Background: The Secret Agent Society (SAS) Program, an intervention to enhance social-emotional skills, was provided by schools for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The program was assessed to determine if it improved social skills at school and home, and whether improvements were maintained. Methods: Eighty-four students…

After leaving school, young people with autism spectrum disorder often struggle with social, educational and employment participation. A post-school transition programme underpinned by individualised case management, where mentees are guided to complete self-selected projects by mentors with multimedia skills, was evaluated using a qualitative…

This paper reports the theoretical conceptualisation, statistical development, and application of an Implementation Index to evaluate the quality of implementation of the KidsMatter Primary school mental health initiative in Australia. Questionnaires were received from the parents and teachers of almost 5000 students, and also from KidsMatter…

This article presents results from a mixed-method evaluation of a structured cooking and gardening program in Australian primary schools, focusing on program impacts on the social and learning environment of the school. In particular, we address the Stephanie Alexander Kitchen Garden Program objective of providing a pleasurable experience that has…

Background: The aim of this study was to evaluate active support (AS) training and to investigate changes to perceived engagement in domestic tasks, opportunities for choice, frequency of challenging behaviour, and level of support needs. Method: Participants were 12 adults with ID aged 27-57 years (M = 37 years) residing in three group homes, and…

Describes the speech communication curriculum of Methodist Ladies' College at Kew, where speech education and drama are treated within a comprehensive notion of communication skills. (RL)

In this paper we examine the effect an outdoor and experiential education program on the life effectiveness skills of its participants. A private boys school in Melbourne focused on the challenging time of year nine to implement a program they hoped would enable the boys to develop life effectiveness skills in the areas of time management, social…

The article describes development of the "Social Adjustment Centre," a special class in Australia comprised of two teachers and six behaviorally disordered children and designed to modify the child's behavior for integration back into the mainstream program. The classroom management plan as well as its evaluation are described. (DB)

When researchers evaluate social skills programs, they essentially are measuring progress towards a goal. How they measure this progress hinges on the precision of the goal statements, the identification of valid and realistic process and outcome indicators, and the selection of appropriate data and methods for collection. This paper outlines the…

The Windana Society is a drug and alcohol agency in Victoria (Australia) that operates, among other things, a residential drug rehabilitation program in a rural setting. The program utilizes a holistic approach that addresses health and physical fitness; education; vocational and re-integration support; and psychological, emotional, spiritual, and…

An evaluation of Round One of a pilot study of a system for identifying effective youth organizations around the world is presented in this report. The report begins with a page of general observations about the successes and shortcomings of the pilot study, indicating that in general the study accomplished its objectives but that a need for…

The document presents a Macquarie University research team's evaluation report on the Granville Work Preparation Centre in Australia, which studied the processes required to prepare mildly mentally handicapped adolescents for independent living by teaching them work and social skills. A model is schematized in which research is conceived as having…

A description and analysis of an unsuccessful secondary school evaluation in Australia is presented. The idea of a review originated with the vice principal and was received by the staff with minimal enthusiasm. Following the review, the staff agreed that nothing had been accomplished, and the reasons for the failure are summarized in this report.…

This collection of papers focuses on practical approaches to resolving behavior problems in the Australian school system. The papers are divided into four general categories: perspectives on behavior problems, focusing on families, schools and system initiatives, and programs in special settings. The papers include: (1) "Beyond…

Evaluation of the Mobile Classroom Project, which provided complementary and supplementary educational experiences not available through the Primary Correspondence Schools (PCS) for 58 isolated country children in Central Queensland during 1978 and 1979, used personal observations; comments from parents, home supervisors, and key educators…