The goal of the current study was to test associations between various ASD-related behavior problems and negative peer experiences in adolescents with ASD. Data were obtained from the Bullying and School Experiences of Children with ASD Survey completed by parents in the Interactive Autism Network (IAN). The current study focused on data from 279…

Many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have problem behaviors that interfere with learning and social interaction. This randomized controlled trial compared treatment with functional communication training (FCT) to "treatment as usual" for young children with ASD (n=38, ages 21-84 months). FCT was conducted by parents with…

Although the trait of Agreeableness is broadly considered a key facet of adjustment, mental health, and socioemotional competence, surprisingly little is known about its developmental origins. Laursen and Richmond (2014) proposed that children's early difficulty poses a challenge for their future social relationships, ultimately leading to low…

Background: Resource control theory posits that individuals may utilize prosocial and/or coercive strategies to access social resources. Resource control theory has utility for understanding adolescents' engagement in bullying role behaviors. Objective: The current study examined direct associations between bullying role behaviors (i.e., bullying,…

Research Findings: Universal screening practices that utilize reliable and valid screening measures are vital for identifying social-emotional and behavioral (SEB) concerns for students at-risk for future behavioral and academic difficulties. Screening procedures implemented at the start of kindergarten can result in early identification and…

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of a structured, playful activity program on the development of social skills in preschool aged children (4-6 years) during break time in the schoolyard of kindergarten. The participants were 40 pupils (26 toddlers and 14 pre-toddlers, 26 boys and 14 girls) from one Greek public kindergarten.…

Anxiety is a common and impairing problem in children with autism spectrum disorder, but little is known about it in preschool children with autism spectrum disorder. This article reports on the characteristics of anxiety symptoms in young children with autism spectrum disorder using a parent-completed rating scale. One hundred and eighty children…

Here, we explored the structure of the 'Parenting Strategies Questionnaire', a new scale designed to measure parenting strategies for problem behaviour in ASD. We then examined links between child behaviour and parenting in a sample of 222 predominantly-UK parents of ASD children exhibiting behaviour found difficult or challenging. Analysis…

Evidence-based assessment, which requires the use of reliable and valid measurement tools, is an essential component of many services that school social workers provide to promote the social, emotional, and behavioral health of students. A wide variety of psychometrically sound assessment tools exist to choose from, but it can be difficult for…

The Good Behavior Game (GBG) is a well-established intervention for decreasing problem behaviors in the classroom. Although the GBG has a long history of both empirical support and real-world implementation, the specific types of supports teachers find useful in implementing evidence-based interventions is an area that has received increasing…

Employing a cohort sequential design and multilevel modeling, the direct and indirect effects (via depressed mood, emotional wellbeing, and perceived support) of received network support on marital quality were assessed over a 7-year period (child age 7-14) on 96 married or cohabiting mothers of children with ASD. Findings indicated several…

Active supervision is a proactive, low-intensity strategy to minimize challenging behaviors and increase desired behaviors. To examine the evidence base of this strategy, we applied the Council for Exceptional Children's (CEC) "Standards for Evidence-Based Practices in Special Education" to the body of research exploring the impact of…

Although research has demonstrated that both parents and peers influence adolescent development, it is not clear whether these relationships also serve as contexts for emotion socialization. In the current longitudinal study, we investigated whether maternal and peer emotion socialization were related to adolescent girls' daily emotions, emotion…

The study investigates child social competence a three different measurement levels (overall level, factor level, and item level), in a sample of parents and children participating in interventions towards emerging or present child problem behaviours. Parents of 550 children aged 3-12 (71% boys) evaluated social competence using the Home and…

Direct Behavior Rating (DBR) is a tool designed for the assessment of behavioral changes over time. Unlike methods for summative evaluations, the development of progress monitoring tools requires evaluation of sensitivity to change. The present study aimed to evaluate this psychometric feature of five newly developed DBR Multi-Item Scales…