Key to the mission of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) is answering fundamental questions about how a single fertilized cell eventually develops into a fully functional adult human being and how a multitude of genetic and environmental factors influence that process. This document details part of NICHD's…

This monograph focuses on school-based practices and programs that promote safe and drug-free schools. It begins with a description of the key characteristics of schools with effective programs and provides a model for school-wide support. Necessary steps for developing an effective system of universal prevention are listed and include: (1)…

Part of a series on safe, drug-free, and effective schools, this monograph discusses developing school and community partnerships to assist students with behavior problems. It begins by offering a general description of the student with challenging behaviors and the determination of the students placement in the least restrictive environment.…

This report highlights three of the programs funded through the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative in Pinellas County, Florida. These programs are: (1) Think First, an anger management program for high school students; (2) Families and Schools Together (FAST), a parenting program for parents of at-risk elementary students; and (3) On-Campus…

This guidebook is designed to help educators and others in their efforts to work with students with emotional and behavioral difficulties (EBD). Chapter 1 provides an overview of the needs and problems presented by such students. Chapter 2 contains basic information to help provide an enhanced understanding of students with EBD. Causes of…

Fifteen short articles on partnerships describe job center networks in Wisconsin, cooperative education, Chrysler's dislocated worker program, behavior problems, dropout programs, computer literacy, a summer inservice institute, hazardous materials handling, small business incubators, parenting classes in prisons, at-risk youth, superintendent…

Iowa young adults with learning disabilities (n=737), behavior disorders (n=59), and mental disabilities (n=142), all graduates of resource room programs, were surveyed concerning adult adjustment. Results are reported in terms of marital status, living arrangements, competitive employment, unemployment, postsecondary education, and comparison of…

Describes ways in which regular elementary classroom teachers can teach social skills and address classroom relationships to facilitate social integration of mildly handicapped students into the mainstream. Recommends a directive instructions method for correcting students' social skills problems. Notes steps teachers can take to increase the…

A language-based social skills instruction intervention used to prepare middle and high school students with emotional/behavioral disorders for return to less restrictive public school placements was evaluated. The daily 50-minute intervention focused on repetitive readings, recitations, and role-playing of skill step procedures until students…

The purpose of the study was to provide insight into the inability to retain qualified special education teachers. Why do special educators say they want to leave? What conditions would encourage them to stay? Nearly half of the teachers reported they planned to leave the field in the next 5 years. They cited three areas of concern: administrative…

This article examines the individual components of bipolar disorder in children and the behaviors that can escalate as a result of misdiagnosis and treatment. The brain/behavior relationship in bipolar disorders can be affected by genetics, developmental failure, or environmental influences, which can cause an onset of dramatic mood swings and…

Over the last thirty years, children's behavioral health services in the school have witnessed drastic progress. Over this time, medications for mental health problems have improved. In addition, empirically validated treatments, most of which have come from behavioral psychology, have made their way into Best Practice guidelines for the treatment…

In recent years the problem of sexually abusive youth has been increasingly recognized as a significant issue in our community. This paper provides a brief overview of the literature that shows sexually abusive youth to be a heterogeneous population. We argue for the development of typologies of adolescent sexual offenders to assist in the guiding…

This monograph is intended to encourage policy formation and appropriate interventions for young children with emotional/behavioral disorders (E/BD). After an introductory chapter, the second chapter analyzes policy within the areas of both behavioral disorders and early intervention, including existing labels and eligibility criteria, reluctance…

This book presents an interdisciplinary chronological perspective on the history of children considered exceptional and how services to them have evolved over time. It begins by placing the origins of special education in historical context from Aristotle through the Enlightenment and beyond. Subsequent chapters consider individual conditions…