This thirteenth of 14 curriculum modules in the Family and Community Services Occupational Education Modules series deals with death and dying. It helps the student to be aware of different kinds of death, stages of emotion, and attitudes toward death. Students have opportunities also to express their own feelings. The role of community…

This doctoral study examined the literacy practices of two rural adolescents as they crossed between the social contexts of their rural community, Winnona Hill, and higher education. Data collected primarily through semi-structured e-mail interviews over a 4-year period indicated that both informants used multiple literacies and a range of…

This teacher's guide and student workbook are part of a series of supplementary curriculum packages presenting alternative methods and activities designed to meet the needs of Florida secondary students with mild disabilities or other special learning needs. The Life Management Skills PASS (Parallel Alternative Strategies for Students) teacher's…

The Transition Class is an alternative model to the traditional college sequence of developmental courses. Offered as an option to prospective students before they complete the college application and financial aid procedures, the 12-week Transition Class is nongraded and free of charge. By taking the class before they fully matriculate in the…

Designed for parents of children with disabilities, this handbook (in both English and Spanish versions) provides information about services available in Idaho, how to use these services, and how to approach the job of parenting a child with disabilities. Chapters include: (1) "Beginnings: Understanding Your Family and Your Child with a…

During a 1-year period, a study investigated the contributions made by 3 literacy-based supports (support circles, cognitive compensatory tools, and cognitive enhancement tools) to the lives of 5 young adults, aged 16-34, with FAS/FAE (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome/Fetal Alcohol Effects). Four of the five subjects had IQs (intelligence quotients) above…

This paper explores the concept that the experience of growth may be structurally similar to the emotional experience of religion and hope. It develops this view by focusing on two studies that involve a series of coping and outcome variables, together with analysis of Park, Cohen, and Murch's (1997) instrument on stress related to personal…

This article discusses three issues concerning the field of psychology: modern psychology and its definition of mental health; Japanese ideology and its definition of mental health; and applicability of Western methods of psychotherapy to other cultures. There are at least two different definitions of good mental health and most psychotherapies in…

Classifies and discusses five stress variables affecting the mental health of Chinese students living in Taiwan. These include interpersonal problems, academic problems, health/living problems, financial anxiety, and environmental problems. Although detrimental to mental health, these factors exerted little influence on physical health or…

Presents five articles by teachers who have incorporated stress management concepts into their preschool and elementary curricula. Educators and parents are given information about the stress process and how to help children cope with inevitable stressors. The gymnasium environment is recommended as well suited for teaching children how to handle…

Describes as advances of the Hauser-Cram et al. study increasing basic information about children with disabilities and their families, showing a combined organismic-contextual developmental perspective, and operationalizing tenets of developmental psychopathology. Considers as limitations: the role of etiology, the need to reconceptualize…

This article discusses women's body image resilience. Body image dissatisfaction is prevalent among girls and women. Girls as young as 6 years old experience negative body image, and there is evidence that women struggle with body concerns throughout the life cycle (Lewis & Cachelin, 2001; Smolak, 2002; Striegel-Moore & Franko, 2002). In fact,…

Constructivist, hands-on, inquiry-based, science activities may have a curative potential that could be valuable in a psychological assistance programme for child victims of violence and war. To investigate this idea, pilot sessions were performed in an orphanage located in Ruhengeri, Rwanda, with seven young adults and two groups of 11 children…

When Hurricanes Katrina and Rita struck the Gulf Coast of the United States in August and September 2005, it was arguably the worst calamity to strike the region in history. Less well known than the loss in life or property from these storms are the effects on early care and education. Those who work with or on behalf of young children found in…

In spite of the most adverse circumstances, some children manage to survive and even thrive, academically and socially, into adulthood. A complex array of individual, family, and community factors has been identified that best explains resilience and lays the foundation for programs and interventions targeted at fostering the development and…