It is only in recent years that research has begun to focus on gender differences in males and females on the autism spectrum. There is now an increasing awareness that we are missing women and girls on the autism spectrum and the assumption has been that there are more males with autism or Asperger syndrome. The questions needing to be asked are…

Adam Wright, Michael A. Gottfried, and Vi-Nhuan Le demonstrate empirically that minority teachers have a positive impact on the "social-emotional development" of American minority kindergarten children. Their analyses of 2010-2011 data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study focus on measurable effects in four social and affective…

The Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) is currently being used in clinical and genetic studies of autism as both a screener and as a quantitative measure of autistic traits. This article assesses the influence of nonspecific factors on SRS scores to aid researchers in their interpretations of these scores. In their commentary, Constantino and…

As the number of children engaging in problem behaviors grows, teachers increasingly report feeling unprepared to effectively meet students' mental health needs. Social-emotional learning (SEL) should be a prominent goal of school programs because social competence prevents school failure. This commentary reviews the challenges associated with…

Over the past 25 years, Gallup polls have consistently reported that disruptive behavior and discipline problems are some of the top concerns of school staff and community members. In fact, problems with classroom management are among the most common reasons that teachers leave their jobs. In response, many schools are turning to more formal…

The collection of articles in this special issue on relational aggression gives a glimpse into the complex social networks, first, of children's relational aggression and, second, of the collaborators who develop and validate children's prevention programs. The programs described in this special section are among the first to address relational…

A teacher recounts his work to help a troubled child (who was causing classroom disturbances) learn to make friends and gain peer acceptance. (CB)

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)

Aspects of W. Glasser's Control Theory are applied to the education of behaviorally disordered students. It is believed that stimulus/response theory and tools are inadequate with this population and that the stress should be on understanding internal motivating forces. The caring classroom, an approach which emphasizes ways to meet both the…

This comment on an article by A. J. Cooper rejects the suggestion that a mentally retarded youth's playing of a "sexual game" with a child may be innocuous. Cooper reaffirms that such "sex offending" is usually merely a crude attempt to fulfill normal sexual impulses in the context of poor adaptive behavior skills, sexual naivety, and social…

This article reflects on what it means for teachers to put relationships with children as the priority in their practice. The authors focus on four themes that they believe are at the heart of a good relationship: (1) recognition; (2) familiarity; (3) respect; and (4) commitment. "Recognition" is acknowledging another person's presence and…

Three vignettes are used to illustrate the varied backgrounds of the "invisible" or overlooked child in the classroom. Discusses the causes of social isolation in elementary-age children; suggests teaching activities that help to identify and deal with related problems, including an example of a sociometric test and scoring procedures.…

Aserts that it is unclear how the Ages and Stages Questionnaires: Social-Emotional ratings link to other critical child and family risk factors. Identifies questions regarding how well individual dimensions of social behavior are measured and concerns about the partial overlap between competent and problem behavior. Expresses concerns about the…

The social and emotional development of learning disabled students needs to be addressed in education programming effort. Social skills, which are essential to academic as well as social success, can be taught through such methods as role playing, games, grouping, puppetry, behavior modification, and problem-solving exercises. In addition,…

Behavioral momentum or interspersed requesting has been effectively used to achieve compliance with young children with disabilities. This paper reviews research on behavioral momentum and proposes expanding the utility of behavioral momentum to incorporate a variety of outcomes in social interactions, communication, motor skills, self-help…