Competency-based training for severely behaviorally handicapped children and their parents.

This paper describes the major components of a treatment program for severely behaviorally handicapped children. The program's goal is to help the children develop the necessary skills to function in regular classrooms or special education classes. The article presents descriptions of the procedures used in the Day School Learning and Treatment Center and the Parent Training Program at the Judevine Center for Autistic Children. Criteria for acceptance, assessment systems, training techniques, and methods for follow-up are outlined. Also, the paper delineates what are considered to have been five major trends in the development of the program.