Teaching reading and spelling: exclusion and stimulus equivalence

In Experiment 1, 7 nonreading children were exposed to a program designed to teach reading of 51 training words. The program featured an exclusion-based procedure in which the children (a) matched printed to dictated words and (b) constructed (copied) printed words with movable letters and named them. All children learned to read the training words. Five children also read generalization words and showed progress in spelling. Experiment 2 applied the program to 4 different children, omitting the word-construction task. They also learned to read the training words, but only 1 participant read generalization words. The data support a stimulus equivalence account of reading acquisition and suggest that reading generalization may be obtained, especially when the teaching program includes word construction.     

Systems use to objectify program evaluation,clinical, and management decisions

The utility of the observational assessment systems at different levels — from local clinical to systemwide management — is outlined. An overview is provided of TSBC information applied to individualized problem identification and programming/monitoring, discharge and competency determinations, and both absolute and comparative program evaluation. The utility of SRIC information for prgoramming/monitoring and for staff training and evaluation is outlined in addition to the applied uses of the information of the assessment systems in combination. Once implemented, the continuous data from the systems allow for empirically based self-corrective improvements in the quality of mental health services while automatically providing a basis for legal documentation and accurate cost/effectiveness comparisons of mental health programs.Preparation of this article and the research and development on which the article is based were supported, in part, by Public Health Service Grants MH-15553 and MH-25464 from the National Institute of Mental Health, and by grants from The Joyce Foundation and the Illinois Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities.Presented at the 87th Annual Meetings of the American Psychological Association, New York City, September 1979, as part of a symposium on New assessment systems for residential treatment, management, research, and evaluation.     

A model‐based intervention for depressed mothers and their infants

Many studies have reported on the adverse effects of maternal depression on offspring. Infants of depressed mothers are found to be more likely at risk to develop mental and socioemotional problems. In this study, an early intervention program is presented that aims to improve the interaction between depressed mothers and their infants to prevent developmental problems in the children. The program has recently been introduced in the Dutch Community Mental Health Centers as part of a national multicomponent program to reduce the risk of psychiatric and social problems in the offspring of parents with a mental disorder. The intervention for depressed mothers with babies is based on a transactional model in which the mother–child interaction plays a key role in explaining the development of socioemotional problems in the children. The model as discussed in the first part of this article addresses a range of evidenced‐based parental, child, and contextual risk factors that effect the quality of the interactions between depressed mothers and their infants and that contribute to both vulnerability and resilience of the children during later childhood and adolescence. ©2005 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health.     

Ethical Challenges Inherent in the Evaluation of an American Indian/Alaskan Native Circles of Care Project

This article provides first‐person accounts of ethical issues inherent in an evaluation of the Native American Indian Center of Central Ohio (NAICCO) Circles of Care project. Circles of Care is a three‐year, infrastructure development program funded through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) which is part of the federal Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). The grant program is for American Indian and Alaskan Native (AI/AN) tribes and urban Indian communities and includes a strong emphasis on community engagement and community ownership. The Native American Indian Center of Central Ohio received a Circles of Care grant in the fifth cohort of the program. The first author (Project Evaluator) presents views that typically represent a western approach to evaluation, while the second author (Project Director) presents a Native perspective. Ethical issues are defined as well as the authors’ efforts to address these concerns.     

Treatment Outcomes and Perceived Benefits: A Qualitative and Quantitative Assessment of a Women's Substance Abuse Treatment Program

This study examines outcomes of a women's substance abuse treatment program based on empowerment, choice, and client/therapist collaboration. The program was assessed through qualitative and quantitative research methods. The article includes extensive quotes from six client interviews as well as data from pre-post surveys of 50 women in the treatment program. Results show that the women felt they benefited from the collaborative treatment approach. Benefits to the women included feeling more empowered and learning to take responsibility for their lives. The importance of taking a broad view of recovery that includes ongoing evaluation of positive changes in various areas of the clients' lives is discussed.     

Neuro-feedback intervention efficacy for treating children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

This study explored practitioners perceptions of a neuro-feedback intervention in treating children with Autism Spectrum Disorder’s (ASD). Informants were a convenience sample of ten South African neuro-feedback practitioners registered with the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). The data on their views on neuro-feedback treatment efficacy, with children with ASD, were collected by means of semi-structured in-depth interviews. Thematic analysis of the data suggest practitioners to perceive neuro-feedback treatment to enhance the social, mood, behaviour, academic life, and family functioning of children with ASD. Additionally, the practitioners perceived neuro-feedback treatment to assist in reducing anxiety among children with ASD.     

LF-interpretability and language development: a study of verbal and nominal features in Greek normally developing and SLI children

This paper includes (i) a comparison of the developmental pattern of certain morphosyntactic features in normally developing (ND) Greek children with similar data from a group of children with specific language impairment and (ii) a new analysis of the differences found. The analysis is based on a minimalist notion of LF interpretability. Depending on the feature-specification of lexical items (i.e., [+/- interpretable] at LF), a different route of development follows. In addition, phonological salience of both interpretable and noninterpretable features is argued to play an important role in an account of crosslinguistic differences in both normal and exceptional development.     

The Children Helping Children Program: A Case Illustration

This article highlights the need for community and school-based programs for children of divorce and describes The Children Helping Children Program which was designed to respond to this need. A review of literature indicates that children of divorce typically experience school related problems including poor academic performance, depression, and disturbances in peer relationships. The review also points out that few support group programs are presently available, either in schools or through agencies for these children. Evaluative evidence consisting of parent comments at the conclusion of the program, followup questionnaire data collected at least four months after the program, and pre-post data pertaining to parenting effectiveness suggest that Children Helping Children may be a promising program. The need for further evaluative data in future implementations is discussed.     

The growth and development of an infant mental health program: An integrated perspective

This article details the development of the Infant Mental Health Clinical and Training Program at the University of Colorado School of Medicine from 1976 to the present. The article discusses the clinical sites where the program takes place, which include the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, outpatient child psychiatry clinic, and day treatment programs. Trainees from several mental health disciplines participate in the program, including predoctoral psychology externs, interns from the Clinical Psychology Internship, residents from the Child Psychiatry Training Program, and postdoctoral research fellows in developmental psychopathology. Recently, the Infant Mental Health Program has also been able to offer its own training positions. The philosophical models of clinical service and training are outlined. The article concludes by looking at future directions and challenges for the Infant Mental Health Program. © 1997 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health     

Memphis City Schools Mental Health Center

Summary

This article describes a nationally recognized integrated service program in operation since 1969 within the Memphis (TN) City Schools. Memphis City Schools Mental Health Center represents a comprehensive model for the delivery of integrated mental health and substance abuse services to children and youth with a wide range of problems. Notably, the model incorporates elements of primary and secondary prevention and community outreach into service delivery, components that may be under-emphasized in programs that are oriented toward specific clinical populations (e.g., SED). Program components are discussed in detail to demonstrate both unique and inter-related program features, reflecting the complex needs of the children and families being served. Future directions and challenges are also considered.     

EthoSeq: A tool for phylogenetic analysis and data mining in behavioral sequences

This article introduces the software program called EthoSeq, which is designed to extract probabilistic behavioral sequences (tree-generated sequences, or TGSs) from observational data and to prepare a TGS-species matrix for phylogenetic analysis. The program uses Graph Theory algorithms to automatically detect behavioral patterns within the observational sessions. It includes filtering tools to adjust the search procedure to user-specified statistical needs. Preliminary analyses of data sets, such as grooming sequences in birds and foraging tactics in spiders, uncover a large number of TGSs which together yield single phylogenetic trees. An example of the use of the program is our analysis of felid grooming sequences, in which we have obtained 1,386 felid grooming TGSs for seven species, resulting in a single phylogeny. These results show that behavior is definitely useful in phylogenetic analysis. EthoSeq simplifies and automates such analyses, uncovers much of the hidden patterns of long behavioral sequences, and prepares this data for further analysis with standard phylogenetic programs. We hope it will encourage many empirical studies on the evolution of behavior.     

Transdiagnostic internet treatment for anxiety and depression: a randomised controlled trial

Disorder-specific cognitive behavioural therapy programs delivered over the internet (iCBT) with clinician guidance are effective at treating specific anxiety disorders and depression. The present study examined the efficacy of a transdiagnostic iCBT protocol to treat three anxiety disorders and/or depression within the same program (the Wellbeing Program). Seventy-seven individuals with a principal diagnosis of major depression, generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder, and/or social phobia were randomly assigned to a Treatment or Waitlist Control group. Treatment consisted of CBT-based online educational lessons and homework assignments, weekly email or telephone contact from a clinical psychologist, access to a moderated online discussion forum, and automated emails. Eighty one percent of Treatment group participants completed all 8 lessons within the 10 week program. Post-treatment data were collected from 34/37 Treatment group and 35/37 Control group participants, and 3-month follow-up data were collected from 32/37 Treatment group participants. Relative to Controls, Treatment group participants reported significantly reduced symptoms of anxiety and depression as measured by the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales-21 item, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 item, and Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 item scales, with corresponding between-groups effect sizes (Cohen’s d) at post treatment of.56,.58, and.52, respectively. The clinician spent a mean time of 84.76 min (SD = 50.37) per person over the program. Participants rated the procedure as highly acceptable, and gains were sustained at follow-up. These results provide preliminary support for the efficacy of transdiagnostic iCBT in the treatment of anxiety and depressive disorders.     

"Faces and Feelings": a projective technique for measuring young children's self-esteem

A projective type "Faces and Feelings" measure was designed for use with kindergarten and first grade children. The underlying assumption was that the technique would elicit from this age group self-perceptions of worthwhileness. The unique methodology eliminated the most pervasive problems in self-esteem measurement, and results yielded important information about the effects of significant others on young children's self-esteem. Also, feelings about home and school activities addressed the multifaceted and specificity aspect of the self-esteem construct. Differences between American and Australian children and boys and girls in how Mom, Dad, Teacher, Friend, Home, School, Holiday, Reading, Math made children feel about themselves could be identified using "Faces and Feelings."