A Behavioral‐educational Alternative to Drug Control of Hyperactive Children

Abstract

A behavioral procedure for controlling hyperactivity without inhibiting academic performance is described. Using a time-sample observational method, the hyperactivity displayed by three school children was recorded during math and reading classes. Concurrently, math and reading performances were measured. The study consisted of two baselines, one while the children were on medication and the second while they were off medication. A multiple-baseline design across the two academic subject matters was used to assess the behavioral intervention, which consisted of token reinforcement for correct academic responses in math and subsequently math and reading. Discontinuation of medication resulted in a gross increase in hyperactivity from 20% to about 80%, and a slight increase in math and reading performance. Introduction of a behavioral program for academic performance, during no medication, controlled the children's hyperactivity at a level comparable to that when they were on drugs (about 20%). At the same time, math and reading performance for the group jumped from about 12% during baseline to a level of over 85% correct. Each child performed behaviorally and academically in an optimal manner without medication. Contingency management techniques provided a feasible alternative to medication for controlling hyperactivity in the classroom while enabling the children to grow academically.

Effects of Diet and Behavior Therapy on Social and Motor Behavior of Retarded Phenylketonuric Adults: An Experimental Analysis

“…These designs have been recently used in clinical drug studies with humans (e.g., 4,31,36). Within-subject research methodologies are particularly useful in studying effects of diet change on behavior, because an inherent problem in assessing effects of metabolic intervention lies in the fact that each person is likely to react to the presence or absence of specific amounts of phenylalanine on a highly individual basis.…”

Pills or Skills for Hyperactive Children

“…Such changes have been obtained on standardized teacher ratings as well as on independent observations of classroom behavior (e.g., Ayllon, Layman, & Kandel, 1975 Jacob, 1975). On the other hand, behavior therapy researchers using a self-control or selfinstructional approach with hyperactive children assessed with standardized measures have not found changes in social behavior in the classroom (e.g., Douglas, Parry, Marton, & Garson, 1976; Friedling & O'Leary, 1979;Bugental, Whalen, & Henker, 1977).…”

“…There have, however, been assessments of daily or weekly academic production rates, and when hyperactive children are placed in home-based or classroom-based reinforcement programs, academic production rates increase (Ayllon et al, 1975;Wolraich, Drummond, Salomon, O'Brien, & Sivage, 1978). Such increases are certainly not surprising because many behavior therapists try to choose academic behaviors for at least half of the targets for intervention.…”

“…Furthermore, psychostimulant treatment has physical side effects such as increased heart and blood pressure rates and, in some instances-though clearly not all -it appears that growth rates have been suppressed (Roche, Lipman, Overall, & Hung, in press;Safer, Allen, & Barr, 1972;Weiss et al, 1975 Behavior therapy has shown salutary changes on both academic and social behavior in studies of 1 to 4 months, but no long-term treatment studies have been conducted with hyperactive children. However, based on the longterm treatment research with conduct problem children (Kent & O'Leary, 1976), the successful transfer of hyperactive children from pharmacological to behavioral treatment (S. G. O'Leary & Pelham, 1978), the academic gains with hyperactive children in behavioral programs (Ayllon et al, 1975;Douglas et al, 1976), there is ample reason to be optimistic about the viability of a behavioral approach. This optimism must be tempered by the fact that Kent and O'Leary did not work with children specifically diagnosed as hyperactive, although as noted earlier, the overlap between hyperactivity and conduct problems/aggression is very great.…”

Matching Theory in Natural Human Environments

“…Numerous investigators have reported increases or decreases in the frequency of a target behavior (R) when the reinforcement frequency for some other behavior (re) changed in the opposite direction. For example, Ayllon, Layman, and Kandel (1975), Ayllon and Roberts (1974), Kirby andShields (1972), Marholin andSteinman (1977), and Winett and Roach (1973) found that the rate of disruptive behavior (R) decreased when reinforcement was arranged for academic behavior (re), just as Equation 3 requires. Similarly, Brawley, Harris, Allen, Fleming, and Peterson (1969) and Lovaas, Litrownik, and Mann (1971) found that the frequency of self-stimulatory behavior decreased when appropriate behavior was reinforced.…”