The BCBA Task List (5th and 6th Edition) requires behavior analysts are familiar with multiple assessment methods, including tools to assess the function of problem behaviors and assess skill strengths and deficits. Although several studies exist on the assessment of functions using indirect functional assessments, descriptive functional…

Background: Students who do not acquire social and emotional skills are at risk for a range of negative outcomes that include emotional and behavioral disabilities, lower school achievement and school failure, peer rejection, substance abuse, and school dropout (Downer & Pianta, 2006; Riggs et al., 2006 Quinn & Poirier, 2004). Tools for…

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of a brief and feasible universal screener for kindergarten readiness for predicting follow-up outcomes in first grade. Participants included kindergarten and first-grade teachers and students from 6 urban elementary schools. Students included slightly more males than females (54%;…

Behavioral and emotional problems among children and adolescents can lead to numerous negative outcomes without intervention. From a prevention standpoint, screening for behavioral and emotional risk is an important step toward identifying such problems before the point of diagnosis or referral. The present study conducted a k-means cluster…

The experimental evaluation of the "Tools of the Mind Pre-K Curriculum" described in this report was designed to examine the effectiveness of the "Tools of the Mind" ("Tools") curriculum for enhancing children's self-regulation skills and their academic preparation for kindergarten when compared to the usual…

A study evaluated differences in ratings of behavior problems and competence from the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) between samples of 78 gifted adolescents and 62 controls. Results found no reliable differences for any scales from the CBCL and a low prevalence of behavior problems in both samples. (Author/CR)

Ratings by 23 parents and 21 regular education teachers of 20 elementary-aged students with blindness on the Social Skills Rating Scale (SSRS) were compared to ratings for the SSRS sighted-norm group. Although no significant differences were found for overall ratings, students with blindness were rated as less academically competent and higher on…

The term "controversial" has been used in the professional literature to describe children and adolescents who have the seemingly paradoxical quality of being both socially skilled and antisocial. Although there have been some widely influential studies regarding controversial children and youth, there has been relatively little research in this…

Male pupils identified as behaviorally disordered (N=153), learning disabled (N=172), and educable mentally retarded (N=176) as well as nonidentified normal boys (6 to 18 years old) were rated by their teachers on the Behavior Problem Checklist. (Author)

Teachers completed the Connors' Teacher Rating Scale on 100 boys (ages 6-8) who either had attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), mental retardation, both ADHD and mental retardation, or no disability. Children with mental retardation were generally more anxious than normal peers, but there were few differences between the normal IQ ADHD…

Gifted (n=675) and regular education (n=322) students in grades two and three were compared for incidence of behavior problems as rated by parents and teachers. After controlling for grade and minority status, no significant differences were found between groups in incidence or type of behavior problems. Agreement between parent and teacher…

This study found that 27 Chinese teachers' perceptions of 196 elementary students nominated as learning disabled or educable mentally retarded (based on identifying characteristics used in the United States) were significantly less favorable than ratings of students nominated as average or gifted. Discriminant analysis yielded 72.19 percent…

Patterns of emotional and behavior problems among 360 educable mentally retarded (EMR) and 360 nonretarded elementary and secondary students were studied through factor analysis of teachers' rating scale evaluations. EMR groups could be discriminated from nonretarded groups on the aggression, attention disorder, and anxiety/inferiority factors.…

Students with school problems responded to questions related to their school performances, attitudes, and behavior. Their parents and teachers responded to comparable questions. The student reports were consistently more positive than those of their parents, and the parents were consistently more positive than the students' teachers. (Author/RD)

This manual provides educators with goals, objectives, and intervention strategies for behavior problems identified by the "Transition Behavior Scale-Second Edition," an assessment of the behaviors of students (ages 12-18) which will interfere with successful transition to independent living and employment. The areas evaluated by the scale (work…