In this interview, a special educator and sports writer talks about the role that baseball can play in bringing young people with and without learning disabilities together. He exemplifies how a game can provide extensive opportunities for social interactions and establishes why playing baseball is more suitable for teaching social skills to…

The promotion of social, emotional, and academic learning is not a shifting educational fad; it is the substance of education itself. It is not a distraction from the "real work" of math and English instruction; it is how instruction can succeed. And it is not another reason for political polarization. It brings together a traditionally…

Educators--and parents and politicians and others--say children are their future. They say that they want students to think critically, that they want them to be problem-solvers, to ask questions, to challenge educators to make the world a better place. And yet, the author sees educators set aside these high aspirations and silenced by the fear of…

Zins and his colleagues pointed out that understanding implementation of school-based prevention programs is a critical issue as we get more sophisticated about strategies to promote children's social and emotional skill development. This commentary discusses school-based program implementation, challenges, lessons learned, and future directions…

A traditional view of social skills instruction, which is antithetical to promoting children's social development, is presented. Three explanations of social development are then outlined within the context of social integration of students with disabilities. Recommendations for general educators to promote children's social skills are offered,…

Application of the normalization ideal has often failed to incorporate behavioral and developmental models of social skill training with the mentally retarded. A recent study indicated that social skills develop slowly; a distinction must be made between socially skillful and socially appropriate behavior; and the environment must be properly…

Identifies salient characteristics of learning disabilities, how learning disabilities affect individuals in social relationships, and how groups can be used to effectively facilitate individual growth. This is achieved due to therapeutic factors such as universality, instillation of hope, altruistic information sharing, and group interaction.…

Camp experiences are fertile ground for developing youth leadership skills such as self-awareness, communication skills, interpersonal skills, and ethics and responsibilities associated with leadership. Discusses camp activities that develop each of these skills, and the role of camps in reversing high-risk behaviors by providing adequate support…

Written by a 2000 winner of the Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences, this paper explores the assumptions and foundations of current policies toward skill formation. The paper examines the conventional wisdom articulated by political leaders and draws on a body of recent scholarship that challenges many of the premises that govern popular policy…

This commentary on the quantity and quality of Individualized Education Program (IEP) objectives dealing with social competence in preschoolers with disabilities focuses on whether IEP goals and objectives are meaningful for achieving a functional effect, influencing social competence beyond the specific skill, and influencing the child's…

Nine papers aim to help staff members in England's colleges of further (or adult) education to improve their interpersonal skills. The first paper outlines basic social interaction skills. The second paper covers current methods of analyzing group interaction, including observation of role behavior and of interaction flow and frequency. The third…

This paper presents an ecological framework for observing and evaluating the influence of society's attitudes toward disablement on the development of sociocommunicative skills in individuals using augmentative and alternative communication systems. Reviewed are the role of remediators, intervention issues, and directions for future research.…

The Southern Child Care Support Program was established in 1986 to help children with disabilities gain access to child care services. The program consists of a team of four Integration Support Workers who are able to provide support in 27 child care centers in the region of Adelaide, Australia. The program's model of child care focuses on three…

The concept of excellence is explored in relation to various dimensions. Since the time of ancient Greece, there has been difficulty in defining "the Good," or the nature of human excellence. It is suggested that "the Good" of which excellence is an important part is a fundamental concept of the human personality, and that…

Teachers and administrators need to select objectives for student achievement in social development. Teachers need to follow definite educational psychology standards in helping students work toward objectives. In the classroom, students should have the opportunity to work with learners from diverse racial groups and socioeconomic levels.…