This newsletter issue focuses on ways parents can manage the difficult child with special needs. Characteristics of the difficult child are listed including poor listening skills, irritableness, impulsivity, and tendency to have tantrums. Typical reactions to the difficult child by parents, siblings, other relatives, neighbors, the school, and…

This edition of the newsletter of the National Information Center for Handicapped Children and Youth introduces methods used to change children's behavior and help them acquire the skills needed to work with others, have friendships, achieve independence, and enjoy normal social relationships. Brief articles have the following titles: "Social…

In a study of behavior modification two Down's syndrome preschool children, the first a 5-year-old boy with autistic behavior patterns and the second a 4-year-old girl whose behavior problem was to reject other children, were examined. The first S was engaged in ball catching activities with a teacher with positive reinforcement (playing the S's…

Classroom management is discussed in terms of effective instruction, successful group management, maximum use of space, time, and resources, meaningful discipline, student rights, and change strategies. The discussion of effective instruction stresses appropriateness, completeness, clarity, and a variety of lessons. Techniques for successful group…

Two newsletters focus on alternatives for community living and approaches to teaching social skills to children and youth with disabilities. The first issue provides information on some family support services and community-based living arrangements that are currently available for children with severe and profound handicaps or chronic illnesses.…

This newsletter, focusing on literature and research on cognitive behavior modification (CBM), reviews articles and research on CBM with children. Works on retarded children, deaf children and children with learning disabilities are presented, with critical analyses. A parallel section on CBM with adults follows. Problem areas of phobias, anxiety,…

Four topics covered in this volume include a pedagogical grammar of Tboli (Vivian M. Forsberg), Bantoanon phonology (Heather Kilgour and Gail Hendrickson), demonstratives in Aklanon narratives (Kristine Jensen and Rodolfo Barlaan), and behavioral discourse strategy in Eastern Bontoc (Takashi Fukuda). Tboli is a language spoken by people living in…

The "first wave" of educational reform has applied "top-down" mandates to raise standards and ensure accountability. These reform strategies often fail because they ignore the necessity of changing people's behavior and the everyday realities confronting schools. According to 16 superintendents participating in the National…

The issue presents two articles on emotionally disabled children. The first, "Self-Control Strategies for Emotionally Disabled Students" by Landis Fick, offers some alternatives to traditional externally managed behavior modification techniques, and defines the teacher's role in a program oriented toward developing self control. The…

This paper presents a synthesis of the research on positive behavioral support (PBS) for students with challenging behaviors. PBS is a long-term approach to reducing the inappropriate behavior, teaching a more appropriate behavior, and providing the contextual supports necessary for successful outcomes. It notes that the 1997 amendments to the…

This theme issue of "Transition" features a series of articles on fatherhood and the changing role of fathers in parenting. The articles include: (1) "From Cloth to Paper Diapers and Back: Reflections on Fatherhood during Two Generations" (Robert Couchman), which relates experiences of a new father 20 years ago and today; (2)…

The articles in this feature or theme issue describe successful approaches to positive, community-based management of severe challenging behavior. Programs include: a train-the-trainer strategy for inservice training used across the country; the use of student volunteers as community integration facilitators; a school-based intervention project…

This issue examines the causes and effects of stress among parents of handicapped children and offers guidance for reducing and/or avoiding stress. The factors contributing to parental stress are identified, including unfounded guilt feelings, prolonged dependency of the handicapped child, extended care requirements, marital discord and family…

The study reported in this paper focuses on teacher perceptions of students' affective or noncognitive behavior in the classroom. Elementary school teachers were asked to describe in writing five events or situations involving students that they judged to be fairly typical and that had occurred in their classrooms. The emphasis was upon events…

This special issue presents seven papers describing programs for children with behavioral disorders. Among topics addressed are use of role playing to foster social skills, truancy intervention, and cooperative efforts by mental health agencies and public schools. (CL)