The paradigm of design must drastically change to promote sustainable social development that considers not only economic growth but also human well-being and environmental sustainability. Some scholars argue that the central paradigm of design should focus more on the societal perspective. This article refers to such a socially oriented design…

Purpose: An increasing number of autistic students are pursuing higher education to enhance career opportunities, achieve personal growth, and increase independence. Nonetheless, many encounter difficulties in transitioning to and thriving in this environment, despite the support offered by universities. Here, we review the preliminary data from a…

Purpose: Social skills difficulties among children on the autism spectrum can impede social, emotional, and academic development, especially with increasing age and social demands. This pilot study examined the efficacy of a 5-week skill-building program for children on the autism spectrum. Although effective social skills programs are available…

Increased scholarly and practitioner attention has been paid to community gardens and their potential impact on community building and sustainability, as well as a tool to combat the decline in physical and mental well-being connected to childhood obesity. Specifically, community gardens may play a role in on families' eating habits, and there is…

In June 2021, the Department for Education (DfE) announced the Early Years Education Recovery funding, a £180m package of support to help the sector recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. It comprised training programmes, qualifications, guidance and targeted whole setting support, delivered through a series of complimentary work programmes. This…

Evidence-based robotic intervention programmes for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been limited. As yet, there is insufficient evidence to inform therapists, teachers, and service providers on effectiveness of robotic intervention to enhance social development and participation of children with ASD in a real context. This study…

To further my research investigating the affective skills of university students, I engaged in a longitudinal mixed-methods study that explored the emotional intelligence (EI) of law students. For this study, I collected quantitative data to measure changes in EI of law students from their first to final year in the degree program. Then I gathered…

Children in Liberia receive 2.2 learning-adjusted years of schooling, one of the lowest levels of educational attainment in the world. We study one approach to address low enrollment and low rates of learning: a 10-month accelerated learning program run by the Luminos Fund to help out-of-school children catch up to grade level. We conducted a…

Coping Power (CP) is an empirically supported school-based intervention for children at risk for aggression. A child's social status with peers and the extent to which they accurately perceive it are important aspects of preadolescent social development that may influence how intervention format affects disruptive behavior outcomes. Further,…

Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) seem to have difficulty dealing with complex social situations, which is likely related to their challenges in understanding others' perspectives, according to the Theory of Mind (ToM). The purpose of this preliminary study was to examine the effect of multiple exemplar training (MET) on the…

While all school transitions are important, the middle to high school shift stands out. It coincides with biological, social, and cognitive changes in young people that began in early adolescence but continue into high school. These changes can be quite stressful, often disrupting students' academic performance and social and emotional well-being…

The purpose of this study is to examine how a virtual after-school PA program impacts social-emotional competency (SEC) among elementary school students. Students (N=122) participated, and SEC was measured at the beginning and end of the program. Data analysis included descriptive analysis of demographic variables and SEC. A dependent sample…

Background: Children with autism often face challenges in developing social-emotional skills, which are essential for their overall growth and social integration. Social robots have emerged as promising tools to support these skills; however, their effectiveness and educational applications remain uncertain, with existing research lacking…

Reading aloud to young children can positively impact their social and emotional development during preschool. However, further exploration is needed to determine how drama-based read-alouds (DBRAs) could enhance these benefits. In this sense, this study examined the effects of the DBRA intervention on preschoolers' social understanding, social…

Social skills group training is frequently used to support autistic children and adolescents in coping with everyday social demands and expectations. Meta-analytic studies suggest small to medium effect sizes. Effect moderators must be better understood to inform implementation and allow optimization of intervention protocols. Using data from two…