The Effects of Contingency Contracting to Improve the Mechanics of Written Language with a Middle School Student with Behavior Disorders

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a contingency contract for a middle school student with behavior disorders, a ninth grade male enrolled in a self-contained special education classroom. The student was having difficulty with written communication in punctuation and in capitalization. The effectiveness of a contingency contract was examined through a multiple-baseline design. The contingency contract was developed by the special education teacher, the student, and the first author. Proper capitalization and punctuation significantly increased while the contingency contract was in effect. The applicability of contingency contracting with middle school students with behavior disorders is discussed.