Injury represents the leading cause of death and disability for US children and adolescents. Almost 16 million children are evaluated for injury each year in the United States. Although childhood injury rates are decreasing, 70% of all deaths among children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 years are injury related. Nonfatal injury is the leading cause…

This article describes a new training curriculum for educators, youth workers, and mentors which draws from research and best practices in positive youth development and positive behavior support. Response Ability Pathways or RAP focuses on three practical interventions: connect to others for support, clarify challenging problems, and restore…

Parents of children with autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs) are more likely to experience serious psychological distress than parents of children with other developmental disabilities. To examine the impact of a range of factors on psychological wellbeing, interviews were undertaken with 68 mothers of children with ASDs to explore aspects of…

Examines common teacher practices and black elementary-age students responses to these practices in the process of social reproduction. Finds, using an ethnographic study of two all-black schools, that both schools expressed strong commitments to creating positive learning environments with an emphasis on building self-esteem to enhance academic…

Early detection of developmental and behavioral/mental health problems is greatly facilitated when quality instruments are deployed. This article describes how to identify accurate measures and presents standards for screening tests. Included is a table delineating accurate tools for primary care: typically those relying on information from…

This article discusses the non-academic, social-emotional factors that contribute to student academic achievement, including the cognitive-behavioral characteristics of underachieving students and those with learning disabilities; the "You Can Do It! Education" (YCDI) theory of achievement; derivative research on social-emotional capabilities,…

This article offers an example of how teachers may successfully use a process for addressing problem behaviors in the classroom. The process includes (1) framing critical questions, (2) collecting relevant data, (3) taking well-researched actions, and (4) reflecting on the impact of these actions. Guided by these steps, the inappropriate comments…

Objectives: To examine the relationship between sexual abuse and academic achievement in an adolescent inpatient psychiatric population. Individual factors expected to influence this relationship were measured to explore the way they each interacted with sexual abuse and its relationship to academic achievement. Method: Eighty-one adolescent…

A recent national survey on the expulsion of preschool children from child care centers reports that centers with access to mental health consultation have lower rates of expulsion than centers without access to classroom-based behavioral consultation. This article uses a series of vignettes from a composite case study to illustrate in…

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects increasing numbers of children in every country around the world. Children who are diagnosed with ADHD are constantly having difficulties in the classroom environment. There are various medication therapies and evidence based procedures (EBP) which teachers can employ to further assist…

This paper is written primarily as a call to those of us in the special education field in Australia to become more actively involved in responding to the popular culture construction of disability as it takes place in the mainstream media. It is not the aim to define the form such activism should take but rather to raise awareness of the issue…

Alternative programs need to offer troubled and troubling students alternatives to punishment, expedient control, and rejection. This article demonstrates how the alternatives of building trusting relationships and effective, empathic communication can provide the re-education to improve a child's life.

Drawing on experience in developing and administering alternative settings, the author describes a strength-based approach for reaching students who too often fall through the cracks. The North Star psycho-educational model addresses academic, behavioral, clinical, career, and spiritual needs of troubled youth. This article defines the research…

Schools have widely used suspension and related punitive practices, in spite of their proven ineffectiveness. This article discusses the role of Aggression Replacement Training (ART) as part of a schoolwide positive behavior support initiative. Grounded in theory and research, ART focuses on the proactive teaching of acceptable behaviors to…

More students are arriving at college today with emotional issues than just five years ago, and there has been dramatic growth in the severity of the problems. These students are creating a need for significant expansions in college counseling services. In this article, the author identifies the social forces underlying these issues and discusses…