A study compared the sandplay behavior and pictures of 26 children (ages 10-11) who had experienced sexual, physical, and/or emotional abuse and 26 typical children. The children who had experienced abuse had difficulty staying within the boundary of the sandbox, displayed more regressed play, and presented more disorganized pictures. (Author/CR)

The prevalence of compulsions in 210 adults with severe/profound mental retardation was studied. Prevalences were as follows: stereotypy (60.9 percent), self-injury (46.6 percent), and compulsion (40 percent). The occurrence of compulsions was positively associated with the occurrence of stereotypy, self-injury, and stereotypy plus self-injury.…

A new approach to behavioral control with individuals having both visual impairments and multiple disabilities stresses the use of positive intervention strategies, bases treatment on functional assessments of challenging responses, and emphasizes broad changes in the lifestyles of individuals. Case examples illustrate applications. (Author/DB)

The relations between young children's salivary cortisol level, patterns of behavior problems, and social behavior were explored in this study of 29 preschool-aged children with emerging behavior problems. Decreases in salivary cortisol during a play session with unfamiliar teachers and peers were associated with concurrent and subsequent…

Examines the prevalence of nervous habits, tics, and stuttering and the relationship between these behaviors and general anxiety in college students (n=256). Participants completed self-report measures of general anxiety and somatic awareness. Relationships were found between number of nervous habits and self-reported awareness of bodily…

The dynamics of self-injurious behaviors were examined in 8 adults with mental retardation. Analysis of trajectories of the arm movements and impact forces of head blows found a high degree of cycle-to-cycle consistency in the qualitative dynamics of limb motions, indicating the motions are often stereotyped in nature. (Contains references.) (CR)

Research into behavior problems among individuals with mental retardation has been well developed. However, few studies have addressed the effect of multiple problem behaviors on social skills. In the present study, the authors examined the relationship between two problem behaviors, stereotypy and self-injury, and social skills among individuals…

Given that depression is a debilitating disorder, it is critical that we advance our understanding about the aetiology of this disorder. This study investigated both traditional (temperament and parenting) and novel (emotion regulation strategy) risk factors associated with adolescent depression. Forty-four adolescents (12-16 years; 64% females)…

Does the mirror system affect the control of speech? This issue was addressed in behavioral and Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) experiments. In behavioral experiment 1, participants pronounced the syllable /da/ while observing (1) a hand grasping large and small objects with power and precision grasps, respectively, (2) a foot interacting…

Socioemotional selectivity theory (SST) has been used successfully to explain age differences in interpersonal conflict behavior: older adults are generally less likely to engage in destructive responses, and more likely to employ nonconfrontational ones. However, this research has focused almost exclusively on conflict with intimates (spouses,…

This study examines the efficacy of a manualized parent-assisted social skills intervention in comparison with a matched Delayed Treatment Control group to improve friendship quality and social skills among teens 13-17 years of age with autism spectrum disorders. Targeted skills included conversational skills, peer entry and exiting skills,…

We evaluated the effects of a self-management treatment package (SMTP) on the stereotypic behavior of an adolescent with Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS). Latency to stereotypy was systematically increased in the training setting (academic) and the effectiveness of the SMTP was evaluated within a multiple-probe…

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) includes symptoms that vary in severity and frequency between children. Consequently, multiple psychometric assessment procedures are recommended to detect an ASD, including scales which asses the presence and nature of ASD-related behaviour. However, to date, few studies have examined the relative and…

The institutional environment of America's schools has changed substantially as government regulation has focused increasingly on the core technical work of schools--instruction. The authors explore the school administrative response to this changing environment, describing how government regulation becomes embodied in the formal structure of four…

Reviews the theory and research on the physiological or genetic origins of parenting behavior, noting that an ethological or evolutionary analysis of parenting behavior supports the idea that primates, including man, have evolved psychological structures which are particularly adapted to respond to cues from young children. (Author/JM)