This article discusses explanations for aggressive biting among young children and describes an intervention for family or early childhood settings. Strategies include avoiding labeling the child, teaching the child to view biting as unsafe, teaching appropriate play behaviors with peers, acknowledging appropriate behaviors, providing…

This study focuses on the impacts of serial transitions on externalized and internalized behavior disorders, anxiety, and depression among children in child protection services. The research was carried out with a sample of 741 children. The findings demonstrate that the number of times a family is blended is a stronger predictive factor for…

There is increasing concern about the number of preschool children displaying problem behaviour. This study examines the relative contribution of potential risk factors, particularly those related to families, to problem behaviour in the lives of a sample of western Sydney three- to five-year-old children. Problem behaviour was assessed using the…

Recognizing that punishment for aggression often is noneffective or inadvertently reinforces the aggressive act, the authors discuss an alternative approach and provide an explanation of the exchange theory of aggression. Three classroom experiments, operated with children chosen as the most severe behavior problems in a local school system, are…

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.…

This action research project implemented and evaluated an intervention for increasing prosocial behaviors while decreasing inappropriate behaviors among elementary school children. The targeted population consisted of elementary school students in both lower- and upper-middle-class communities located in central Illinois. The problem of poor…

Many children are targets of verbal and physical abuse or social ostracism at some point during their school careers, and a minority are repeatedly victimized by their peers. This volume brings together leading investigators to present the latest psychological research on chronically victimized children and adolescents. The book's introduction…

Five articles explore how to manage difficult classroom behavior: (1) "Responding Professionally and Compassionately to Challenging Behavior"; (2) "Developmental Issues that Affect Behavior"; (3) "Norman and the Bunny: A Story," on children's responses; (4) "Hard Joys: Managing Behavior with a Creative Mind and a…

Considers Australian and overseas research that highlights the extent of child-on-child violence and the effect of peer group victimization on both the perpetrator and victim. Examines how such personalized aggression is reflected in the child's psychological well-being and peer relations. Also considers the nature of school intervention programs…

This article examines family, friend, and media influences on competent and problem behaviors in a sample of 1,174 urban minority youth followed over 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. Students completed annual surveys at their schools. Each of the contextual factors investigated was significantly associated with concurrent aggression and delinquency as…

We evaluated the impact of RIPP-7, a seventh grade violence prevention curriculum designed to strengthen and extend the effects of the sixth grade RIPP-6 curriculum. Classes of seventh graders at two urban middle schools serving predominantly African-American youth where RIPP-6 had been implemented the preceding school year were randomized to…

Parent-child transactions provide an important social context for the development of adaptive and problem behaviors in young children with autism. Teaching parents to develop alternative transactional pathways often leads to positive behavioral patterns in their children. We taught three parents the philosophy and practice of mindfulness in a…

The 1997 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) suggests that the general education setting is the most appropriate placement for all students with disabilities based on its mandate for the least restrictive environment. Because many children with disabilities have historically been educated in self-contained…

This manual, which is intended for use in conducting individualized inservice training sessions for certified nurse aides employed in nursing homes and boarding homes throughout Maine, contains three sections of learning experiences designed to help health care workers better understand and deal with "difficult" behavior on the part of…

Written primarily for teachers who are expected or willing to invest significantly in the socialization role along with their other teaching roles, this report describes results of a classroom strategy study of how elementary school teachers cope with problem students. The report is divided into six parts. Part 1 discusses general principles and…