Recent theory and research suggests that weak central coherence, a specific perceptual-cognitive style, underlies the central disturbance in autism. This study sought to provide a test of the weak central coherence hypothesis. In addition, this study explored the relations between the weak central coherence hypothesis, theory of mind skills, and…

Objective: The primary goal of this pilot study was to examine emotion management skills (i.e., emotional understanding, emotion regulation) in children who had experienced neglect and a control group to determine the ways that neglect may interfere with children's emotional development. Method: Participants included children 6-12 years of age and…

Over 40 years of development of cognitive behavioral approaches to treating anxiety and related emotional disorders have left us with highly efficacious treatments that are increasingly widely accepted. Nevertheless, these manualized protocols have become numerous and somewhat complex, restricting effective training and dissemination. Deepening…

Two different theoretical approaches were compared to determine the optimal cutoff scores for the Ages and Stages Questionnaires: Social-Emotional (ASQ: SE), a social-emotional screening test. Cutoff scores based on statistical decision theory modeling, Receiver Operator Characteristics (ROC), were compared with cutoff scores obtained using Item…

Society and the life experiences of children and youth changed considerably during the last century. Schools today are expected to do more than they have ever done in the past to implement effective educational approaches that promote academic success, enhance health, and prevent problem behaviors have grown significantly. Broad-based, school-wide…

Given the link between social skills, problem solving and resilience, it could be a helpful way forward to link the construct of social resilience to the social and emotional learning (SEL) framework. This article first discusses core ideas of both constructs, and supports the integration of the social resiliency framework into a broader…

The behavioural and emotional development of children with ADHD visiting day treatment centres after school hours is described and the childrearing factors that govern positive development explored. Test scores on the "Child behaviour checklist" (CBCL) and "ADHD behavioural symptoms rating scale" were obtained over a period of nine months, in a…

Infants with older siblings with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD-sibs) are at risk for socioemotional difficulties. ASD-sibs were compared to infants with typically developing older siblings (TD-sibs) using the face-to-face/still-face (FFSF) at 6 months and the Early Social Communication Scale (ESCS) at 8, 10, 12, 15, and/or 18 months. ASD-sibs…

Emotional regulation is the ability to understand emotions and develop strategies to modulate them. Regulating emotions is important for children because it enables them to focus their attention, approach and learn in new situations, and form lasting and sincere friendships. Emotional regulation contributes to success in the classroom, with one's…

Findings from a clinical project aiming to make psychodynamic psychotherapy more effective for children with disruptive disorders are summarised and discussed. In this project a supportive expressive model was used and the therapists worked with both children and parents. Nine boys aged 6-10 years were treated; all were reported to function better…

Schools are seen as having a central role to play in the "Every Child Matters" (ECM) effort, which many are finding somewhat challenging, an additional pressure and something of a departure from their usual role. One way forward may be to help schools make links between ECM and other activities with which they are starting to engage but…

Although the academic gains associated with acceleration and peer ability grouping are well documented, resistance to their use for gifted students continues because of concerns that such practices will cause social or emotional harm to students. Results from the broad research indicate that grade skipping, early school entrance, and early…

Zins and his colleagues pointed out that understanding implementation of school-based prevention programs is a critical issue as we get more sophisticated about strategies to promote children's social and emotional skill development. This commentary discusses school-based program implementation, challenges, lessons learned, and future directions…

Objective: To estimate the prevalence and stability of social, emotional, and academic competence in a nationally representative sample of children involved with child protective services. Method: Children were assessed as part of the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being. Children (N = 2,065) ranged in age from 8 to 16 years and were…

The purpose of this exploratory study was to evaluate the impact of special interest areas on children and youth with Asperger syndrome (AS) and their families. The research team conducted interviews about special interests with 2 girls and 21 boys with AS, ages 7 to 21, who were eligible for services under autism and enrolled in an extended…