Recent studies report the cumulative prevalence of behavioral disorders among school-age children to be second only to anxiety disorders. Unfortunately, by the time behavior has been identified as needing special education services, patterns of disruptive and externalizing behavior have often become unremitting. If at-risk behavior can be reliably…

We revisit Harry L. Gracey's perspective of kindergarten as academic boot camp where, at school entry, children acquire the student role through a structured program of activities. We provide further insights into the crucial mechanisms of socialization that occur in U.S. kindergartens by examining the relationship between within-class ability…

The development of English language learners (ELLs) was explored from kindergarten through eighth grade within a nationally representative sample of first-time kindergartners (N = 19,890). Growth curve analyses indicated that, compared to native English speakers, ELLs were rated by teachers more favorably on approaches to learning, self-control,…

A 9-year-old impulsive boy was treated with a combination of verbal self-instructions and response cost. The program was sequentially applied to inappropriate "switches" in each of three target behaviors (topics, games, rules) according to a multiple baseline design. Positive change in all of the target behaviors was evident at posttreatment.…

Two experiments were implemented in which hyperactive children were exposed to models of their own age level. It was hypothesized that modeling treatments designed to demonstrate reflective problem-solving strategies would improve the problem-solving ability of both normal and hyperactive children, and that, concomicantly, children's ability to…

Objective: of the study was to examine the extent to which cognitive emotion regulation strategies were "common determinants" of Internalizing and Externalizing problems and/or "specific determinants" distinguishing one problem category from the other. Method: The sample comprised 271 12- to 18-year-old secondary school students. Internalizing and…

This study investigated whether the stimulant methylphenidate (Ritalin) would differentially affect performance on a test of cognitive style by hyperactive children. Subjects were 55 children, (ages 7 to 15) referred to the Learning Clinic at the Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada for hyperactivity and/or learning problems. A paired…

Academic underachievement represents a significant problem faced by many children. This guide for parents is based on a framework called "Building Blocks of Learning" that enables parents to evaluate their child's pattern of learning and to pinpoint strengths as well as weaknesses. By using strengths to bolster weaknesses, continuing damage to…