Reducing Extremely Challenging Behaviors and Improving Quality of Life: Six Teaching-Family Studies

ABSTRACT Six Teaching-Family studies are presented. The studies address limitations in prior Teaching-Family research. Single subject methodologies were employed in the conduct of all studies. The six studies explored the effects of Teaching-Family procedures on: 1) The injurious aggression of three violent juvenile offenders living in a group home, 2) the aggression and quality of life of two adults with intellectual disabilities participating in an independent living program, 3) the elopement of an adult with intellectual disabilities, 4) the skill acquisition of an adult with intellectual disabilities with a history of aggression and elopement, 5) the aberrant behavior displayed by a pre-school child, and, the effects of providing the child's mother with a daily teacher report on teacher facilitation of procedures designed to facilitate child engagement and 6) the injurious aggression of five children attending an inclusive early education center. All six of the studies document use of Teaching-Family procedures in combination with functional behavioral assessment. Five of the studies form a nucleus of research suggesting that use of Teaching-Family procedures may reduce extremely challenging behaviors including injurious aggression, elopement, pica, and arm flailing. Two of the six studies document improvements in quality of life. These two studies extend prior Teaching-Family research by documenting improvements in quality of life for two new populations, adults with intellectual disabilities and young children. Maintenance data based are presented for all six studies