Increasing attention is being given to the fact that positive behavior support (PBS) not only affects individual quality of life but branches out to affect family quality of life as well. This article provides a brief overview of family quality of life, citing specific information from the "Beach Center Family Quality of Life Scale". An analysis…

Despite increased professional attention to the role of culture in school environments, implications of the construct for student behavior remain underexamined. The purpose of this article is twofold. First, I examine factors that contribute to the overrepresentation of black male students in school exclusion rates from a cultural perspective.…

Background: Hastings, R. P. ["American Journal on Mental Retardation" (2002) Vol. 107, pp. 455-467] hypothesized that staff negative emotional reactions to challenging behaviour might accumulate over time to affect staff well-being. Only one previous study (Mitchell, G.& Hastings, R. P. ["American Journal on Mental…

This study examined whether experienced and novice school psychology consultants differed in identification of consultee resistance, attribution of sources of resistance, and quantity and variety of strategies to handle resistance. The participants were characterized as novice consultants (N = 33) if they had completed fewer than 20 cases or as…

With their origins in scientific validation, behavior-analytic applications have understandably been developed with an engineering rather than a crafting orientation. Nevertheless, traditions of craftsmanship can be instructive for devising aesthetically pleasing arrangements--arrangements that people will try, and having tried, will choose to…

Conscientious educators grapple with the challenge of teaching all students, including emotionally troubled, high risk students. The general expectation is that teachers should know how to reach and teach every student--even the most irritating and obstinate child. To do that, teachers must be able to identify basic psychological factors of…

Maintaining well-disciplined schools is becoming more difficult in today's educational system, and problem behavior or lack of school discipline is reaching crisis proportions. Nationally recognized author and educator Geoff Colvin provides the "what's," "why's," and "how's" for establishing an effective discipline program while promoting an…

Social-emotional competence--it is a critical part of every child's school success, and just like any academic subject, children need instruction in it. Developed by a top expert, these proven curricula will help promote the social-emotional competence and resilience of children and adolescents. Divided into four age levels from kindergarten…

Thousands of schools throughout the country are now implementing School-Wide Positive Behavior Support (SWPBS) as a way to improve school culture, safety, and climate. Research is needed to assess the effects of implementing SWPBS on (a) teacher stress and (b) teacher efficacy. The present pilot study provides a preliminary study of these…

Background: Out of area placements for people with challenging behaviour represent an expensive and often ineffective strategy for meeting the needs of this service user group. Methods: More than 800 agencies and service settings in a large area of South Wales were screened to identify children and adults with challenging behaviour against a…

This paper presents findings from two studies that each aimed to develop understandings of how to more effectively support Maori learners with special education needs. The first study occurred just prior to Specialist Education Services (SES) move into the Ministry of Education. The second study comes from the Enhancing Effective Practice in…

Background: Individual differences in conduct problems arise in part from proneness to anger/frustration and poor self-regulation of behavior. However, the genetic and environmental etiology of these connections is not known. Method: Using a twin design, we examined genetic and environmental covariation underlying the well-documented correlations…

School systems face the challenge of effectively and efficiently addressing the disciplinary needs of their students and providing a safe environment conducive to learning. The 1997 and 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates the use of functional behavioral assessment (FBA) for students who, because…

Converging evidence indicates that maltreated foster children have more behavior problems and poorer peer relations than nonmaltreated, biologically reared youths. However, it is unclear whether deficits in peer relations operate independently or as a result of increased behavior problems and whether outcomes for foster children differ by sex. To…

No Child Left Behind (NCLB) mandates that "all" students, not just well-behaved and academically motivated students, make academic progress. Unfortunately, about 10% of students with chronic behavior problems make this goal difficult for themselves and others (Sprague & Walker, 2000; Sugai, 2000). The Positive Alternative Learning…