Previous research has produced mixed findings on the role of child and family factors in the genesis of childhood cruelty. The authors examined the relationships of cruelty to animals to a range of child and family factors. First, the authors test the idea that cruelty is a callous aggression that will be more strongly associated with psychopathic…

Behavior modification is an evidence-based treatment for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Time-out from positive reinforcement is one behavior-modification procedure commonly recommended to manage disruptive or noncompliant behavior. This investigation examined the effects of time-out on children's behavior within the…

Aggressive behavior in childhood has long been separated into that which is proactively motivated and that which is reactive. We report a meta-analytic review of the existing empirical literature that examines the associations of each type of aggression with six indices of psychosocial adjustment: internalizing problems, emotional dysregulation…

This pilot study examined the effects of a short-term music therapy program on the classroom behaviours of newly arrived refugee students who were attending an intensive "English as a Second Language" secondary school. A cross-over design with two five-week intervention periods was employed with group music therapy sessions conducted one…

An ethnically diverse sample of 6th-grade students completed peer nomination procedures that were used to create subgroups of students with reputations as victims, aggressors, aggressive victims, and socially adjusted (neither aggressive nor victimized). Self-report data on psychological adjustment, attributions for peer harassment, and perceived…

The question of what to do with aggressive students has plagued schools since mandatory attendance laws were passed. At the present time, many practitioners are using tactics for aggressive students that may not effectively remediate the problem, and research and practice do not seem to be in harmony regarding disciplinary options for aggressive…

This study examined family stressors among 3-year-old children who were classified as hyperactive (HYP), hyperactive and oppositional defiant (HYP/OD), and non-problem based on mothers' reports of behavior. Children with HYP/OD were found to experience higher levels of family stressors than non-problem children on almost every family stressor…

Externalizing behaviors are a common component of the clinical presentation of Autism Spectrum Disorders and are typically the initial focus of treatment for children within this population. This article examines the appropriateness of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) as a first-line, gateway treatment for preschoolers with High Functioning…

This issue paper on violence in public schools provides an overview of the problem and a joint statement by the Council of Administrators of Special Education (CASE) and the Council for Children with Behavior Disorders (CCBD). These two organizations believe that the majority of the violent, aggressive, or destructive students in U.S. schools are…

This paper describes a program implemented at the James Madison University (Virginia), Department of Special Education, to train student teachers to manage aggressive and violent behavior. Training in the Alternatives for Handling Aggressive and Violent Behavior (A-HAV-B) Approach involves a three-credit behavior management course, certification…

This study involved 30 children with attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity (ADD+H), 14 children with attention deficit disorder without hyperactivity (ADD-H), and 28 clinic control children, with a mean age of 8.1 years, and utilized an extreme groups methodology. The study tested the hypothesis that the teacher-rated social behavior of…

This paper describes characteristics of and educational implications for children with Hunter's syndrome, a rare, genetic lysomal storage disorder resulting from an absence of the enzyme iduronate-2-sulphatase. Boys born with this sex-linked disease are born with little or no clinical manifestations, but generally are diagnosed by the age of three…

Findings from a study of the etiology of alcoholism and conduct disorders that involved 3-year-old sons of alcoholic fathers are reported. The study focused on intact nuclear families with a son who was 3 years old at the time of initial data collection and a father who was diagnosed as definitely or probably alcoholic. Alcoholic families were…

A study of communication patterns in a desegregated school, located in an urban middle class black neighborhood, revealed "meddlin" (verbal and nonverbal aggression) to be a key area of cultural dissonance. This pattern is more common among blacks. Name calling, rumor mongering, body bluster, verbal intimidation, taking or destroying…

The document discusses the effects of frustration on the aggressive behaviors of emotionally disturbed and normal children with high or low self concepts. Predicted were that greater amounts of verbal and behavioral aggression would be shown by: (1) emotionally disturbed subjects in special education classes than for normal subjects; (2) subjects…