We examined autism spectrum disorder (ASD) risk in a large national sample of 203 individuals with Down syndrome, 6-25 years old, to determine the association of ASD risk with age, sex, IQ, adaptive behaviors, and maladaptive behaviors. We used a two-pronged approach by (1) considering ASD symptomatology continuously across the sample of…

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the reliability, validity, and accuracy of scores from the Intervention Selection Profile--Function (ISP-Function): a brief functional assessment tool founded upon Direct Behavior Rating (DBR) methodology. Participants included 34 teacher-student dyads. Using the ISP-Function, teachers rated the extent to…

The present study examined the measurement properties of the Emotional and Behavioral Screener (EBS), a universal screening instrument which identifies students presenting with emotional and behavioral problems. The primary research questions sought to examine the degree to which the EBS item responses fit the Rasch model through evaluating fit of…

Background: Research in Western countries has shown the contribution of early teacher--child relationships and classroom emotional support on children's behavioral adjustment in pre-schools. Results with regard to the direction and strengths of the relationships seem inconclusive, moreover, such research is lacking in African countries. Objective:…

Studies of executive function (EF) in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have reported mixed findings. Possible confounds include EF domain assessed and co-occurring neurodevelopmental diagnoses. EF task performance across multiple domains and everyday function of autistic adults (n = 110) was significantly different to age- and IQ-matched controls (n…

Background: The positive behaviour support (PBS) model is a model of response to address challenging behaviours of learners in schools that has proven to be effective in developed countries. Given its human rights and functional contextualism lens, the PBS model is particularly relevant to and of value within the South African context. Aim: Since…

The aim of this study is to examine the relationships between preschoolers' play behaviors, social competence behaviors and their parents' parental attitudes. In this study, correlational survey model was used. The target population of the study consists of 12.183 children attending preschool education institutions in the central districts of Van…

Educational or school psychologists (EPs/SPs) can offer support with behaviour concerns at the levels of individual, group or organisation. Their practices, whilst being psychologically based, must be responsive to local contexts and needs. To explore behaviour practice in a real-world context, and to consider how development in this domain might…

Disruptive student behaviour is a major concern for teachers, causing classroom conflict and emotional fatigue. Whilst student-teacher closeness is known to reduce student aggression and improve behaviour, it is not yet known why some teachers experience close relationships with disruptive students and others do not. This qualitative study…

There is a wealth of evidence suggesting that after being marginalised and excluded from school young people who attend Alternative Provision settings report positive relationships and experiences of learning. There is however very little research which explores the longer term outcomes of attending this sort of provision. Retrospective life…

When students with disabilities become agitated and physically aggressive, school resource officers (SROs) are often called to assist. This article addresses the question, "What is the role of the SRO when dealing with children who already have a behavior intervention plan (BIP) in place?" Faced with an increased presence of law…

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and/or intellectual and developmental disabilities (DD) often struggle with behavior management and emotion-regulation (ER). In this manuscript, we describe the results of a chart review examining a group treatment program designed to address ER deficits in youth with ASD and/or DD. The intensive…

With the relentless increase in the number of new kinds of schools in the English education system, the already fragmented secondary school system is fracturing still further. Since branching points, partitions and choice are all known to contribute to inequalities, the urgency to fully understand the roots and effects of marginalisation has never…

Purpose/Objective: Historically, school administrators schedule recess immediately after lunch. Recent research, however, suggests a plethora of benefits if recess is scheduled before lunch, including decreased plate waste, increased consumption of nutrients, and decreased discipline problems on the playground and in the lunchroom. The purpose of…

A concerning number of students fail to achieve writing proficiency, yet little attention has been devoted to examining why this occurs. While robust evidence indicates that behavior impacts reading and math achievement, the relationship between behavior and writing skills is unclear, particularly among young students. The authors examined the…