The North Central Comprehensive Center team at McREL International conducted an analysis of current literature regarding student and teacher absenteeism to better conceptualize the problem and highlight successful steps that can be taken to address it. Drawing upon theoretically conceptualized and practically applied strategies for resolving…

Background: Medication is an important element of therapeutic strategies for ADHD. While medications for ADHD are generally well-tolerated, there are common, although less severe, as well as rare but severe adverse events AEs during treatment with ADHD drugs. The aim of this review is to provide evidence- and expert-based guidance concerning the…

According to research data, in today's Russia 70 percent of children are born with various health risk factors, and this leads to a rapid deterioration of their health during their school years. The health of school students is getting worse as a consequence of the effect of a whole set of social and economic and psychological factors, and the…

Epilepsy affects between 0.3 and 0.6% of Canadian children aged 18 years and younger, and is one of the most frequently diagnosed neurological disorders among children in Canada as well as Europe. As such, it is likely that teachers will experience having a child with epilepsy in the classroom. Understanding how best to support children with…

Puberty culminates in a dramatic and visually apparent set of changes in each individual. Social and psychological effects of the meaning of these changes are an important component in understanding the significance of puberty for adolescents and their behavior. (CJ)

Education programs to prepare young women for menarche can potentially affect their self-view; peer interaction, decision making; and self-care capabilities. A review of literature on menarche and menarcheal education is presented with implications for program development. (Author/MT)

A review of research studies suggesting that girls who exercise vigorously may experience disruptions in maturational processes suggests that carefully-monitored sports participation and training have no effect on growth and maturation. (Author/CB)

Reviews Greenough, Black, and Wallace's (1987) conceptual framework for understanding the effects of early experience and sensitive periods on development, and illustrates the applicability of their model with recent data on the consequences for animals and human infants of the acquistion of self-produced locomotion. (BN)

The study of the relationship between physical characteristics and behavior is placed in historical context. Current research concerned with the implications of minor physical anomalies is reviewed. Anomalies, measurement considerations, relationship between anomalies and selected characteristics, methodological issues, and underlying assumptions…

Plyometric exercises or drills combine speed and strength to produce an explosive-reactive movement or increased power. Some world-class athletes have used plyometric-training in sports such as high-jumping, hurdles, football, baseball, and hockey. The method is still considered experimental. Sample exercises are described. (JL)

"The Animal School" provided a powerful metaphor about the importance of individual differences. Nearly half a century later, this article revisits the classic educational tale. It articulates a number of specific changes that schools need to make to be able to meet the physical development needs of all students. (Author/MKA)

Recent studies on the biological development of the prefrontal cortex in rhesus monkeys are reviewed. These studies have elucidated the basic neural circuitry underlying the delayed-response function in adult nonhuman primates and suggest that a critical mass of cortical synapses is important for the emergence of this cognitive function. (BN)

Allergies have recently been related to the development of speech, language, and hearing problems in students. Diagnosis and treatment is compounded by multiple complaints or the absence of complaints. (Authors/CJ)

Just as infants and the elderly have special health care needs based on their stages in the life cycle, adolescents also have particular health needs. While some of those needs are simply a result of the bodily changes that define adolescence, others are true medical conditions which are most commonly found in this age group. Among achievements…

Believing that synthetic human growth hormone (hGH) will lead to athletic prowess and fortune, some parents and young athletes wish to use the drug to enhance sports performance. Should hGH become widely available, its abuse could present many problems, from potential health risks to the ethics of drug-enhanced athletic performance. (JL)