Children (n=110, ages 2-17) placed in foster care as a result of sexual abuse were found to have similar behavioral problems and other attributes as children placed for other reasons. Sexually abused children exited foster care for planned permanent living arrangements at a significantly faster rate than nonsexually abused children. (Author/JDD)

This commentary affirms that the methodology proposed in a paper by Richard A. Winett and others (EC 601 539) may be useful in conducting social validity assessments and applying these assessment data to improve behavioral interventions. The study of accurate and valid assessment of consumer satisfaction is encouraged. (JDD)

This commentary on assessing the social validity of behavior-change programs examines which groups should be included in the assessment, whether social validity assessment should be required, and whether new methods are needed. The paper notes that social validation should be an interactive process between researcher and consumer. (JDD)

This study examined whether a "goodness of fit" theoretical model (applied to 53 families with and 62 families without children with learning disabilities) might help in understanding children's school performance. For both groups, children rated as a "poor fit" in the home demonstrated poorer classroom behavior and poorer achievement over the…

This study compared computer-assisted instruction and personal instruction with 4 children (ages 4-7) with autism. Although three subjects showed better motivation and fewer behavior problems in the computer-assisted condition, this did not affect their learning rate. (Author/DB)

The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) was completed by parents of 93 prepubertal children evaluated for sexual abuse and 80 nonabused children. Sexually abused children had significantly more behavior problems, including depression, aggression, sleep and somatic complaints, hyperactivity, and sexual problems. At four-month follow-up, children with…

Two children with mental retardation were trained to emit different communication responses to request the reinforcer for destructive behavior and an alternative reinforcer. Differential reinforcement of communication reduced destructive behavior regardless of whether a functional reinforcer or an alternative reinforcer was available or whether…

A large-scale analysis was conducted of problem behavior by observing 20 individuals living in residential facilities. Data were converted into scatter plot formats. When the data were transformed into aggregate "control charts," 12 of 15 sets of data revealed 30-minute intervals during which problem behavior was more likely to occur.…

Discusses how teachers can be sensitive to the needs of adopted children with disabilities and avoid overreacting to learning and behavioral difficulties by understanding the family, helping children learn that families are formed in many ways, using positive adoption language, being creative with class assignments, and utilizing resources. (CR)

Offers strategies for teaching students in all grades self-regulation skills for the purposes of behavior change. Discusses the importance of facilitating generalization, components of self-regulation, steps of self-regulation, selecting a target behavior, graphing and record keeping, and benefits and potential of teaching self-regulation skills.…

A survey of 390 residential deaf, and hard-of-hearing students, ages 3 to 24 years, in the United Kingdom, found that children without additional disabilities did not show stereotyped behaviors, though about 35% of children with additional disabilities (especially vision, learning, and/or autism) did show such behaviors. (DB)

A study investigated how 15 children (ages 6 to 10) who identified themselves as having attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) would differ from 74 adult-identified boys (ages 6 to 10). Although no significant differences were found in observed disruptive behavior, the child self-identified group endorsed significantly more internalizing…

Uses longitudinal data on sibling pairs from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth to investigate the influence of father presence on behavioral and cognitive outcomes for children. Results indicate that children who live in one-parent families exhibit more behavioral problems and have lower mathematics and reading ability than children in…

Comparison of behavior problems reported by mothers and teachers of 44 children (ages 6 to 15) with Down syndrome and 44 controls without mental retardation indicated that the Down syndrome children had more behavior problems, in particular attention deficit, noncompliance, thought disorder, and social withdrawal. Life events were associated with…

Studied social interaction among a sample of children at risk for the development of later and more severe behavioral-control difficulties. Observed 121 children in pairs. Found that children in the high-risk group displayed significantly and consistently more aggressive behavior than did the children in the low-risk group. (JS)