Background: Past research with children with specific language impairment (SLI) has shown them to have poorer planning and problem-solving ability, and delayed self-regulatory speech (SRS) relative to their typically developing (TD) peers. However, the studies are few in number and are restricted in terms of the number and age range of…

The problem of valid measurement of psychological constructs remains an impediment to scientific progress, and the measurement of executive functions is not an exception. This study examined the statistical and theoretical derivation of a behavioral screener for the estimation of executive functions in children from the well-established Behavior…

This article reviews the literature on peer relations and social skills of children with learning disabilities (LD). Two risk models are discussed. The single-risk model suggests that for some children with LD, social skills deficits are inherent in the disability. These deficits lead to problems with social relationships, which foster…

An increase can be seen in the number of tests designed to assess executive dysfunction in children, but few address ecological validity by attempting to measure functioning in the natural environment. This study examined the utility of the Children's Executive Functions Scale (CEFS), a 99-item parent-report measure. The CEFS was designed to…

This study evaluated the effects of color highlighting during a math computation task on performance accuracy and behavior of students with attention problems. Using a multiple baseline across participants design, three students solved math computation problems on worksheets with and without highlighting. Off-task behavior recorded from videotape…

Randomized adolescents with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder to 8-10 sessions of behavior management training (n=20), problem-solving and communication training (n=21), or structural family therapy (n=20). All treatments resulted in significant reductions in negative communication, conflicts, and anger during conflicts and improved ratings…

This study compared private speech of children with ADHD and normal controls during problem solving and inhibition tasks. Thirty-two children (16 children with ADHD and 16 matched controls) aged 6-11 years participated. Consistent with previous studies, children with ADHD produced more task-irrelevant and task-relevant external private speech than…

Fluctuations in problem solving and classroom behaviors during the school day for 43 hyperkinetic intermediate students with attention deficits were examined. Ss were observed with the Stonybrook Observation Code and tested with the Stroop Color-Word Test, Matching Familiar Figures, Porteus Mazes, and Digit Span. Data were collected in…

Describes a child-based intervention focused on skills of social entry, maintaining interactions, and solving problems for five boys with attention-deficit disorder. Parents were taught skills of debriefing, problem solving, and goal setting. Behavioral changes were considered socially valid, and all parents and child subjects viewed social skills…

Assessment of 121 nondisabled elementary boys and 107 boys with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), ages 7 through 14 years, found significantly lower problem-solving scores in specific math concepts and slower computational performance for the boys with ADHD when reading and problem structure were held constant. Instructional…

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…

This paper summarizes basic research on response effort in diverse applied areas including deceleration of aberrant behavior, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, oral habits, littering, and problem solving. The paper concludes that response effort as an independent variable has potent effects, and research exploring the applied benefits of…

Marie Evans Schmidt and Elizabeth Vandewater review research on links between various types of electronic media and the cognitive skills of school-aged children and adolescents. One central finding of studies to date, they say, is that the content delivered by electronic media is far more influential than the media themselves. Most studies, they…