Self-management of Initiations by Students Diagnosed with Autism

During prebaseline observations, three students diagnosed with autism were unable to make social initiations to another individual. The ability to make initiations would be considered a “pivotal response” in that it would allow an individual to come into contact with a wide variety of social reinforcement. A multiple-baseline design was implemented to measure the effects of a using a self-management package to teach the students to make social initiations. Two interventionists worked with each student to prompt and reinforce initiations. All students acquired social initiations during externally-determined reinforcement. The initiations were maintained when reinforcement changed from externally determined to a self-management system. The prompts to initiate and self-reinforce were faded over the course of the sessions. The use of self-management by the student led to less need for staff intervention. Implications from the literature are discussed.     

A simultaneous-equations model of the relationship between public sector bargaining legislation and unionization

This paper estimates a simultaneous-equations model with public sector bargaining laws and union membership treated as jointly-determined variables. The extent of public sector unionization has a significant positive influence on the passage of prolabor bargaining legislation and bargaining legislation has strong, independent effects on the extent of public sector unionization. We gratefully acknowledge the research support provided by Minbo Kim and Parisun Chantonahom.     

Implementation and process evaluation of a student "school-as-community" group. A component of a school-based drug abuse prevention program

Little documentation exists regarding the functioning of formalized adolescent groups as drug abuse prevention agents. Two studies are described that were conducted at high schools whose students are at high risk for drug abuse. Twenty-one schools were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: (a) standard care, (b) classroom drug abuse education only, or (c) classroom plus school-as-community. Results of the first study indicated that the school-as-community component--which involved weekly meetings and periodic events at seven schools--was implemented as planned, drug abused focused, and perceived as productive in discouraging drug abuse. In the second study, staff in the classroom plus school-as-community condition self-reported involvement in the greatest number of community activities across the school year, compared with staff from the other two conditions. These two studies support the feasibility of formalized groups of high-risk youth to promote drug-free events.     

Program analysis using the client oriented cost outcome system.

The client oriented cost outcome system has been under development in Pennsylvania community and hospital programs since 1972. The system builds upon the behavioral and decision data generated with or on behalf of consumers. Flexibility for local program system design is permitted if the procedures of consumer intake, review, and termination document each consumer's (a) problems, resources, and goals, (b) overall functioning level in their ordinary community, and (c) services intended and rendered as related to (a), above. While the system's primary application is in providing feedback for local program quality assurance and evaluation procedures, aggregation of data permits program planning and evaluation at county, state, and federal levels in terms of (a) client demographic or diagnostic characteristics, and (b) program service characteristics and objectives.     

Learning Life Skills Through Challenging and Negative Experiences

Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal - Youth who are socially vulnerable are disproportionately confronted with culminating risk factors that impact their everyday lives. Within positive youth...     

Measuring stakeholder identification with nonprofit causes: the development and validation of the identification with social causes scale

Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) achieve desired outcomes by fostering organizational identification. However, little research has explored how identification with the cause or the recipients of support relates to identification with the NPO. This study developed the Identification with Social Causes Scale as a mechanism for distinguishing organizational identification from identification with a social group or cause. Data were collected using two groups: the homeless (n = 318) and HIV positive (n = 314) individuals. Exploratory factor analysis and multigroup confirmatory factor analysis yielded a 9-item scale measuring two dimensions: attachment and consubstantiality. Initial construct validity of the scale was established.     

Is a Reasonable Attempt Reasonable? Shaping Versus Reinforcing Verbal Attempts of Preschoolers with Autism

The effectiveness of a language-training procedure that emphasized reinforcing vocal “reasonable attempts” (any response directed at an interventionist and within a broader class of correct responses) was compared with a procedure that emphasized shaping (reinforcing successive approximations that more closely resembled the target vocalization). Three preschoolers who had been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders participated in the study. Data indicated that the children mastered vocal skills more rapidly when they learned through shaping than in the reasonable attempts condition. Implications for teaching children with autism spectrum disorders are discussed.     

Needs for National Studies of Population Dynamics

Abstract

In this paper, current notions of “labeling theory” are faulted for being overly inclusive and lacking theoretical specificity. In response to this, a delimitation of labeling, to the naming process, is proposed and a four stage processual conceptualization is offered relative to that delimited notion of labeling. This reconceptualization features a multi-process model involving: typing, designating; assessing; and resisting labels. Following the model overview, typing, the first stage in the sequence is examined in greater detail. Target associated appearances, consequences, responsibility, and values, are considered, as these affect typings. The impact of existing typings on subsequent typings is also examined and the problematics of assessing target information from others is considered, as well as conditions influencing confidence in target typings.