Uses a case study to demonstrate the effects of cultural conflict, alienation, anomie, and contemporary urban society on the lives of troubled Native American youth. Shows that by teaching traditional Native American values, such as visions of hope and independence, society can help these youth enjoy a promising future. (RJM)

This synthesis reviewed the findings of 13 intervention studies, published between 1975-1999, that examined the effects of manipulation of toys or group composition on social behaviors of children (ages 3-5) with disabilities. Positive outcomes were associated with children's playing with social toys and playgroups that included typical children.…

A study examined the effects of social setting on the friendship formation of 333 preschool children (120 with disabilities) enrolled in inclusive early childhood programs. Typical children in specialized classrooms had significantly more friends. In child care settings, however, there were no statistically significant differences in number of…

This article reviews critical components of experience sharing, relates them to the specific social deficits found in children and adolescents with Asperger syndrome, then proposes factors in developing a relationship intervention program that would incorporate these essential components. The use of evenly matched peer partners for experience…

Explored the simultaneous sequential transition patterns of preschoolers' social play within classroom settings. Found that the proportion of social-play states did not vary during play episodes even when accounting for type of activity center, gender, and SES. Found a reciprocal relationship between parallel-aware and other social-play states…

A study compared 19 children with autism and 14 children with mental retardation (ages 2-11), on sustained interactions and responses to social bids. Children with autism produced fewer positive responses and more "no responses" than children with mental retardation. Both groups were more likely to make positive responses to adults. (Contains…

Five adolescents with visual impairments participated in trust engendering activities in five separate peer focus groups. At the completion of the intervention, four of the students with visual impairments showed marked improvement in their social acceptance and had higher scores on the Social Skills Assessment Tool for Children with Visual…

A mail survey was used to investigate 5-year trends in Japanese mothers' reports of their 3-year-olds' cognitive, psychomotor, and social developmental attainment. Findings indicated significant decreases in all domains, not attributable to changes in family structure, although scores were higher among children in nuclear families than in extended…

This study tested the applicability of the Social Identity Theory (SIT) to cooperative behavior in a mixed gender setting. The findings indicate that gender categorization does not lead to majority or minority status in the same way as ethnicity. (MYM)

A social skills training program used with 40 New Zealand adolescents with mild mental retardation found that, while the subjects showed modest gains in the specific skills taught by the program and there was some evidence of generalization from the training to school contexts, the subjects' self-perception did not change. (Author/MSE)

Reports on collaborative effort at Seattle University to bring closer together academic and student life administrative components. Describes typical academic and student life model and "Horizon Model" that structurally integrates academic and student life missions to promote student cognitive and affective growth. (Author/CM)

Affective responses of two year olds to their day care teachers' affectionate and caregiving behaviors were observed during free play times. Teacher behaviors were affectionate and caregiving physical contact, affectionate words, smiling, and use of questions and instructions. Smiling was the behavior most likely to elicit positive responses from…

Many learning-disabled students experience social skill problems which call for training to promote success in school, work, and social settings. Social skill problems fall into three categories: skill deficits, performance deficits, and behavioral excesses. Interventions generally focus on increasing the individual's repertoire of skills, using…

Adolescents with and without learning disabilities (14, 16, and 18 years old) were tested to determine whether they differed in auditory, visual, and/or multisensory social perception abilities. The adolescents with learning disabilities at all age levels were not as adept at understanding nonverbal social information regardless of whether it was…

Reports on a study of 18 pairs of mothers and infants of 14-22 months to determine the cognitive and social development of the child in its second year. Results support the prediction that a new stage of development is achieved between 18 and 22 months in both cognitive and social domains. (RJC)