According to John Wilson, the punishment of children is logically necessary, or inevitable, and punishment is the necessary concommitant of serious education. It is argued here that Wilson has not successfully established his case for the necessity of the punishment of children. (RM)

John Wilson defends his belief that the punishment of children is logically necessary, or inevitable, and that punishment is the necessary concommitant of serious education. (RM)

Compared psychological and academic adjustment in 260 adopted and nonadopted children from 6-11 years old. Results indicated that adopted children were rated higher in psychological and school-related behavior problems, and lower in social competence and school achievement, than were nonadopted children, although most adopted children appear to be…

Addresses the problem of cruelty to animals from a research perspective. Studies of possible causes of childhood cruelty to animals are reviewed and common contributing environmental factors are identified. Implications for educators are discussed and directives for detection and prevention of cruelty are suggested. (ML)

Lying is a symptom of a much broader problem. Primary motivations are need for acceptance, fear of punishment, and desire for attention. Children learn about honesty through observation, both directly and indirectly. Admitting mistakes, especially to children, is invaluable and can help break the lying syndrome. (MT)

Parents' reasons for failing to keep appointments at a child behavior management clinic were investigated. Explanations given frequently included: poor health status of parent or child, inadequate transportation, competing home and work responsibilities, and sudden crises. Further research is needed to assess the effects of interventions intended…

The Teaching Interaction approach, a 10-step procedure designed to help regular and special education students learn appropriate social and school-related behaviors, is a positive approach to discipline and can be used by any member of an educational staff. Interactions begin with an expression of affection and incorporate descriptions of the…

The extent of negative contagion (the modeling of inappropriate behaviors) among 15 high school severely emotionally disturbed students was explored. Through the use of naturalistic experimentation and a lag analysis, two behaviors (disruptive verbal and self-stimulation) were found to be contagious. One behavior (disruptive motor) was found to be…

A concealed video camera can record learning disabled students' behavior and provide a nonjudgmental way for them to see how they appear to others. Such an approach can include a positive emphasis on redirecting energy as well. (CL)

The authors suggest that line graphs that average response frequency over long periods obscure the major rate changes that indicate sources of behavioral control. A scatter plot can make patterns of responding identifiable and, in turn, suggest environmental features that occasion undesirable behavior. Use of scatter diagrams is illustrated in…

Parents' reports on social competence and behavioral problems were obtained for 53 learning disabled boys 12-16. On average, the LD boys showed significant lower levels of social competence and more behavior problems compared to normative samples of boys in the same age range. Results were compared to previously published findings for younger LD…

Discusses hidden reason theory based on the assumptions that: (1) the nature of people is positive; (2) a child's most basic psychological need is involvement; and (3) a child has four possible choices in life (good somebody, good nobody, bad somebody, or severely mentally ill.) A three step approach for implementing hidden reason theory is…

Studied ways family members and close associates accommodate persons who are troublesome (and may be referred to as "crazy"), but who have not been defined as mentally ill. Found three typical accomodation strategies: (1) minimizing contact with the troublemaker; (2) directly managing the troublemaker's actions; and (3) influencing others'…

Educators (N=105, predominantly regular classroom teachers) appeared to perceive students' behavior problems as more serious when displayed by nonhandicapped or physically handicapped students than when displayed by mentally handicapped students. Ss recommended more behavioral treatments having an authoritarian orientation for nonhandicapped than…

The paper reviews prevalence and characteristics of self-injurious behavior (SIB) etiological hypotheses and treatment methods which have met with some success as a basis for understanding failure of traditional methods based on learning theory. A hypothesis based on the concept of multiple control is presented. (Author/CL)