No abstract

A descriptive study was conducted to assess the disciplinary practices of Turkish mothers for increasing appropriate and decreasing inappropriate behaviours of their children. The participants were 50 mothers of 4- to 6-year-old children receiving preschool education. The data were collected via a questionnaire consisting of open-ended questions. The results revealed that the most frequently used disciplinary technique for strengthening desirable behaviours of children was presenting verbal praise, followed by presenting activity, edible, and social reinforcers whereas the favourite disciplinary technique for overcoming behaviour problems was providing verbal explanations. These findings show that the participants seem to be benefiting from a variety of behavioural techniques for supporting their children's appropriate behaviours. However, they look less competent when it comes to discouraging inappropriate behaviours. These findings are expected to (a) offer an alternative data collection model for assessing parental disciplinary practices, and (b) contribute to designing parent training and family-focused early intervention programmes.

The present study compares the effects of providing choice between activities or between materials for completion of activities on the on-task behavior of 4 boys with autism spectrum disorders. Results showed that the participants displayed higher levels of on-task behavior during the choice conditions than in the no-choice condition. However, the type of choice opportunity did not seem to have a differential effect.

Using a large existing data base on children with severe and profound deafness, 10 children were identified whose level of spoken laguage was most above and 10 whose level was most below that expected on the basis of their hearing loss, age, and intelligence. A study of their personal characteristics, family background, and educational history identified factors associated with unusually high performance; these includes earlier use of binaural ear-level aids, more highly educated mothers, auditory/verbal or auditory/oral instruction, reliance on spoken language as a method of communication, individualized instruction, integration, and structured teaching by parents. Parents of high performers also reported being highly commited to and focusing family resouces on developing their child's spoken language.