David Reitman

• Ph.D.
• Professor (Full) at Nova Southeastern University

Over the past several decades, the use of punishment as a strategy to discipline children has fallen into disfavor in popular books and among many parenting researchers. Other well-respected researchers point out important instances where punishment can be beneficial if implemented appropriately together with positive reinforcement. In this chapter...

This chapter discusses clinical supervision with children and families, focusing on competencies that are especially relevant to working with this population. This chapter also examines some of the unique challenges of supervision work with children and families, such as the balancing of boundaries and relationships between parent and child. Finall...

The aim of the present study was to develop and psychometrically evaluate a measure of mindful parenting (the Mindfulness In Parenting Questionnaire (MIPQ)) for use with parents of children and adolescents, ranging in age from 2- to 16-years-old. Content experts assisted in item development, and cognitive interviewing was used to revise the measure...

Little is known about how the adoption of evidence-based physical activity (PA) curricula by out-of-school time (OST) programs affects children's physical fitness, and there are no clear guidelines of what constitutes reasonable gains given the types of PA instruction currently offered in these programs. Using a three-wave, quasi-experimental, natu...

This article provides an account of the impact of Constance Hanf, Ph.D., developer of the well-known two-stage parent training model that bears her name. Past colleagues, interns, postdoctoral students, and undergraduate trainees reflect on their experiences with Dr. Hanf and comment on her influence on their careers, as well as the impact of the m...

This is the second study to investigate the clinical use of the Parent-Instruction Game with Youngsters (PIGGY) which is a structured observation system derived from the Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System II (DPICS-II; Eyberg, Bessmer, Newcomb, Edwards, & Robinson, 1994) and the Behavior Coding System (BCS; Forehand & McMahon, 198111. F...

This case study describes use of the Homework Success Program (HSP) for a child with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), predominantly inattentive type. Larry, an 8-year-old boy, presented with homework-related difficulties, including difficulty “focusing” and “sustaining attention,” becoming “easily distracted,” spending 3 to 4 hr per...

Two-hundred introductory psychology students and their parents participated in a study of parenting perceptions and trait anxiety. Using student perceptions of parenting, this study replicates and extends research on the relation between parental control/autonomy granting, rejection/acceptance, and trait anxiety. The study was notable for incorpora...

The present chapter applies much of the discussion from the previous chapter to the unique aspects of providing clinical services to children, adolescents, and their families. For example, the 12 competencies of the “cube model” were designed to represent a broad overview of competencies within the field of professional psychology that could be app...

This article describes the first 2 years of a comprehensive early intervention program for young children with a diagnosis of ADHD—the “STAR (Summer Treatment and Research) Program.” Following the program rationale and overview, case examples are presented to illustrate the use of various program components and some typical outcomes. In addition to...

Pharmacological treatments improve functioning for many of the core problems characteristic of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Pharmacological treatment is also useful when delivered in combination with behavior management procedures. However, many children find swallowing pills and capsules difficult, and many refuse treatment out...

This study investigates the validity of the Parent Instruction-Giving Game with Youngsters (PIGGY), a newly developed direct-observation system. The PIGGY is a derivative of the Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System II [DPICS-II; Eyberg, S. M., Bessmer, J., Newcomb, K., Edwards, D., Robinson, E. (1994). Manual for the Dyadic Parent-Child In...

This chapter presents the definition of child behavioral assessment (CBA) that incorporates the recent conceptual advances and examines the trends in behavioral assessment from that perspective. It then reviews the recent history of CBA and highlights the current trends. Contemporary CBA can be thought of as involving two distinct, but potentially...

Comments on an article by Leasha M. Barry and Melissa A. Kelly (see record 2014-52016-002). IN recent years, several papers (including the present paper) have considered phenomena putatively relevant to rule -governed behavior (RGB). At the request of the editor, I have condensed a few of my concerns about the practice of drawing casual connections...

Many children diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyper-activity Disorder (ADHD) experience difficulties in social relations. While psychosocial approaches based on a combination of skills training and contingency management approaches do appear to improve social behavior, evidence that these benefits generalize and persist following training has been...

Token economies often reduce problematic classroom behavior in preschool settings. In the present study, direct observation and teacher ratings of child behavior and treatment acceptability were utilized to evaluate the effectiveness of a token economy in a Head Start classroom. Because many teachers express concerns about the effort required to im...

Token economies often reduce problematic classroom behavior in preschool settings. In the present study, direct observation and teacher ratings of child behavior and treatment acceptability were utilized to evaluate the effectiveness of a token economy in a Head Start classroom. Because many teachers express concerns about the effort required to im...

Efforts to promote social skills generalization among ADHD-diagnosed children have had limited success. Despite evidence that attentiveness and social skills can be enhanced, the general absence of gains beyond the original treatment setting or extended through time suggests a need for systematic generalization planning. In the present study, a com...

Examines psychometric characteristics of the 36-item Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF) in a low-income, predominantly minority population. Relations between the PSI-SF, demographic, and psychosocial factors associated with parenting stress were examined. Internal consistencies for the PSI-SF were very good to excellent. However, confirmato...

Five children diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder participated in a summer program designed to evaluate behavioral and pharmacological treatments in a recreational setting. The effect of a contingency for increased sportsmanlike behavior, with and without the use of tokens, was examined during kickball games. The influence of st...

Baumrind's conceptualization of parenting style has influenced research and theorizing about child-rearing for more than 30 years, yet few clinical applications of this work have been realized. The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of a parenting style measure, the Parental Authority Questionnaire – Revised (PAQ-R). T...

Examined the reliability, construct, and concurrent validity of the Parenting Scale (PS), a brief instrument designed to measure dysfunctional parenting practices for parents of young children. In Study 1, 183 primarily African American mothers and their Head Start children completed the PS. The PS, which consists of 3 subscales--Laxness, Overreact...

Three children diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) participated in a summer program designed to evaluate the influence of stimulant medication and a token economy on attentive and disruptive behavior during kickball games. Attentive and disruptive behavior were assessed using an interval coding system, and daily ratings o...

The social skills training literature for children diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) has recently emphasized the parent's role in generalizing treatment gains, and several studies have promoted the utilization of parents as the primary treatment providers for their children. In this study, two parents were instructed in implemen...

This review explores several aspects of trichotillomania relevant to clinical theory and practice. It is concluded that research outlining the phenomenology and patterns of comorbidity of trichotillomania have been advanced significantly in recent years. However, no current diagnostic category appropriately classifies trichotillomania. Research wit...

Children diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often display deficiencies in communication skills, social competence, and emotional regulation. Many parents report that these difficulties are especially obvious in the context of sports participation. These children are more likely to experience social problems and be less a...

The social skills problems that may influence the work-related success of supported employees has been only infrequently documented in the research literature. Though a multitude of research describes the performance-related challenges faced by supported employees, few papers address the interpersonal difficulties encountered by supported employees...

The present investigation examined whether distinguishing between the discriminative and function-altering properties of contingency-specifying stimuli (CSS) is of heuristic value in conceptualizing child compliance. Groups of "compliant" and "noncompliant" children were instructed to place several blocks in a box. During half of the trials the chi...

This review addresses the most current and widely used methods of assessing childhood and adolescent externalizing disorders. Interviews, rating scales, and self-report instruments are described, and their strengths and weaknesses are discussed. Direct observational techniques in naturalistic and analogue settings are also reviewed. Throughout the...

This review addresses the most current and widely used methods of assessing childhood and adolescent externalizing disorders. Interviews, rating scales, and self-report instruments are described, and their strengths and weaknesses are discussed. Direct observational techniques in naturalistic and analogue settings are also reviewed. Throughout the...

In recent years, a number of researchers and social critics have cautioned against the widespread application of behavioral interventions on the grounds that the philosophy of behaviorism is fundamentally manipulative and damaging to creative and intrinsically motivated behavior. Most central to their arguments are concerns about the harmful effect...

In recent years, a number of researchers and social critics have cautioned against the widespread application of behavioral interventions on the grounds that the philosophy of behaviorism is fundamentally manipulative and damaging to creative and intrinsically motivated behavior. Most central to their arguments are concerns about the harmful effect...

Examined factors associated with condom use in a community-based sample of 423 sexually active African American women. Measures were selected to reflect the components in prevailing models of health behavior. Condom users were higher on AIDS health priority, prevention attitudes, stage of change, behavioral intentions, reported more frequent and co...

Despite the growth of behavior analysis over the past 30 years, misunderstandings of behavioral theory and practice may threaten its continued growth and application. Alfie Kohn's Punished by Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars, Incentive Plans, A's, Praise, and Other Bribes (1993) offers a view of behaviorism that, if accepted uncritically, could...

Few issues within behavior therapy have aroused as much debate as the causal status of cognitions. We briefly trace the history of the debate, provide recent exemplars of misunderstanding, and seek to clarify important epistemological distinctions between radical and cognitive behaviorism. It is suggested that cognitive and radical behavioral thera...

Ellis (1997) describes how Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) can be distinguished from Behavior Therapy (BT) and, perhaps more significantly, “adds” to BT. Among the issues raised by Ellis is the suggestion that traditional BT may lead only to temporary or superficial behavior changes, and that the goals of BT should be extended to include m...

This study evaluated predictors of risky and safer behavior in a sample of low-income African American adolescents, assessed their perceptions of the risk associated with their sexual behavior, and examined differences between adolescents who used condoms consistently, inconsistently, or engaged only in unprotected intercourse. African American ado...

Commonly occurring problems in implementing time-out are described together with a procedure for improving the effectiveness of time-out with verbally noncompliant children. The “Read My Fingertips” procedure is intended to reduce arguments and decrease aversive interactions between parents and their children during time-out. This procedure involve...

The present research investigated the effects of verbal, contingency-specifying, stimuli on compliance among two groups of preschool-aged boys. Experiment 1 assessed the joint influence of prior compliance history and reinforcement parameters on compliance, and Experiment 2 explored the utility of distinguishing between the evocative and function-a...

The Condom Attitude Scale (W. P. Saaco, B. Levine, D. L. Reed, & K. Thompson, 1991) was modified for use with adolescents. In Study 1, a modified 35-item version, pilot tested with 195 African American adolescents, achieved a Cronbach’s alpha of .88. In Study 2, convergent validity was assessed with a sample of 312 African American adolescents. Psy...

Reviews the book, AIDS, health, and mental health: A primary sourcebook by Judith Landau-Stanton (see record 1993-97454-000). The present book offers a multidimensional systems perspective on HIV disease. The authors begin with an examination of AIDS-related "myths", and, drawing on chaos theory, subsequently offer a systems framework that seeks...

Typescript. Thesis (M.A.)--University of Mississippi, 1993. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 61-67). Vita.