Describes the development and testing of a telephone support group project for persons with HIV. Examined five outcomes: self-efficacy, social isolation, social support, coping with HIV, and evaluation of the group experience. Found significant positive changes only in some aspects of self-efficacy and in social isolation. Participants rated the…

This study tested the validity of facilitated communication with 2 students (ages 10 and 12) with autism, using a picture identification task, video task, and object identification. Subjects were able to report information unknown to the facilitator in one out of four controlled sessions. Strong evidence for direct cuing between subject and…

Tested the belief that exploring gender themes in counseling is most therapeutic when the client also considers gender issues relevant for understanding personal experience. Analogue counselors made either high gender salience or low gender salience interventions with 209 subjects. Results indicated small interaction effects between counselor…

Examines changes in level and types of support that children receive from parents, from young through middle age, using data from National Survey of Families and Households. Finds that, in general, there is no change or only a slight increase in support when children are in their twenties. Decline in all forms of support occurs after age 30. (KS)

This paper identifies and explains principles and practices in empowering parents of children with disabilities to be their advocates. Five models of empowerment are examined: moral, medical, enlightenment, compensatory, and the enabling models of helping. A lack of empirical data on empowerment is reported. (Author/DB)

When students help teach one another, active learning, listening, and a spirit of cooperation flourish. A reciprocal tutoring program in three New York City high schools allows all students to be tutors and learn through teaching and has all tutors experience the tutee/apprentice role. This experimental program had better achievement results than…

The family associate is a parent without professional mental health training who acts as a system guide to low-income families whose children have been referred to mental health services. Family associates in three counties in Oregon provide emotional support and information about mental health services and community resources and link them to…

When asked to mentor or to participate in field-based, collaborative administrator preparation programs, principals should realize that these energy-intensive approaches involve willingness to enter into a long-term relationship with a learner, tolerance for lengthy meetings, desire to share the lessons of experience, and a predilection for…

A study found that dentists (n=164) receiving predoctoral and continuing instruction on the behavioral approach to caring for fearful patients recognized a higher proportion of fearful patients in their practices and were motivated to identify barriers to their care. They also found the costs of treatment to be greater. (MSE)

Lonely children experience feelings of sadness, malaise, boredom, and alienation. Loneliness has immediate and long-term consequences and may be attributed to many different causes. Teachers can learn to recognize signs of loneliness and use a variety of approaches in the classroom to help the child feel better and work through the experience.…

Task and maintenance roles of group process used in icebreakers prepare students to participate in and learn from group process. Group communication principles applied in the use of icebreakers or group development techniques enhance the instructor's ability to create a learning environment and ensure student participation in a freshman seminar.…

Provides ideas to help parents determine whether their children are spending too much time with electronic media, noting children learn both good and bad from every device they use. Parents are encouraged to offer their children interest, support, and suggestions for alternate ways to spend their time. (SM)

A study was designed to determine psychological complexity and reinforcement characteristics of popular arcade video games, including sex differences in game content, clientele social structure, human-to-human interaction contingencies, and value content. Results suggest a need for public control of children's access to the games and the video…

Describes a new measure of parent-tutoring support for elementary-age transfer students. The Parent-Tutor Assessment Scale measures parents' tutoring behaviors, their competency and motivation to tutor, and parent-child communication. An assessment of 139 elementary school students and their caregivers is provided that reveals differences between…

Analyzed data from San Francisco 85+ Study to examine families of oldest-old African Americans (n=122). Found that women received more help from relatives and friends, and men received more help from immediate family members. Findings also indicated that principle of substitution operated among some segments of older African-American population,…