Investigated was the effectiveness of various reinforcement contingencies in diminishing social withdrawal in children, which is defined in terms of low rates of social interaction. Ss were three socially withdrawn first and second graders in three different regular classes, as determined by scores on the Walker Problem Behavior Identification…

Teachers can encourage the quiet child (who may have oral communication apprehension) by providing verbal feedback and encouragement, rearranging the classroom to increase positive verbal interaction, and directly asking students questions. (Author/CB)

Interviews mothers about their preschool children's temperamental characteristics, mild behavior problems, and family interactions. There was little evidence for a relationship between active and either mild behavior problems or family interactions. Moody/intense scores were associated with mild behavior problems and 'negative' family interactions…

Examines the roles of age of rater and age of children rated in grade-related shifts in children's perceptions of aggression and withdrawal. Shows that differences across grade level reported in children's peer rating largely reflect differences in the child raters' view of behavior. (HOD)

Examined age-related changes in the organization underlying children's ratings of peer social deviance. Peer ratings of aggression, withdrawal, and likeability using the Pupil Evaluation Inventory (PEI) were collected from first, fourth, and seventh graders. For all ages aggression and likeability items were found to comprise cohesive categories…

Prevention of teenage suicide and coping with it when it occurs is an increasing concern for middle-level principals. This article focuses on specific implications of the youth suicide problem for middle-level principals with considerations for other principals as well. (Author/TE)

Classroom teachers need to understand the broad differences that exist between a child's perception of death and that of an adult and should be prepared to confront and cope with the effects of death and grief upon students. Children's perceptions of death and ways in which the teacher can help the child with his grief are described. (JN)

Effective teaching strategies are outlined for helping the shy and withdrawn child to become an involved participant in the classroom. (JD)

Followed 150 children over four years who were classified according to cluster analysis of teacher ratings into four types of social withdrawal: unsociable, passive-anxious, active-isolate, and sad-depressed. Found that unsociable children had elevated sociometric neglect rates, active-isolates had higher levels of rejection, and sad-depressed had…

Meta-analysis on 25 studies found that both methodologically strong and weak studies demonstrated significant behavioral deficits of children with learning disabilities in 5 areas: on-task behavior, off-task behavior, conduct disorders, distractibility, and shy/withdrawn behavior. Effect sizes clustered around 1 standard deviation. (Author/DB)

Summarizes 16 recent ERIC documents and journal articles on children's social difficulties. Topics of the articles include social-cognitive processes of withdrawn children; genetic and environmental influences on inhibition; anxious-withdrawn preschoolers; helping children grow up in the 1990s; development of inhibition; behaviors of parents of…

A total of 87 children were observed in play with unfamiliar peers at 4, 6, and 8 years of age, and judged by their parents for inhibition. Observed inhibited behavior and parental judgments of inhibition became increasingly associated with solitary-passive activity. With increasing age, inhibited children spent longer periods in solitary-passive…

In two studies, second and sixth graders heard descriptions of hypothetical boys and girls who were either aggressive, socially withdrawn, or prosociable. Subjects' memories of items in the descriptions were assessed. Results indicated that school-age and early adolescent children's recall of information about a peer is affected by the peer's…

Interviews with 183 mothers of refugee families indicated a considerable range of stress-related reactions among displaced children, including sleeping and eating disorders, separation fears, and withdrawal or aggression. Children exhibited a significantly higher incidence of stress reactions if their mothers had difficulty coping with the stress…