Examined relationship among alcohol problems and alcohol consumption variables in 410 college students. Total alcohol-related problems, drinking and driving problems, and school problems increased significantly when subjects drank moderately. Physical illness problems increased during light drinking, while interpersonal and legal problems…

Effects of an intervention and fading package (teacher prompting and contingent praise) on social initiations of three withdrawn preschool subjects were investigated. Among reported results was that abrupt removal of prompting resulted in similarly abrupt reductions in subjects' social initiations, whereas response-dependent fading maintained…

This report describes a project for improving classroom behavior through positive discipline. The action research will take place from September 2001 to December 2001. The targeted 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students live in the suburbs and are composed of low income, middle class, and high income communities. The problem was noted by researchers who…

Reports standardization of the Child Behavior Checklist for boys aged 6-11. Analysis of CBCLs of disturbed boys yielded behavior problem scales labeled schizoid, depressed, uncommunicative, obsessive-compulsive, somatic complaints, social withdrawal, hyperactive, aggressive, and delinquent. Second-order factors are Internalizing and Externalizing.…

Assessed children's adjustment at clinic intake and six months later, and sampled children's saliva before and after a conflict-oriented parent-child interaction. Increases in salivary cortisol predicted children's internalizing problem behaviors and anxiety disorders at follow-up. High adrenocortical reactivity at intake and follow-up was…

This article reviews research on the use of strategies by children with autism to repair communicative breakdowns and discusses the possible links between communicative breakdowns and the emergence of problem behavior in children with autism. Strategies for decreasing risk of communicative breakdown and teaching repair strategies are considered.…

This study examined behavioral adjustment in 22 siblings of children with autism. Mothers rated these children as having more behavior problems and fewer prosocial behaviors than a normative sample. Analysis of variables revealed that male siblings and children younger than the autistic sibling engaged in fewer prosocial behaviors. Psychological…

Compared children's emotional expression and self-appraisal of emotional experience in response to positive feedback. Subjects were 60 children ages 7 through 14, half with diagnosed externalizing disorders and half without. Found that, although diagnosed children typically reported a positive response to peer compliments, they displayed more…

Self-rated and teacher-rated social competence levels were obtained for 121 sixth, seventh, and eighth graders who were normal, depressed, or had conduct problems. Depressed children's self-ratings of social competence were lower than self-ratings of children in other groups. There were no teacher-rated differences. (BC)

Examined competence and problem behavior of 70 adolescent suicide attempters for effects of gender, age, and high-risk versus low-risk suicidal status. High suicide risk youth reported greater clinical levels of problem behavior than did low-risk counterparts. Few differences were found for reported competencies. (Author/NB)

A study used the ABILITIES Index to assess the relationship of inappropriate behaviors to social skills and behavior, vision, intellectual function, and intentional communication in 202 children (ages 6-59 months) with visual impairments. Results indicate inappropriate and unusual behavior continued to increase between birth and age 5. (CR)

Explores the effects of a proactive school-wide discipline approach on the frequency of problem behavior displayed by elementary students. Study was designed to explore the impact of a social skill instruction program and direct intervention on problem behaviors in three school settings (cafeteria, recess, and hallway transition). Results indicate…

Third-grade children with high or low social and academic self-concepts that were either consistent with or discrepant from external indices of social and academic competence were contrasted on a variety of measures using multiple assessment methods. Findings suggest the relation between self-concept and adjustment might be explained by the…

This article surveys the past 35 years of social interaction research relating to autism. Ways in which understanding social deficits in autism has influenced attempts to analyze and ameliorate problem behaviors are discussed, and emerging concepts relating to social interaction are examined, including the importance of maintaining social…

Implemented a comprehensive, school-based instructional and social-competency-promotion program to prevent problem behavior in a middle school. Evaluation of the five-year program showed that it was ineffective, with no dependable results on youth behavior. Discusses implications of these findings. (SLD)