The effectiveness of a classroom-based social skills training program was evaluated with 14 elementary grade children having social competence problems. The program emphasizes direct verbal explanation and modelling of social skills along with guided practice, role playing and feedback. (Author/DB)

Changes in adaptive functioning of 32 older adults with mental retardation were assessed following deinstitutionalization. An overall increase in both adaptive and maladaptive behavior was found. Females and those with moderate mild levels of retardation had higher levels of adaptive functioning than did males and those severely retarded.…

This study evaluates parental use of differential reinforcement of other and/or incompatible behavior to treat high-rate disruptive behavior in a severely retarded four-year-old boy. A withdrawal experimental design was used. Intervention effectively reduced instances of toy chewing and throwing, while appropriate toy play and ability to remain…

Three severely mentally retarded adolescents who exhibited repetitive hand movements were assessed during baseline (reinforcement for on-task behavior) and sensory change (rings on fingers of both hands, rings and reinforcement, and faded rings) conditions. Sensory change effectively reduced the target responses for up to four hours. (Author/JDD)

Consistent with results of research with toddlers, abused preschoolers exhibited more inappropriate responses toward distressed peers, and were more likely to cause distress of peers, than were nonabused peers. Inappropriate responses of abused children persist beyond toddlerhood, despite experiences with nonabusive caregivers and nonabused peers.…

Examined predictors of teachers' (N=182) management beliefs (the degree to which teachers believe they can personally manage a behavior). Found variables relating to greatest number of dependent measures were student academic achievement and socioeconomic status. (Author/ABL)

The paper argues that behavioral research with children might have more impact if experimenters paid more attention to assessment of long term maintenance effects, dissemination, and social validity of behavioral programs. Selected illustrative studies from the child behavior modification literature are reviewed and suggestions offered. (DB)

Of 1,155 American Indian children with behavioral or emotional problems or with a history of abuse or neglect, 67 percent were identified in the survey as abused or neglected. Thirteen tables detail frequency of abuse and neglect by age, sex, living situation, psychiatric symptoms, drug use, school expulsion or running away, and other factors.…

Teachers with strict standards more frequently refer students with low levels of aggression to special education than do teachers with lax standards. The opposite is true for students with high levels of aggressive behavior. Teacher gender also correlates with decisions on special education referrals. (IAH)

Parent-teacher conferences offer an opportunity to cooperatively prevent and solve learning and behavior problems. The phases of a parent-teacher conference include: preconference phase (notification, preparation, agenda planning, and arranging environments); conference phase, which utilizes a problem-solving approach; and postconference phase,…

Examined uses and concurrent relations of Teacher's Self-Control Rating Scale (TSCRS) and The Walker-McConnell Scale of Social Competence and School Adjustment (Walker-McConnell Scale) through analysis of classroom teachers' referral of students (N=92) with academic problems. Found moderate to high levels of concurrent validity and significant…

Twenty-four parents of hearing-impaired children (aged 2-12) participated in a self-instructional program to reduce stress. Participating parents reported no significant decreases in stress levels relative to control subjects (n=26). Parents' perceptions of child misbehavior revealed that the incidence of child misbehavior decreased for…

Investigated behavioral adjustment of 61 children (ages 4-16) during terminal illness and first year following sibling's death from cancer. Collected data from parents and teachers using Child Behavior Checklist. Results indicated that bereaved siblings demonstrated significantly higher levels of behavior problems and significantly lower social…

Describes a fourth-grade student who had been in detention hundreds of times but who was attentive and well-behaved during tutoring sessions in reading. Argues that nothing is wrong with school rules, only with their consequences--detentions and suspensions isolate the student. (RS)

Many learning-disabled students experience social skill problems which call for training to promote success in school, work, and social settings. Social skill problems fall into three categories: skill deficits, performance deficits, and behavioral excesses. Interventions generally focus on increasing the individual's repertoire of skills, using…