The influence of mood-inducing\u27 music on challenging behavior.

Effects of a musical manipulation on the challenging behavior of 3 persons with severe disabilities were evaluated. In Experiment 1 we identified stimulus conditions associated with high rates of challenging behavior for each participant. In Experiment 2 the high rate condition (determined in Experiment 1) was repeated with the addition of fast and slow beat music. Data indicate that challenging behavior was more frequent when slow beat music was played. Participants also displayed differential expressions of affect in these conditions. Results suggest that conditions associated with expression of affect may serve as establishing operations for challenging behavior and that this type of influence should be investigated further for possible contributions to intervention efforts

Treatment of sleep disorders in children with developmental disabilities.

Sleep disorders in children with developmental disabilities are a common and frequently disruptive behavioral concern. In the present-study, four children with developmental disabilities (two of the children exhibited frequent night wakings and two had bedtime disturbances) were treated using a multiple baseline across subjects design. Sleep diaries were used to monitor changes in each child\u27s sleep throughout treatment. Establishment of a consistent bedtime routine combined with a graduated extinction procedure for nighttime behavior problems resulted in a decrease in night wakings for two children (a 7-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy) and a decrease in bedtime disturbances for two children (a 2-year-old girl and a 12-year-old boy). This series of interventions highlights the heterogeneity of maintaining variables in sleep disorders and the effectiveness of relatively simple behavioral interventions for the treatment of night wakings and bedtime disturbances in children with autism and other developmental disabilities

Correlates of Executive Dysfunction in HIV

Despite advancements in combination antiretroviral therapy rates of mild neurocognitive impairment remain elevated amongst persons living with HIV (PLWH). Concomitant with the greater rate of survival into old age PLWH show accelerated cognitive Aging in multiple domains. Executive function is among the domains where early onset of decline is most evident. This chapter will discuss what are known correlates of executive dysfunction in PLWH in this era of antiretroviral therapy. The goal of this chapter is to expand on what is known regarding HIV disease severity and executive dysfunction to provide a more nuanced look at how other central and peripheral biomarkers, psychosocial and behavioral risk factors relate to deficits in inhibition, updating and working memory, cognitive set-shifting, and mental flexibility