals with ID to include transportation drivers in team meetings when there are concerns regarding challenging behavior. The drivers' positive perceptions regarding challenging behaviors may be an asset to support teams in developing positive behavior support strategies that improve the quantity of life for persons with ID.

Pre-school aged children experience challenging behaviors at a relatively common rate. Research shows that approximately 10–25 % of preschool-aged children engage in challenging behaviors to a greater degree than would be expected for their age (Lavigne, Gibbons, Christoffel, Arend, Rosenbaum, Binns, Sawon, Sobel & Isaacs, 1996). Problem behaviors are often the result of a child not following a typical developmental trajectory. Atypical development appears when a child either lags behind or jumps ahead of typical peer progress in physical, cognitive, behavioral, and social development or in adaptive life skills. When children with challenging behaviors are left untreated, their everyday functioning can become significantly impaired, and many will require more intensive supports and services over time (Kauffman, Mock & Simpson, 1996). The presence of chronic challenging behaviors negatively impacts important aspects of a child's development and puts him or her risk for a number of adverse circumstances over time, including a dysfunctional family life, conflicts within interpersonal relationships, alcohol and drug use, physical and sexual assault, suicide, academic failure, unsuccessful employment, and involvement with the justice system (Boulter & Rickwood, 2013; Durand & Hieneman, 2008). The purpose of this study was to develop a better understanding of the interventions parents try for their children. Including their thoughts, feelings and perceptions of each intervention. Previous research has provided insight into factors that influence parents’ help-seeking process and how parents begin the help seeking process (i.e., seeking formal or informal support). However, little is known about their thoughts, perceptions, and feelings towards the different types of interventions used and how they’ve affected their children's problem behaviors. Qualitative methods were used to better understand their help-seeking journeys. The experience of 5 mothers raising children with complex and challenging behaviors were captured through open-ended interviews in this study. The results of this study found several notable themes to emerge from the interviews of mothers raising children with atypical development. Specifically, several mothers reported a typical pregnancy and early development. Participants described a difficult first year with feeding their child, their child not meeting developmental milestones and having several unique quirks. Several parents also described their infant as experiencing higher rates of sickness when compared to other infants. Parents also described the age in which problem behaviors were first identified in their child, who first became concerned with their child’s behavior and their initial help seeking steps. Parents described behaviors of concerns including; difficulty eating, delayed speech and motor development and restricted interests. Themes emerged that described the parent’s process in seeking out early interventions for their child which included the evaluation process and the therapies that were first recommended to them. At the conclusion of the evaluation, parents were typically given a diagnosis. Themes emerged that discussed the parent’s initial reaction to the diagnosis and their self-driven research to find answers. All but one parent discussed taking their child to their pediatrician when they first had concerns. Through the school years, parents discussed the difficulties they faced in finding school based interventions and supports for their child. Some of the interventions included; medications, behavioral therapies, and occupational and speech therapy. With medication specifically, parents discussed their experience in trying to find the right medication. This study provides a better understanding of the experiences of mothers raising children with complex and challenging behaviors. It also provides information on how practitioners can approach parents when and if they have concerns with a child’s development. In addition, data from this study supports the needs for increased advocacy, supports and services for these families.

Preference is commonly incorporated into educational interventions for individuals with developmental disabilities. Preference assessments have a solid research base indicating that they are more reliable tools for finding preference than the subjective opinions of parents and teachers. As evidence-based practices have been emphasized, the preference assessment has been a regular component of interventions and instructional programs for the population. Along with the utility, research regarding the assessment and relevant variables has also increased. However, many questions still exist and wait for more inquiry. One of the practical issues is the occurrence of challenging behaviors of individuals with disabilities during preference assessments. Highly occurring challenging behavior during an assessment may interrupt the procedure and lead to inaccurate results about the individual’s preference. That may ultimately affect the effectiveness of the intervention or instructional program. Using a procedure that does not evoke challenging behavior is necessary for accurate results as well as ethically responsible. Therefore this study examined the relation between functions of challenging behavior and three commonly used preference assessment procedures: Paired-Stimulus (PS), Multiple-Stimulus without Replacement (MSWO), and Free-Operant (FO). This study had two phases: Functional analyses and preference assessments. First, functional analyses were conducted to identify the function of challenging behaviors. The participants were nine children with developmental disabilities whose functional analysis results indicated their challenging behavior was maintained by access to tangible items (5), attention (2), and escape (2) reinforcers. After identifying the behaviors’ functions, preference assessments were implemented to compare the rates of the challenging behaviors. Each preference assessment format was conducted 5 times, in a random order for each participant. The results of the study demonstrate that the occurrence of challenging behavior with different functions was different depending on procedure formats. This suggests that there would be a relation between functions of challenging behavior and preference assessment formats. In other words, depending on the function of challenging behavior, the assessment procedure may act as a trigger evoking the challenging behavior. This study discussed practical guidance to prevent challenging behavior during preference assessments. / text

This study used a concurrent multiple-probe across three mother-child dyads with a non-concurrent addition of a fourth mother-child dyad to assess the extent to which behavior specialists’ use of coaching and performance feedback via telehealth effects the degree to which the parent implements the multi-component behavior support plan (BSP) strategies with fidelity in their home to decrease their child’s challenging behavior. Four behavior specialists and four mothers with their children who exhibit mild to moderate behavior participated in this study. The research question examined if a functional relation exists between implementation of coaching and performance feedback from the behavior specialists via the telehealth model on the parents’ level of implementation fidelity of the strategies in the BSP and the improvement in the level of child’s target challenging behavior and adaptive behavior. Results indicate the efficacy of coaching and performance feedback via telehealth in improving parent treatment fidelity. These results support the use of telehealth to deliver training on multi-component interventions. Additionally, participating behavior specialists and parents indicated that they found the procedures used to be both acceptable and effective. Further implications for practice and directions for future research are discussed.

Young children who display disruptive behaviors are at risk for negative outcomes in later development such as school dropout, early pregnancy, and unemployment (Bradshaw, Schaeffer, Petras, & Ialongo, 2010). For this reason, it is imperative parents of children with disruptive behaviors seek early intervention to reduce problem behaviors and prevent negative effects (Breitenstein, Hill, & Gross, 2009). Parent behavioral training interventions are effective for reducing problem behaviors in young children. Attrition from parent training interventions, however, is a common problem that reduces positive outcomes for children with challenging behaviors (Kazdin, Holland, & Crowley, 1997; Prinz & Miller, 1994). Barriers to treatment, such as negative perceptions toward treatment, can influence parents’ attendance (Kazdin et al., 1997) and behavioral outcomes for children (Brestan, Jacobs, Rayfield, & Eyberg, 1999). This study (N = 139) examined relationships of parents’ attendance and perceptions of a behavioral parent training intervention, the empirically supported Helping Our Toddlers Developing Our Children’s Skills, or HOT DOCS (Armstrong, Lilly, & Curtiss, 2006). Regression analyses were conducted to test relationships between parent perceptions of treatment effectiveness, attendance, and child behavior ratings, and whether attendance mediated the relationship between parent perceptions of treatment and ratings of child behavior. No significant relationships were found between these variables, and no mediating relationship of attendance between parent perceptions and child behavior ratings was found. Results for this study may indicate factors other than parent perceptions are important to predict attendance or change in behavior ratings. Ethical considerations and limitations of this study are also discussed.

Brain injuries are one of the leading causes of disability and death globally, and prevalence numbers indicate an increase of injuries each year. Brain injuries significantly burden the individual afflicted; the effects of brain injuries are felt across families and relationships, and society at large. Brain injuries are often complicated by co-morbid socially significant health disorders, from mental health to financial and challenging behavior (i.e., aggression). The presence of these can severely limit access to community and rehabilitative opportunities. Some common characteristics underlying these socially significant problems are executive dysfunction and impulsivity. The literature broadly points to the role of executive functioning in impulsivity, indicating that when these processes are inadequate, impulsivity is more severe. To complicate, impulsivity research within brain injury is not broad. Additionally, little consensus exists on the concept and how stable this behavior is, and whether impulsivity can be improved. An area of impulsivity research, delay discounting, has gained increased attention from behavior scientists in the past 30 years because of its pragmatic approach to impulsivity. Delay discounting is a trans-disease process and various clinical populations discount delayed rewards at a high rate. The few studies that exist indicate that brain-injured people also discount at a higher rate compared to controls. Furthermore, high delay discounting have well-established connections with other socially significant health disorders. Due to the lack of breadth of the discounting literature in brain injury research, one exciting area is temporal stability and clinical interventions to decrease discounting. In a set of two studies, the aim was to expand the current knowledge on temporal stability, connections to socially significant behavior and deficits, and the effects on clinical interventions to reduce discounting. Study 1 examined the relationship between responses on discounting tasks at two different times and the relationship between discounting and measures of challenging behavior and executive functions. This study indicates that discounting was stable, that challenging behavior is related to higher rates of discounting yet did not find a relationship with executive functioning. Study 2 investigated the effects of computerized cognitive training and mindfulness training on discounting, executive functioning, and challenging behavior in multiple baseline research design across three participants. Results indicated that a small and transient improvement in delay discounting was observed for two of three participants during the computerized cognitive training. The improvement increased once the mindfulness training was introduced for the same two participants. Improvements were observed on executive functioning measures for all participants, and limited improvements were observed from measures of challenging behavior. Together these findings add to the body of literature on delay discounting and brain injury by demonstrating temporal stability and to the literature on clinical interventions to reduce high rates of delay discounting