One hundred and seventy-nine first to fourth graders who had experienced one or more of six health problems were judged by classroom teachers to have more serious school adjustment problems and fewer school competencies than a demographically matched peer group of 710 youngsters who had not experienced such problems. (Author)

Frequency of rule violations was tabulated for two mildly mentally retarded and two learning disabled males (ages 9-11). All four received social skills training, and two additionally received contingency management intervention. Post-intervention data on rule violations and teacher approval ratings for observed social skills yielded mixed…

Provides data on behavioral problems and competencies, identifies differences related to demographic variables, and compares normal children and those referred for professional help. Parents' responses to Child Behavior Checklist items reveal significant differences in socioeconomic status, children's age and referral status. Behavioral problems…

A study involving elementary students with (n=336) and without (n=548) emotional disturbance (ED) found students with ED exceeded controls on the five ED characteristics stated in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which are inability to learn, relationship problems, inappropriate behavior, unhappiness or depression, and physical…

This study investigated mother-child dyads of differing social status engaged in fantasy play (children were age 54 to 80 months). Contrary to expectations, high-status dyads did not produce more or more complex utterances during fantasy play than low-status dyads. Low-status dyads were characterized by more negative affect and child behavior…

This study of 10 aggressive and 9 nonaggressive preschool boys found that both groups attempted the same repertoire of social goals and used the same social strategies, but with varying relative frequencies. Aggressive children sought to stop or prevent action more often and used intrusive strategies more often than nonaggressive children.…

Skill-based social deficits exist in students with learning disabilities when a student has not learned a given skill; performance-based deficits exist when the student possesses a skill but doesn't perform in appropriate circumstances. Interventions for both types of deficit and a strategy to build self-control skills are offered. (DB)

Social competence of 239 students with and without learning disabilities (LD) was followed from kindergarten through fifth grade. Students with LD demonstrated the same trends in social competence as non-LD students. Students with LD differed significantly from average-high-achieving non-LD students on social skills and behavior problems, but not…

Addresses difficulties that campers with attention deficit disorder experience at camp, including respecting the personal space and belongings of other campers and sustaining attention during play activities. Stresses the importance of communication among the child's physician, the camp staff, the camper, and parents concerning medications and…

Found significant cultural and racial differences in 62 of 118 behavioral and emotional problems among 308 Kenyan, Thai, African-American, and Caucasian-American 11- to 15-year-old children. Caucasian-American children were rated high on undercontrolled problems such as disobedience. Embu children in Kenya were rated high on overcontrolled…

Investigated maternal/preschool child functioning in families of solo mothers. Solo mothers differed from married counterparts in stress and social support, yet no differences in child outcome were observed. Reassessed 28 families as children entered preadolescence. Teachers reported preadolescents of solo mothers had more behavior problems, lower…

When two nonhandicapped peers of an autistic five-year old were trained to initiate social interaction, social interaction increased and then dramatically decreased in a reversal phase, and no decrease in the autistic child's disruptive behaviors was observed. When the autistic child was trained to initiate interaction, social interaction…

This study of three groups of students from kindergarten through third grade found that students with learning disabilities or with low achievement did not differ significantly on social skills or behavior problems over time, though both groups demonstrated more behavior problems and lower social skills than the average/high achievement students.…

Four preschool children who exhibited aggressive methods for resolving social interaction conflicts were taught a problem-solving strategy. Results found that acquisition of the problem-solving strategy influenced the types of alternative solutions the children provided to social interaction conflicts. Students produced more prosocial resolutions…

A study examined the socioemotional experiences of adolescents with and without learning disabilities (LD) in an Israeli kibbutz environment during school transition periods. Seventh- and ninth-graders with LD received more social peer rejection and were judged by teachers to exhibit lower social skills and higher behavioral problems. (Contains…