Bronfenbrenner's process-person-context-time model is used to examine theories that explain adverse effects of economic deprivation on children's socioemotional development. Processes of not only the family, but also those of the peer group and school, and in other levels of the ecological environment may also explain the relation between economic…

The interactions of adolescent peers are the subject of both parental angst and scholarly attention. Peer influence is the most consistent predictor of adolescent drinking patterns when controlling for other background characteristics. This study extends these findings to incorporate a theoretical argument derived from status characteristics…

Objective: To examine the associations between duration of institutionalization, age at abandonment, and mental and physical health outcomes of young institutionalized children in Romania and to examine patterns of associations between placement history, physical growth variables, and psychiatric symptoms. Method: Institutionalized children (ages…

Objective: To examine the differential efficacy of trauma-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy (TF-CBT) and child-centered therapy for treating posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and related emotional and behavioral problems in children who have suffered sexual abuse. Method: Two hundred twenty-nine 8- to 14-year-old children and their primary…

Background: Dopamine, a neurotransmitter involved in motor and cognitive functioning, can be non-invasively measured via observation of spontaneous blink rates. Blink rates have been studied in a number of clinical conditions including schizophrenia, autism, Parkinsons, and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder with results implicating either…

This article draws on data emerging from an evaluation of behaviour support strategies in secondary schools in an education authority in Scotland. The authors all work at the University of Glasgow. Jean Kane has research and teaching interests in the area of special educational needs; she offers consultancy to local authorities in the development…

A large literature has documented the influence of child care on young children's development, but few studies have examined low-income children in community care arrangements. Using data from Welfare, Children, and Families: A Three-City Study (N=204), this study examined the influence of child care quality and the extent of care on low-income…

First Step to Success is a collaborative home and school early intervention program designed to address secondary prevention goals and outcomes for behaviorally at-risk children in the K-2 age-grade range (see Walker, Kavanagh, Stiller, Golly, Severson, & Feil, 1998; Walker, Stiller, Golly, Kavanagh, Severson, & Feil, 1997). In 1999 the…

Through multiple logistic regression modeling, this article explores the relative importance of risk and protective factors associated with learning disabilities (LD). A representative national sample of 6- to 17-year-old students (N = 1,268) was drawn by random stratification and classified by the presence versus absence of LD in reading,…

In the present study the neuropsychological, academic and social-emotional profiles were examined in Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) children. Subjects: 17 NF1 children (ages 7-11) with NF1 without serious medical problems and with a full scale IQ (FSIQ) above 70. Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R), academic tests and an…

Since many problem behaviors of individuals with mental retardation are maintained by multiple functions, this project developed the Functional Assessment for multiple CausaliTy (FACT), an informant-based, forced-choice measure designed to identify the most prominent function associated with the occurrence of problem behaviors. This paper…

Teacher-peer agreement about children's friendships and social group affiliations was examined in a sample of 219 children in grades 1, 3, and 5. Peer reports were used to identify reciprocated friendships and informal social groups. Teachers listed each child's closest friends and described the informal social groups existing in their classrooms.…

Fragile X syndrome is the most common heritable form of mental retardation caused by loss-of-function mutations in the "FMR1" gene. The "FMR1" gene encodes an RNA-binding protein that associates with translating ribosomes and acts as a negative translational regulator. Recent work in "Drosophila melanogaster" has shown that the fly homolog of…

Different genetic disorders predispose individuals to display specific, etiology-related profiles, personalities, and maladaptive behaviors. Using groups with genetic etiologies as stand-ins or proxies for a specific behavior or set of behaviors, one can then examine how others in the child's environment react and whether such reactions are…

Although functional behavior assessment (FBA) has been widely recognized as a promising practice for providing proactive interventions with students exhibiting challenging behaviors in typical schools, questions persist as to how FBA should best be trained and used in such public settings. Debate has balanced the issue of what is practical for…