Presents two related theories for a new paradigm in teacher education. One uses the concepts of "episteme" and "phronesis" to introduce a new way of framing relevant knowledge. The other is a more holistic way of describing the relationship between teacher cognition and teacher behavior. (SLD)

Following a brief introduction to autism, behaviors that connect individuals with autism and giftedness are explored. Biographical sketches are presented of gifted individuals who have autism and who struggle daily with discrepant strengths and weaknesses. The impact of giftedness on autism is discussed, along with implications for future growth…

Direct observation, telephone interviews, and standardized rating scales showed that parent training reduced oppositional and aggressive child behavior, improved parenting behavior, and reduced maternal stress. Six-month follow-up revealed stable outcomes. Results are consistent with prior research on behavioral parent training with the Behavior…

Reviews Cline and Helding's guide for adoptive and foster parents of disturbed children, noting author's direct approach in considering the difficulties of adopting special needs children, the quality of practical assistance, and the Cline/Helding Adoptive Parent Attitude Assessment. (JPB)

Recess serves as a prime example of an underused social work intervention opportunity in schools. Describes and evaluates a recess-based social skill intervention that targets elementary-aged school children and their behaviors on the playground. Explores program effectiveness by examining behaviors from before and during the program. Examines…

Examines the qualities of bullying victims, bullies, and the environment that supports bully/victim problems. Results indicate that victims share qualities that differentiate them from other children. Children who are victimized early in life remain victims for a long period of time, and other children can accurately identify potential victims.…

A study of 97 adults found that 53 reported experiencing one or more types of trauma or abuse in childhood. As a group they scored more negatively than those reporting no abuse on measures of sleep dysfunction. Resilient characteristics were only related to measures of social-behavioral functioning, not well-being. (Author/CR)

A person-environment fit framework was used to examine the interaction of psychological vulnerabilities and perceptions of school climate to explain the emergence of behavioral and emotional problems in middle school students. Positive perception of school climate moderated negative effects of self-criticism. Results point to the importance of the…

A study involving boys (grades 4-7) who were highly gifted (n=18), low gifted (n=17), had learning disabilities (n=26), and were typical (n=26), found highly gifted boys exhibited levels of behavioral problems similar to those with learning disabilities, whereas low gifted boys had lower levels than boys with learning disabilities. (Contains…

Examines teacher-rated behavior problems and competencies during the first two years of formal schooling among African American and Caucasian children. Found a significant main effect for race for both behavior problems and competencies in repeated measures analyses. Data indicate that African American children did not maintain age-appropriate…

A Spanish teacher successfully sued a student she claimed terrorized her, after school administrators ignored her complaints. Nearly 11% of teachers experience verbal and physical abuse by students. Although some states are stiffening penalties against violent students, educators' best recourse is to publicize the problem, devise policies, and…

Low predictability (ability to identify what events will be happening in the future, when, with whom, for how long, and with what outcomes) may be associated with increased problem behavior among children with disabilities. This paper describes strategies for assessing stability and predictability in a school or community context, and using the…

Evaluates a selection of school- and community-based programs (n=25) advocated in educational, psychological, and psychiatric journals over the past 5 years. While the programs reviewed support the likelihood that such interventions may be helpful, definitive conclusions that can be generalized to average high school students are still lacking.…

A study compared psychosocial functioning in 20 male adolescents with Asperger syndrome and 20 with severe conduct disorder. Results found those with Asperger syndrome had severe impairments in practical social functioning despite good cognitive ability and lack of significant early language delay, and high levels of anxiety and obsessional…

Classroom density may be a more important planning consideration than size. The lower middle range for human social distance is 7 feet--not met in most classrooms containing 20 to 25 students. Students need ample space, since crowding causes behavior problems and increased maintenance costs. (Contains 10 references.) (MLH)