Research has shown that parents of children with autism report higher stress than parents of children with other developmental disabilities. It has been suggested that parent training programs, specifically naturalistic social-communication training, can reduce parental stress and enhance the quality of the parent-child relationship. Although the development of a multilevel assessment has been suggested, much of the research in this area has relied on measures of parent implementation fidelity and specific child target skills such as vocal communication, eye contact, and joint attention. Few have directly measured the parent-child interaction. The purpose of the current study is to examine the effects of an in-home parent training package for toddlers with autism on parent-child social interactions. Within this package, parents are taught to attend to contextual variables, to arrange the environment to set the occasion for child responding, to respond immediately to targeted child approximations, and to respond in ways that are mutually reinforcing, social, and fun. Data were collected during 5-min video-taped assessments, on the number of parent teaching episodes, child target skills (turn taking and social attending), engagement, and synchronous engagement. Results were evaluated in a multiple baseline design across two parent-child dyads and indicated increases in all measures. This study contributes to the current discussion on toddler parent-training programs and extends it in a way that highlights the benefits of using a multi-level assessment to measure the parent-child interaction.

This study compared the relative reinforcing efficacy of high-preferred and low-preferred stimuli, as determined by two types of preference assessments, on acquisition rates in three children diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The study also evaluated the indirect effects of preference on students’ stereotypy and problem behavior during instructional periods. Participants were presented with a task and provided high or low-preferred stimuli contingent upon correct responding. Results showed that acquisition occurred more rapidly in the highly preferred condition for some participants. Higher rates of problem behavior occurred in the low preferred condition for all participants. These results highlight the importance of utilizing preference assessment procedures to identify and deliver high-preferred items in skill acquisition procedures for individuals with ASD.

This study explores the relationship between parenting and adolescent outcomes within the context of healthy adolescent development. A motivational model of development provides a framework for understanding adolescent and parent behaviors. Participants in the study were 4,090 students in grade 8-12. Students' self-reported behaviors and perceptions of their parents' behaviors were collected as part of a statewide school survey. The study contributes to the understanding of parenting dimensions that underlie parenting styles through the identification of six parenting dimensions (warmth, structure, autonomy support, rejection, chaos, and coercion) that correspond to the motivational model. In addition, monitoring is identified as a seventh dimension of parenting and found to have an important influence on adolescent behaviors and outcomes. Further, it is demonstrated that parenting dimensions combine to form a set of seven parent types that are deferentially associated with adolescent outcomes and problem behaviors. Means on positive adolescent outcomes (academic competence, commitment to school, social competence, self-worth, and mastery), substance use, and problem behaviors suggested an ordering of parent types. Adolescents with authoritative parents experienced the best outcomes followed by warm authoritarian, permissive, authoritarian, mediocre, rejecting, and indifferent parents. This study also sought to understand the effects of alcohol and marijuana use on adolescent competence. Consistent with other studies that have noted detrimental effects of early alcohol and marijuana use, this study indicated that for 8th graders, any trial of alcohol or marijuana was associated with significantly (p< .01) lower levels of overall competence. For grades 9-10, triers of alcohol were not significantly less competent than nonusers. For grades 11-12, triers of alcohol and triers of marijuana were not significantly less competent than nonusers. These findings partially support Baumrind’s (1991) findings. A search for differences in parenting that might distinguish between triers and more frequent users of alcohol and marijuana indicated that parental monitoring of adolescents was higher among triers than among more frequent users. A third aim of this study was to better understand the mechanisms through which protective factors influence problem behaviors. Findings indicated that parental warmth moderates the relationship between risk factors and problem behaviors.

This study examined the effects of behavior change on psychological health among gay and bisexual men of Portland, Oregon who were at risk for contracting AIDS. Cross-sectional self-reports of personal experiences were obtained in Summer, 1991. Sexual behaviors were used as predictors of self-efficacy, depression, anxiety, and subjective well-being. Adopting safer sexual behaviors was psychologically more costly than continuing to engage in high risk behaviors, or long-term adherence to safer behaviors. Behaviors amenable to short-term change differed from those conducive to long-term maintenance. Behavior change was also found to have a beneficial effect on self-efficacy. These findings suggest that behavior change, traditionally considered as the endpoint of a process, might more appropriately be considered as an interim stage influenced by earlier, and having an influence on later, psychological health. By integrating models of behavior change from research on alcohol and drug use, smoking, and weight control, researchers studying AIDS-related behavior might better understand the place of behavior change in the process of change, relapse, and maintenance.

Disruptive classroom behavior has led many schools to implement positive behavioral strategies intended to create orderly learning environments. Despite initiation of such a strategy, an elementary school in the mid-Atlantic region still experienced an increase in office referrals and a decline in student achievement. The purpose of this mixed methods case study was to investigate the connections between a blended behavior program and student behavior and academic achievement, as well as staff perceptions about their experience with the program, and the degree to which the practices were implemented with fidelity. Skinner's behavioral theory served as the theoretical basis for the investigation. Office referrals and standardized math scores of 72 students were analyzed across 3 years, including the year before and the 2 years following the implementation of the blended behavior program, to determine whether significant differences existed within-subjects. Interviews were conducted with 9 teachers, representing kindergarten-6th grade, to explore staff perceptions of the blended behavior program. Quantitative results indicated a reduction in referrals after the 1st year of implementing the blended program and an improvement in math achievement after the 2nd year. While a decline in math scores occurred the 1st year of implementation and an increase the 2nd year, the difference in net performance rendered the results inconclusive to determine the influence of the program on achievement. Qualitative results revealed inconsistencies in the way teachers implemented the program initiatives. This study contributes to positive social change by providing stakeholders a deeper understanding of the blended program and increasing staff capacity to manage challenging behaviors.

Early involvement in delinquent behavior coupled with large academic deficiencies increase the chances of long-term offending over a lifetime. A 2012 Texas report on recidivism rates and types of judicial-related programs offered showed that 1-year reoffense rates for youth in secure placement rose slightly from 41.9% in 2007 to 43.3% in 2010. The primary purpose of this qualitative case study was to examine how a Texas-based juvenile probation department coordinated services to address the needs of incarcerated juveniles who are at risk of school failure and recidivism. Maslow's hierarchy of needs framework and Moffitt's developmental classification framework served as the conceptual framework for this study. This case study specifically examined the residential, education, and executive staff's perceptions on addressing school failure and recidivism and how division staff collaborates to provide educational services and behavioral modifications to youth between the ages of 10-13. Staff interviews provided personal perceptions of these collaborative services. The study triangulated data from interviews with three subsets (residential, education, and administration) of the juvenile department that included 4 juvenile administrators and 8 line staff members. Interview data were recorded, coded, and analyzed to identify common themes and perceptions. Identifying effective programs for delinquent youth who are chronic offenders is critical to their successful return to their home schools and can motivate a positive social change in behavior. My research findings indicated that when juvenile probation departments utilize effective collaboration of services with a holistic approach it can result in positive changes in behavior that decrease recidivism and school failure in delinquent youth.

No description available.

Children with antisocial, aggressive and disruptive behaviours pose considerable concern to families, educators and the wider community. A major barrier to implementing effective interventions is treatment non-attendance and attrition. The dissertation examines treatment participation among children with conduct problems, and their families, referred to child and youth mental health services. First, a model of treatment engagement was proposed that included Structural strategies (clinic service operations, such as service accessibility) and Therapy Process strategies (aspects of the interaction between the clinician and the family of the referred child). Consistent with the model of engagement, parent-report and clinician-report measures were developed and evaluated in the local Queensland Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services. The next study explored and manipulated Structural aspects in a randomised control trial evaluating the impact of telephone reminder calls. Families of children with conduct problems, in comparison to children without conduct problems, were more likely to miss appointments and to drop out of treatment. The low rate of treatment attendance for conduct problem children was diminished among those assigned to the telephone reminder condition. In the final study, the impact of a clinician training program covering the proposed engagement model was evaluated. Utilising a multiple-staggered baseline design, the training impact on clinician behaviour (n = 30) and client outcomes (n = 221) was evaluated across three mental health services. The training program was associated with a significant increase in clinicians' appraisal and use of the engagement strategies based on clinician report and chart audit measures, but not on the parent report measure. In comparison to clients referred during a baseline period, clients referred after the clinician training program had significantly higher rates of treatment attendance and lower attrition. Greater improvement in mental health functioning was found for clients referred after the training intervention on the clinician rated measure, but not for the parent report of child psychopathology. The study was limited by the use of previously un-validated engagement measures, lack of follow-up for outcome measures, and non-random allocation to conditions. The staggering of interventions across clinics and the comparability of client groups, however, minimised potential confounding explanations. Overall the results show that targeting Structural and Therapy Process aspects can enhance engagement, reduce drop-out, and improve selected outcomes in the treatment of child conduct problems.

"March 2004" / Bibliography: leaves 168-172. / 365 leaves : / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (M.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of General Practice, 2004

This study investigates the factors that influence appropriate use of audit support systems. Appropriate use is use of an audit support system in a manner consistent with how the audit firm expects the system to be used. Investigating appropriate use of audit support systems is important because the extent to which these systems can assist auditors achieve efficient and high quality audits depends on how auditors use them. Adaptive Structuration Theory (AST) (DeSanctis and Poole, 1994) and the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) (Ajzen, 1991) are combined to model the relationship between constructs hypothesised to increase the probability that audit support systems are used appropriately. The theoretical model decomposes two TPB antecedents, perceived normative pressure (or subjective norms) and perceived behavioural control, into the exogenous constructs hypothesised to influence whether audit support systems are used appropriately. Perceived normative pressure is decomposed into two socio-ideological control mechanisms, team and firm consensus on appropriation. Perceived behavioural control is decomposed into self-efficacy and two technocratic control mechanisms, perceived system restrictiveness and perceived audit review effectiveness. (For complete abstract open document)