The rationale for using a behavioral assessment approach in the evaluation of hyperactivity is explained, and the various procedures for behaviorally assessing hyperactivity are reviewed. Guidelines and resources are also suggested for the practitioner to use in behavioral assessment of hyperactivity. (SW)

Questions are raised about the difficulty of defining normal and atypical sexual behavior. Variations from normalcy that students, parents, and educators are most likely to encounter are discussed. The importance of dealing with variations in ways that are best for the individual and the group is emphasized. (PP)

Assessed the cross-sex similarity of behavioral disturbance dimensions as measured by the Bristol Social Adjustment Guides (BSAG) using a sample of 2,527 Ontario schoolchildren. Results confirmed the cross-sex equivalence in the factor structure and support the use of the BSAG's under- and overreaction scales as indicators of maladjustment. (JAC)

Examines the effect of classroom environment on teaching and learning behaviors of children. Second-, third-, and fourth- grade elementary school classrooms were selected for this study. (MP)

Behavioral patterns and problems of 159 first-born infants and their mothers were studied at birth, 2-months, and again at the age of 18 months. Journal availability: J. B. Lippincott co., E. Washington Square, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19105. (Author/PHR)

A study compared 143 girls (ages 6-14) with Rett syndrome with 85 girls with severe mental retardation on the Developmental Behavior Checklist. Girls with Rett syndrome presented more "autistic relating" and fewer antisocial behaviors. When compared to children with autism, they did not present with classic autistic behavioral features.…

Reviews literature on effects of early maladjustment on later behavior problems. Discusses development as transactional process in which risk and resilience are central, a cumulative risk model of behavior problems as resulting from a variety of factors, and longitudinal research that focuses on externalizing behaviors. Concludes predictive power…

Studied whether behavioral styles at age 3 are linked to personality traits at age 18 after identifying 5 temperament groups (undercontrolled, inhibited, confident, reserved, and well-adjusted). Results pointed to continuities across time. (DR)

Examined the effects of different forms of induction on children's prosocial behavior with 80 children ages 7 and 8 years. Hypotheses were evaluated regarding the cognitive component of the induction and the manipulation of choice. The findings, which were consistent with self-perception theory, help clarify when induction encourages internalized…

Examines the phenomenon of the"first time"--a teenager's first date, first job, first sexual experience. Since these experiences are imbued with an inordinate amount of emotional investment, they offer an alternative understanding to adolescents' emotional underpinnings and clarify why many adolescents experience stressful times during this stage…

A three-level model explains the emergence and maintenance of rhythmic stereotypy and self-injury in disabled individuals: Level 1, internally regulated rhythmic behaviors; Level 2, stereotypy and self-injury as adaptive responses to understimulating or overstimulating environments; and Level 3, stereotypy and self-injury as learned behaviors to…

Professionals (n=201) working with child sexual abuse victims rated the normalcy of various behaviors with anatomical dolls for children ages two to five. Respondents agreed that overtly sexual behaviors were abnormal for nonabused children, but ratings of ambiguous behaviors varied depending on respondent's profession, gender, and years of…

This study, based on observation of 28 children with autism in an integrated preschool, explored whether differing levels of autistic behavior were associated with the presence of nondisabled children or with the presence of other children with autism. Results indicated significantly decreased levels of autistic behavior corresponding to the close…

Elementary classroom teachers rated the withdrawn and social behaviors of 41 children with language impairments (LI) and 41 typically developing peers using the Teacher Behavioral Rating Scale. Teachers rated children with LI as more reticent than typically developing children, and boys with LI as displaying more solitary-active withdrawal…

The cognitive play of 13 preschool children with visual impairments was observed while the children played alone in their homes. Findings revealed that over half of the play behaviors were in the category of exploration and sensorimotor play, and symbolic play accounted for less than 4% of play. (Author/CR)