Skip to main content
Log in

Project Ecosystems: An ecobehavioral approach to families with children with developmental disabilities

  • Published:
Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Project Ecosystems is an ecobehavioral approach to the treatment of families of children with developmental disabilities. Children in these families are highrisk for placement into more restrictive settings because of their severe behavioral excesses or deficits, or multiple handicaps. Also, because of these problems, they represent a risk of child abuse or neglect. The project focuses on the multifaceted environmental factors that contribute to the problem of keeping a child with developmental disabilities at home. Described here are the nine services provided by Project Ecosystems in an effort to treat and prevent the placement, abuse, or neglect of these children in four southern California counties.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Bauman, L. and Riche, R. (1986).The Nine Most Troublesome Teenage Problems and How to Solve Them, Ballantine Books, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barone, V. J., Greene, B. F., and Lutzker, J. R. (1986). Home safety with families being treated for child abuse and neglect.Behav. Mod. 10: 93–114.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beck, A. T., Ward, C. H., Mendelsohn, M., Mock, J., and Erbaugh, J. (1961). An inventory for measuring depression.Arch. Gen Psychiatry 4: 561–571.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beckman, P. J. (1983). Influence of selected child characteristics on stress in families of handicapped infants.Am. J. Ment. Def. 83: 150–156.

    Google Scholar 

  • Borck, L. E., and Fawcett, S. B. (1982)Learning Counseling and Problem-Solving Skills, Haworth Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brazelton, T. B. (1984).To Listen to a Child, Addison-Wesley Publishing Company.

  • Budd, K. S., and O'Brien, T. P. (1982). Father involvement in behavioral parent training: An area in need of research.Behav. Ther. 5: 85–89.

    Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, R. V., O'Brien, S., Bickett, A. D., and Lutzker, J. R. (1983). In-home parent-training, treatment of migraine headaches, and marital counseling as an ecobehavioral approach to prevent child abuse.J. Behav. Ther. Exp. Psychiatry 14: 147–154.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dachman, R. S., Halasz, M. M., Bickett, A. D., and Lutzker, J. R. (1984). A home-based ecobehavioral parent-training and generalization package with a neglectful mother.Ed. Treat. Child. 7: 193–202.

    Google Scholar 

  • Delgado, L. E., and Lutzker, J. R. (1988). Training young parents to identify and report their children's illnesses.J. Appl. Behav. Anal. 21: 311–319.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dunst, C. J., Trivette, C. M., and Cross, A. H. (1986). Mediating influences of social support: Personal, family, and child outcomes.Am. J. Ment. Def. 90: 403–417.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dyer, W. W. (1985).What Do You Really Want for Your Children, William Morrow and Company, Inc., New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Egeland, B. (1979). Preliminary results of a prospective study of the antecedents of child abuse and neglect.Child Abuse Negl. 3: 269–278.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elmer, E. and Gregg, G. S. (1967). Developmental characteristics of abused children.Pediatrics 40: 596–602.

    Google Scholar 

  • Friedrich, W. N., and Friedrich, W. L. (1981). Psychosocial assets of, handicapped and nonhandicapped children.Am. J. Ment. Def. 85: 551–553.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gil, D. (1970).Violence Against Children: Physical Child Abuse, U. S. Harvard University Press, Cambridge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Griest, D. L., Forehand, R., Rogers, T., Breiner, J., Furey, W., and Williams, L. A. (1982). Effects of parent enhancement therapy on the treatment outcome and generalization of a parent training program.Behav. Res. Ther. 20: 429–436.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holroyd, J. (1974). The questionnaire on resources and stress: An instrument to measure family response to a handicapped family member.J. Commun. Psychol. 2: 92–94.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jacobson, E. (1938).Progressive Relaxation, University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kiesel, K. B., Lutzker, J. R., and Campbell, R. V. (1989). Behavioral relaxation training to reduce hyperventilation and seizures in a profoundly retarded epileptic child.J. Multihand. Pers. 2: 179–190.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kornbaltt, E. S., and Heinrich, J. (1985). Needs and coping abilities in families with developmental disabilities.Ment. Retard. 23: 13–19.

    Google Scholar 

  • Landesman, S., and Butterfield, E. C. (1987). Normalization and deinstitutionalization of mentally retarded individuals: Controversy and facts.Am. Psychologist 42: 809–816.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lightcap, J. L., Kurland, J. A., and Burgess, R. L. (1982). Child abuse: A test of some predictions from evolutionary theory.Ethnol. Sociol. 3: 61–67.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lovaas, I. O. (1981).Teaching Developmentally Disabled Children: The Me Book, University Park Press, Baltimore.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lutzker, J. R. (1980). Deviant family systems. In Lahey, B. and Kazdin, A. E. (eds.),Advances in Clinical Child Psychology, Vol. 3, Plenum, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lutzker, J. R. (1984). Project 12-Ways: Treating child abuse and neglect from an ecobehavioral perspective. In Dangel, R. F., and Polster, R. A. (eds.),Parent Training: Formulations of Research and Practice, Guilford Press, New York, pp. 260–291.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lutzker, J. R., Campbell, R. V. Newman, M. R., and Harrold, M. (1989). Ecobehavioral interventions for abusive, neglectful, and high-risk families (313–326). In Singer, G. H. S., and Irvin, L. K. (eds.),Support for Caregiving Families, Paul H. Brookes Publishing, Baltimore.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lutzker, J. R., Campbell, R. V., and Watson-Perczel, M. (1984). Utility of the case study method in the treatment of several problems of a neglectful family.Ed. Treat. Child. 7: 315–353.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lutzker, J. R., Frame, R. E., and Rice, J. M. (1982). Project 12-Ways: An ecobehavioral approach to the treatment and prevention of child abuse and neglect.Ed. Treat. Child. 5: 141–155.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lutzker, J. R., Megson, D. A., Webb, M. E., and Dachman, R. S. (1985). Validating and training adult-child interaction skills to parents indicated for child abuse and neglect.J. Child Adol. Psychother. 2: 91–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lutzker, J. R., Touchette, P. E., and Campbell, R. V. (1988). Parental positive reinforcement might make a difference: A rejoinder to Forehand.Child Fam. Behav. Ther. 10: 25–33.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lutzker, S. Z., Lutzker, J. R., Braunling-McMorrow, D., and Eddleman, J. (1987). Prompting to increase mother-baby stimulation with single mothers.J. Child Adol. Psychother. 4: 3–12.

    Google Scholar 

  • Milner, J. S. (1986).The Child Abuse Potential Inventory Manual (scond edition), Psytec, Webster, North Carolina.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nishioka-Evans, V., Hadden, C. K., Kraus, D., Johnson, J., Fredericks, H. D. B., and Toews, J. W. (1983).The Teaching Research Curriculum of Mildly and Moderately Handicapped Adolescents and Adults, Teaching Research, Monmouth, Oregon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nihira, K., Foster, R., Shellhaas, M., and Leland, H. (1974).Adaptive Behavior Scale, American Association on Mental Deficiency, Washington, D. C.

    Google Scholar 

  • Novaco, R. W. (1975).Anger, Stress, and Coping with Provocation: An Instructional Manual, R. W. Novaco.

  • O'Dell, S. L., Tarler-Benlolo, L., and Flynn, J. M. (1979). An instrument, to measure knowledge of behavioral principles as applied to children.J. Behav. Ther. Exp. Psychiatry 10: 29–34.

    Google Scholar 

  • Robinson, N. M., and Robinson, H. B. (1976).The Mentally Retarded Child, McGraw-Hill, Inc., New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rogers-Warren, A. (1984). Ecobehavioral analysis.Ed. Treat. Child. 7: 283–303.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rosenfield-Schlichter, M. D., Sarber, R. E., Bueno, G., Greene, B. F., and Lutzker, J. R. (1983). Maintaining accountability for an ecobehavioral treatment of one aspect of child neglect: Personal cleanliness.Ed. Treat. Child. 6: 153–164.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ruhe, L. A. (November, 1985).The impact of handicapped children on family time-budgeting, caretaking responsibility, and the quality of life, Paper presented at the 19th Annual Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy Convention, Houston, Texas.

  • Sarber, R. E., Halasz, M. M., Messmer, M. C., Bickett, A. D., and Lutzker, J. R. (1983). Teaching menu planning and grocery shopping skills to a mentally retarded mother.Ment. Retard. 21: 101–108.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schilling, D. J., and Poppen, R. (1983). Behavior relaxation training and assessment.J. Behav. Ther. Exp. Psychiatry 14: 99–107.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schilling, R. F., and Schinke, S. P. (1984). Personal coping and social support for parents of handicapped children.Child. Youth Serv. Rev. 6: 195–206.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schinke, S. P., Blythe, B. J., Schilling, R. F., and Barth, R. P. (1981). Neglect of mentally retarded persons.Ed. Treat. Ment. Retard. 16: 299–303.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shipley, W. C. (1940). A self-administered scale for measuring intellectual impairment and deterioration.J. Psychol. 9: 371–377.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sparrow, S. S., Balla, D. A., and Cicchetti, D. V. (1984).The Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (revised edition) American Guidance Services, Circle Pines Minn.

    Google Scholar 

  • Suelze, M., and Keenan, V. (1981). Changes in family support networks over the life cycle of mentally retarded persons.Am. J. Ment. Def. 86: 267–274.

    Google Scholar 

  • Talarico, R., and Slusher, F. H. (1982).Taxonomy of Behavioral Objectives for Habilitation of Mentally Handicapped Persons. A Resource Manual for Individual Program Planning, Portland Habilitation Center, Inc.

  • Tavormina, J. B., Boll, T. J., Dunn, N. J., Luscomb, R. L., and Taylor, J. R. (1981). Psychological effects of raising a physically handicapped child.J. Abnorm. Child Psychol. 9: 121–131.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tertinger, D. A., Greene, B. F., and Lutzker, J. R. (1984). Home safety: Development and validation of one component of an ecobehavioral treatment program for abused and neglected children.J. App. Behav. Anal. 17: 159–177.

    Google Scholar 

  • Turnbull, A. P., and Turnbull, H. R. (1978).Parent Speak Out: Views from the Other Side of the 2-Way Mirror, C. E. Merrill, Columbus.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wahler, R. G. (1980). The insular mother: Her problems in parent-child treatment.J. Appl. Behav. Anal. 13: 207–219.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wahler, R. G., Berland, R. M., Coe, T. D., and Leske, G. (1977). Social systems analysis: Implementing an alternative behavioral model. In Rogers Warren, A., and Warren, S. F. (eds.)Ecological perspectives in behavior analysis. Baltimore University Park Press.

  • Wahler, R. G., and Dumas, J. E. (1984). Changing the observational coding styles of insular and noninsular mothers. In Dangle, R. F., and Polster, R. A. (eds.),Parent Training: Formulations of Research and Practice, Guilford Press, New York, pp. 379–416.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wahler, R. G., and Hann, D. M. (1984). The communication patterns of trouble mothers: In search of a keystone in the generalization of parenting skills.Ed. Treat. Child. 7: 335–350.

    Google Scholar 

  • Watson-Perczel, M., Lutzker, J. R., Greene, B. F., and McGimpsey, B. J. (1988). Assessment and modification of home cleanliness among families indicated for child neglect.Behav. Mod. 12: 57–81.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wesch, D., and Lutzker, J. R. (1991). A comprehensive evaluation of Project 12-Ways: An ecobehavioral program for treating and preventing child abuse and neglect.J. Fam. Viol. 6: 17–35.

    Google Scholar 

  • Winkler, L. M. (1986). Periodic stresses of older mentally retarded children: An exploratory study.Am. J. Ment. Def. 90: 703–706.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolpe, J., and Lazarus, A. A. (1986).Behavior Therapy Techniques, Pergamon Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Lutzker, J.R., Campbell, R.V., Harrold, M.E. et al. Project Ecosystems: An ecobehavioral approach to families with children with developmental disabilities. J Dev Phys Disabil 4, 1–14 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01046338

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01046338

Key Words

Navigation