Describes patterns of interaction between hard of hearing and deaf children as well as hard of hearing children. Shows that an easily used sign language code enabled the children to take part in dialogs and had positive consequences for their play as well as their social and emotional development. (DSK)

Provides suggestions to assist parents in helping their gifted children. These include: stay informed of research and data in gifted education; advocate; guide your gifted child; provide support; encourage social skills; encourage independence and interdependence; challenge; teach your child to overcome adversity; teach empathy; and provide…

Investigates the application of a non-hierarchical leadership model at an urban public research university. Balances discussions of the values on which the program under review is based with descriptions of the practical structure of the program. Concludes with a discussion of the program's effects on students' cognitive and social development.…

A study successfully taught 2 4-year-olds with autism to ask questions of an adult who held a closed box with a toy inside. The first question produced the name of the toy, the second question produced the sight of it, and the third question produced the item itself. (Contains three references.) (Author/CR)

This article discusses probable explanations for the weak effects in some meta-analyses that have investigated the effectiveness of social skills training (SST) for students with disabilities and offers specific recommendations for designing and producing more effective SST interventions. Treatment integrity issues, assessment issues, and…

This article discusses the "hidden curriculum" in schools, its impact on social functioning, and strategies for helping children and youth with Asperger Syndrome learn the hidden curriculum. Strategies include using social stories, acting lessons, self-esteem building activities, cartooning, social autopsies, and the SOCCSS (Situation,…

Social stories and comic strip conversations were successfully used to teach social skills to a 14-year-old student with Asperger Syndrome. As a result of the training, the student's behavior changed. The student enjoyed using comic strip conversations and began to request their use from others at school and home. (Contains references.) (CR)

Emotional intelligence and social behavior were explored in a study with 11 adolescents. Results found that those with higher emotional intelligence were better able to identify their own and others' emotions in situations, use that information to guide their actions, and resist peer pressure than others. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

Examines the social cognitive content of two well-known fairy stories, "Rumpelstiltskin" and "Little Red Riding Hood." Focuses on the internal state vocabulary contained in the stories, the language that refers to intentions, cognitions, and feeling states and the demands they place on children's ability to attribute…

Examined the racial attitudes of 122 Euro-Australian children toward Euro-, Asian, and Aboriginal Australians across the 5-/6-, 7-/9-, and 10-/12-year age groups. Found that the middle group had fewer negative attitudes toward Aborigines than the older and younger groups. Notes the influence of environmental and cognitive factors in the…

A study examined peer relationships that developed between three males with disabilities and their peers during kindergarten/Grade 1 and during upper elementary grades. Children with disabilities were selected as playmates during both time periods and some play activities and social behaviors were similar to those of typical peers. (Contains…

The psychosocial well-being of 115 adolescents with visual impairments was compared with 44 adolescents with chronic conditions and 607 typical adolescents. Adolescents with visual impairments, especially those with blindness, had more difficulties in their relationships with friends, but had fewer problems with psychological well-being than those…

Thirty-nine young adults' experiences in the eight years following their college graduation reveal possible conditions that promote complex interpersonal development between ages 22 and 30. Stories of how two participants acquired the internal identities needed to develop mutual relationships with others are used to depict cocurricular…

This article reviews social interventions with demonstrated empirical support that facilitate socialization in children with autism. It reviews interventions by age group and by type of intervention used, beginning with interventions to improve preschoolers' social interaction, then moving to school-age children's interactions, and closing with…

This article reviews research on social interventions that facilitate socialization in children with autism. It urges researchers to measure not only the social interaction skills of young people with autism but also the social exchanges of their typical peers in order to better structure teaching activities for youngsters with autism. (Contains…