The Sequence and Distribution of Behavioral Disordered Adolescents' Disruptive/Inappropriate Behaviors

Abstract

An 11-category observation system was employed to measure the disruptive/inappropriate (D/l) behavior patterns of 18 behavioral disordered adolescents in a residential psychiatric facility. Disruptive/inappropriate behaviors of each subject were recorded for four consecutive minutes in each of three treatment settings (Classroom Instruction, Afternoon Rap, and Transactional Analysis) each day across a six-week period. A series of sequential lag analyses of the observational data indicated that the duration and pattern of D/l sequences of behavior varied as a function of the specific subject response that initiated such activity. Although the duration and pattern of D/l behavior did not vary as a function of observation setting, dramatic differences were noted in the overall frequency of occurrence of all behavior categories across settings. Specifically, the largest proportion of D/l behaviors occurred during Transactional Analysis and the least amount of D/l behavior occurred during Classroom Instruction.