We examined the effectiveness of self-managed individual and group contingency procedures in improving the completion and accuracy rates of daily mathematics homework assignments. A group of sixth-grade students having homework difficulties in mathematics were selected for the study. There was substantial improvement in the amount of homework completed over baseline for a majority of the students, whereas the results for accuracy were mixed. Students who participated in the self-management training made significant gains on standardized measures of academic achievement and curriculum-based measures of classroom performance. Parents also reported significantly fewer problems associated with homework completion following the intervention. Students who were allowed to select their own performance goals made superior improvements in the number of homework assignments returned compared to students who were given a specified goal by the classroom teacher. Parents, subjects, and the classroom teacher responded positively on consumer satisfaction measures following termination of the study.

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Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at significant risk for a variety of comorbid conditions, including social skills deficits. Although interventions addressing various aspects of social difficulties with these children have been developed, few researchers have integrated new The authors would like to acknowledge the numerous individuals who participated in the development and implementation of this project, The Children's Center and the University of Utah Psychoeducational Clinic for the use of its facilities, and the peer confederates and research participants for their time and effort throughout the study. This article represents the results of a study awarded the Outstanding Dissertation of the Year Award for 2002 by Division 16 (School Psychology) of the American Psychological Association. Opinions expressed herein are those of the authors and do not reflect the opinions of the awarding agencies.

Students with externalizing disorders make up from three to five percent of the population in public school classrooms and are some of the most difficult students to manage in an educational setting. Behavioral excesses and deficits exhibited by these students are a major factor in poor retention rates for new teachers while the students themselves have the highest school drop out rates and experience some of the most restrictive educational settings of any disability. The authors of this article draw upon recent theoretical and applied work in the study of optimism to describe several essential elements of positive psychology and optimal functioning that may be unavailable or lacking in the lives of these students. A variety of factors intrinsic to the nature of these students, as well as environmental and interpersonal factors, are described. These factors often place these students in a "sea of negativity" with minimal opportunities for positive educational experiences or personal relationships. Vigorous debate concerning the effects of positive reinforcement on motivation, academic functioning, and other variables also continues. However, recent advances in proactive behavior management strategies (i.e., positive behavioral support, whole school management/discipline, etc.) are promising, despite a lack of sufficient data to draw firm conclusions. The authors describe several student, teacher, and classroom programs that provide empirically based strategies to promote positive successful experiences and high rates of praise for students with externalizing behavior disorders. Without components of positive psychology it is very likely that schools will continue to lose these students, and at a significant cost to society down the road.

Treatment and management of chronic disease processes on children occurs across multiple settings, placing demands for consultation and expertise on school personnel, including school psychologists. One such chronic condition in children is type I diabetes. Children with type I insulin dependent diabetes mellitus exhibit high rates of noncompliance to treatment, which can lead to a variety of medical problems. This study examined the effectiveness of a specific behavioral intervention using behavioral consultation (BC) and conjoint behavioral consultation (CBC) to reduce uncontrolled blood glucose levels in medically at-risk children. An intermittent reward procedure was utilized to reinforce individualized target behaviors associated with treatment noncompliance. Specific target behaviors were individually established for six patients ages 8-12 through behavioral consultation interviews. Each child was randomly assigned to a reward ϩ BC or reward ϩ CBC condition. Results of the study showed that all participants improved; with slightly greater gains shown in the CBC condition. Follow-up data for 3 of the 4 participants completing the study showed improved compliance and mental health status. Treatment acceptability date indicate the intervention was viewed positively by parents and school based nurses.