Four major dimensions of the philosophy and ideology of L'Arche, a center for mentally handicapped persons using a "community" approach, are: the value of a person with mental handicaps; the importance of mutual relationships; the importance of a sense of community; and the spiritual dimension. (Author/CB)

Investigated types of help provided to divorcing mothers (N=88) by their parents. Identified four parental network patterns, each distinct with respect to type of help they provided as well as other characteristics of divorcing mother's relationship with her parents. Findings suggest importance of family network support in adjustment of divorcing…

Examined whether older adults dissatisfied with the amount of social support they had received were more likely to rate their health as poorer than elderly people satisfied with the support they had received. Found satisfaction with support to be an important determinant of self-perceived health. (Author/ABB)

Studied the response of the extended family to a divorce, examining divorcing children's perceptions of their parents' behavior. Divorcing children experienced their parents' reactions as supportive, non-supportive, or "mixed." Categorized helpful behaviors and patterns of unhelpful parental behavior. Discussed approaches adopted by the divorcing…

Parents (n=131) of intellectually disabled children were interviewed to investigate the social support function of professional services. Data revealed a discrepancy between the importance attributed by parents to types of help from services and help actually received by them. Extent of service utilization was significantly associated with…

Describes a career counseling case study where the counselor used social influence theory. Discusses the social influence model, which assumes counseling to be a process of interpersonal influence where counselors encourage clients to reattribute their difficulties to factors they can control, which leads to cognitive dissonance in the client,…

Considers the rapid aging of the American population and the changing age structure of society. Discusses the needs of older adults, the role of the family in providing support to older members, and issues of intergenerational relations. (NB)

A survey of 124 families with mentally retarded children identified those families who did and did not use respite care services. Families who tended to use respite care were larger, made greater use of professional support services, and had children with more severe handicaps and more serious behavior problems. (Author/JDD)

Four ways to make advising more productive are identified: preparing for the first meeting, integrating course selections and career plans, promoting collegial support, and serving as surrogate parent. (MLW)

The study examined the involvement of parents and other persons in the classroom. Eighty-six head teachers provided general information, and 82 teachers outlined involvement of others in their classrooms. Results indicate wide involvement, with parents involved in 87 percent of the classrooms, and others involved in all but one room. (CH)

Describes a peer helping orientation program for first year college students using upperclass students as peer helpers. Reports study of effectiveness of peer helping program which compared students in the peer helping group (N=88) to no-contact (N=34), living at home (N=37), and residence hall (N=74) students. Results indicated significant…

Outlines and discusses some of the major sources of tension between employed parents and teacher-caregivers. Also provides ways in which teacher-caregivers can work effectively with parents and turn these sources of tension into sources of support. (BB)

Training teachers to recognize and assist abused and neglected children is important because a positive relationship with a teacher can help remediate some detrimental effects. Signs of abuse and neglect, areas of needed research, and actions for educators to take in abuse cases are set forth. (MT)

When training prospective teachers, even the most optimistic, nurturing teacher educator must realize that not every candidate has what it takes to become a good teacher. The tendency to decrease discrimination and academic rigor produces thousands of mediocre teachers who should never have been admitted to training programs and exacerbates the…

Describes a program at Rochester School District (Pennsylvania) that determines the needs of students with chronic attendance and tardiness problems and works with students, families, social service agencies, and alternative educational programs to resolve conflicts. Chronic offenders are identified, assessed individually, and referred to…