Schools and communities increasingly are being called on to meet the needs of all youngsters-- including those experiencing learning, behavior, and emotional problems. Meeting the challenge is difficult. Efforts to do so are handicapped by the way in which student support interventions currently are conceived, organized, and implemented. Over the…

Most interventions for at-risk youth are group based. Yet, emerging research indicates that young people often learn to become deviant by interacting with deviant peers. In this important volume, leading intervention and prevention experts from psychology, education, criminology, and related fields analyze how, and to what extent, programs that…

This digest discusses the occurrence of other disabilities which, in combination with diminished hearing, can create additional learning problems for children with hearing impairments. Topics on educational strategies for these children address: (1) the prevalence of other disabilities in children with hearing loss, including learning…

A family counselor and mother of adopted children with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome/Effects (FAS/E) offers practical advice and information on dealing with FAS/E's lifelong effects on behavior and learning. The book begins by discussing the historical, medical, and social aspects of FAS/E, and details common behavioral characteristics associated with…

This study compared the coping strategies used by children residing with single caregivers to those used by children residing with dual caregivers. Participating were 30 children in grades 4 through 6: 15 children living in families with 1 adult present and 15 children living in families with at least 2 adults present. Measures of anxiety,…

Noting that at-risk children who attend high quality early childhood care and pre-kindergarten programs are less likely to commit delinquent or criminal behaviors than children denied access to such programs, this report presents information on the effectiveness of such programs for preventing crime and argues that Pennsylvania can prevent crime…

Five out of every 100 children develop serious emotional disturbances. Another 20 to 25 out of every 100 develop less severe emotional problems that can be resolved with proper care. It is this group for whom appropriate intervention can make a difference. This booklet describes the Great Smoky Mountains Study, a longitudinal, population-based…

Preparing for the Drug Free Years (PDFY) is a family intervention program that seeks to help parents avoid specific parenting practices that increase the risk for adolescent problem behaviors and to increase practices that are likely to enhance family communication and bonding. The PDFY curriculum is designed for universal application and has been…

Research findings on the early precursors of substance use and related adjustment difficulties have led to interest in developmental models to explain problem behavior. This paper examines five major themes that characterize the relationship among social context, individual disposition, and syndromes of problem behaviors that include substance use…

This study analyzes the non-academic impact of a program for at-risk students within an urban alternative high school. The Jefferson County Public Schools, Kentucky, work on the premise that prevention is a key part of safety net strategies for at-risk students. Liberty High School is an alternative safety net high school intended to develop a…

In 1996, North Carolina began a 5-year evaluation of Alternative Learning Programs (ALPs). This report describes selected outcomes for students who participated in ALPs during 1995-96. These outcomes include performance on North Carolina End-of-Grade tests (elementary school) and performance on the End-of-Course(EOC) tests (high school) for…

The article discusses the development of an "alternative school" in an urban school system for students having trouble in the regular secondary setting. The program was based upon "Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs" and is described in detail. The initial assessment of the program produced very positive results.

Reports results of a neuropsychiatric study focusing on psychiatric disorders in minimal brain disorder (MBD) syndromes. Prevalence figures for marked psychiatric abnormality in MBD were shown to be greater than those for psychiatric abnormality in children with neuroepileptic disorders in the Isle of Wight study. Psychotic behavior was found to…

Drawing from ethnographic study of two kindergartens in a magnet school, suggests that teachers have different perceptions and expectations of Black and White children who misbehave. Holds that the referral of "problem" Black children to counseling and special classes often occurs as a response to administrative and community tensions over…

More information has led to an ever-increasing sense that things are out of control. A recognition that inability to control is not necessarily a sign of weakness or incompetence could help nourish the emergence of more humane and worthy modes of personal behavior and public regulation. (Author/RM)