Most definitions of emotionally disturbed youngsters suggest that disturbances in the child's behavior patterns cause academic and social problems which affect the child and his peers. While the process of identification may be facilitated by operational criteria within a definition, these factors are noticeably absent from definitions of…

Professionals working with children who have severe emotional/behavioral disorders (E/BD) need to understand the risk and protective factors (RPFs) that are correlated with the development of these behavior patterns, for at least 3 reasons. First, significant numbers of students experience negative outcomes or fail to achieve positive outcomes.…

Behavior rating scale data on the adjustment problems of 146 behaviorally disordered elementary school boys were factor-analyzed. Five factors of adjustment problems were identified: Aggression-Disruption, Social Incompetence, Social Maladjustment, Attention Disorder, and Anxiety-Inferiority. The relation of these five factors to those identified…

Teacher-completed Behavior Problem Checklists on 727 behaviorally disordered younger and older boys and girls were factor-analyzed. Results confirmed the primacy and pervasiveness of aggression-disruption or conduct disorder among factors that classify children as behaviorally disordered. Also consistently found for all age groups was a factor…

Analysis of regular classroom behaviors of 13 behaviorally disordered males (grades three to five and 13 controls revealed that 10 behaviors (e.g., social interaction/teacher, directions, out-of-seat) accounted for 81 percent of variance in group membership. Child behaviors as well as child and teacher behaviors combined produced significant…

Behaviorally disordered (N=727) and nonhandicapped (N=1116) students of three age levels were assessed for adjustment problems, using a teacher-completed checklist. Results showed that on most checklist items significantly more behaviorally disordered students experienced problems than nonhandicapped students. Among the behaviorally disordered Ss,…

Comparison of teacher perceptions of either behaviorally disordered or socially normal students (total N=410 and ages between 8 and 15) indicated teachers perceived more prosocial behavior by normal, female, and older subjects. Teachers perceived an increase in negative social behavior for normal secondary-age students but not for behaviorally…

Comparison of drug use patterns of 43 secondary school students with behavioral disorders and 43 students without behavioral disorders indicated that 51 percent of students with behavior disorders evidenced high drug use patterns in comparison to 14 percent of the nonhandicapped group. Low drug use was reported by only 28 percent of students with…

This study compared 136 second, third, and fourth graders considered to be at high, moderate, and low risk of behavior disorders on several variables. The Critical Events Index was used; primary differences among the groups were on indicators of social competence and externalizing behaviors. (CR)

Education professionals consistently rank disruptive/aggressive student behavior as persistent and troubling, reporting various types of maladaptive behaviors ranging from talking out in class to assault. Researchers suggest that childhood aggression accounts for a high proportion of the referrals to special education for emotional and behavioral…

This study examined the effectiveness of an instructional system (a modified version of the School Survival Skills Curriculum) in developing and improving the school survival skills of students with behavioral disorders. Using a pretest-posttest group design, subjects demonstrated improvement in overall use of school survival skills but no…

Direct observation and sequential analytic techniques were used to analyze rates, antecedents, and predictive sequences of aggressive behavior for 28 elementary school-aged children with emotional/behavioral disorders. Results indicated that low rates of positive social interactions characterized the daily classroom ecology of students displaying…

Coaching procedures of the Skillstreaming Curriculum for social skill development were evaluated for their effects on self-perceptions of social skills of 70 students with behavior disorders and their teachers' perceptions concerning social behaviors in classes. Pre-/postintervention data indicate very small differences in student perceptions and…

Two studies with four adolescents with behavior disorders investigated the relationship between antecedent events and aggressive behavior in school and home settings. The use of videotape recordings and behavioral rehearsal of alternative responses resulted in decreases in the frequency of aggressive behavior and associated antecedent events. (DB)

This article provides an analysis of the current knowledge base of social skills training (SST) with students with, or at risk for, Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD). This knowledge base is evaluated with respect to issues regarding construct, internal, external, and social validity of the SST literature. Research syntheses investigating…