A study compared 143 girls (ages 6-14) with Rett syndrome with 85 girls with severe mental retardation on the Developmental Behavior Checklist. Girls with Rett syndrome presented more "autistic relating" and fewer antisocial behaviors. When compared to children with autism, they did not present with classic autistic behavioral features.…

Data on sleep behavior were gathered on 100 children (ages 2-11) with pervasive developmental disorders. Slightly more than half of parents reported a sleep problem in their child. All of the children exhibited longer sleep onset times and greater fragmentation of sleep than that reported for age-matched community norms. (Contains references.)…

The article proposes a strategy for the assessment of young children with handicaps in which brief clinical sampling is used to document developmental skills. This information may then be used in designing intervention programs. Principles and techniques of brief clinical sampling are described and application examples are given. (Author/DB)

Three different organizations were surveyed and the results compared to the responses of a sample of Sierra Clubs to investigate predictors of responsible environmental behavior. Perceived skill in using environmental action strategies, level of environmental sensitivity, and locus of control were identified as the most important predictors. (CW)

Discusses various theories concerning the purpose of children's humor, especially in the classroom. Describes ways in which children use humor to deal with stress. (RJC)

A study of patterns in services to individuals with mental retardation and psychiatric impairments found heaviest reliance on clinical history, observation, and behavior checklists for diagnosis, and therapeutic efforts directed to diverse aspects of interpersonal and social adjustment. Benefits were considered greater for mild or moderate…

Explores the response of a Vietnam veteran to the film "Platoon." Notes that the film combines two voices, the veteran as journalist-critic and as priest, which mystify rather than explain the Vietnam experience. Argues that this form of priestly rhetoric serves an enduring hierarchy of power and knowledge. (KEH)

Female and male three- to five-year-olds were presented with six story starts and were asked to finish the stories. Analysis of these narratives showed boys to be more concerned with coping with aggressive drives and channeling them into attempts at mastery and girls with caretaking and responding to the needs of others. (Author)

Women and men characters on primetime TV were observed to determine the amount of distancing behavior enacted by them. Distancing behavior, which indicates discrimination, was demonstrated more frequently by men TV characters toward women than toward men. Women demonstrated equal behavior towards both sexes. Implications are discussed. (JS)

Outlines how students can use creative problem solving to define, analyze, and improve classroom discussion. Demonstrates the importance of a fact-finding discussion and taping to clarify individual and group characteristics. Identifies techniques students can employ to learn more about themselves and about more cooperative discussions. (KEH)

Reviews literature on effects of early maladjustment on later behavior problems. Discusses development as transactional process in which risk and resilience are central, a cumulative risk model of behavior problems as resulting from a variety of factors, and longitudinal research that focuses on externalizing behaviors. Concludes predictive power…

Findings of a study of 32 infants attending a neonatal intensive care unit follow-up clinic included mechanically ventilated infants were more irritable than nonventilated infants; infants from lower income families were fussier than infants from higher income families; 5-minute Apgar scores were more predictive of infants' success on a visual…

A qualitative research project with 71 successful adults with learning disabilities found that their individual achievements shared commonalities which can be taught and learned. A model of vocational success is presented which inculcates behaviors that facilitate adult adjustment. The model's focus is on student strengths rather than weaknesses.…

Data from three national databases were used to investigate the relationship between college student characteristics and college characteristics and patterns in loan repayment and default. Analysis suggested that repayment/default behavior can be predicted by precollege, college, and postcollege characteristics of individual borrowers but not by…

Reviews research examining the predictive aspects of childhood sex-typed behavior for sexual orientation. Prospective studies suggest that childhood cross-typed behavior is strongly predictive of adult homosexual orientation for men, whereas retrospective studies are useful in determining how many homosexual individuals displayed cross-sex…