Check-in/check-out (CICO) is an evidence-based practice for addressing the behavioral needs of students with and without disabilities from kindergarten through the 12th grade. The CICO intervention is easily adapted to address other areas of need, beyond behavior, including academics and social integration, making CICO appealing for all school…

Cooperative group activities in classrooms provide an opportunity for children to learn and demonstrate relationship skills, particularly when clear expectations and explicit instruction are provided. Relationship skills are one of the five competency areas of social and emotional learning. This article provides directions and illustrations for…

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) are likely to require interventions to help them navigate the social demands of the school environment. Several meta-analyses of social skills interventions have been conducted, which have provided guidance and demonstrated the effectiveness of social skills training for students with EBD.…

Teachers must be skilled in providing differentiated instruction to adequately meet the needs of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) who require additional attention and support. Peer-mediation intervention is suggested as a tool to assist teachers. In peer-mediated interventions, peers may be trained to initiate social interactions and…

This article explores the benefits of incorporating student self-graphing into various academic and behavioral tasks to enhance the effects of an intervention and to heighten student motivation. It offers examples to demonstrate how student self-graphing might be observed in a school setting. A list of considerations and tips to ensure successful…

Many students with exceptionalities, such as Aaron, display challenging behaviors that have a substantial impact on their quality of life and greatly disrupt the educational process (Matson, Wilkins, & Macken, 2009; Westling, 2010). Challenging behavior often causes academic and social difficulties for the students displaying the behavior,…

Schools across the country have seen the benefits of implementing three-tiered models of positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS). Within that model, secondary-tier (ST) interventions are an essential component because they (a) require relatively little implementation time compared with more intensive interventions, (b) address the…

Students with high-functioning autism and/or Asperger Syndrome (HFA/AS) are characterized by difficulties with communication as well as impairments in social interaction skills. Students with HFA/AS have been shown to generate solutions that are lower quality (e.g., less socially appropriate) than those of their typical peers and also to have…

Students with high-incidence disabilities, including emotional and behavioral disorders (E/BD), learning disabilities (LD), and mild intellectual disabilities (MID), demonstrate academic, social, and behavioral deficits to varying degrees, which places them at risk for school failure. Because students with E/BD face dire consequences, it is…

Public schools are replete with children and adolescents like Billy, Reid, and Rowdy whom teachers describe as rude, disruptive, and obnoxious, and not all of them are in special education. Asher (1990) estimated that 10% of school-age children have social skills deficits severe enough to be rejected by their peers and up to 75% of children with…

Social skills training (SST) is a topic of great importance in the field of autism as social skill deficits are a prominent feature of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Improving and/or facilitating the acquisition and performance of social skills across multiple settings should be the primary purpose of SST. Unfortunately, few children receive SST…

Many young children demonstrate behavior that teachers find challenging. Accordingly, early childhood and elementary educators must be prepared to support children's social development and use effective practices so that children will be less likely to develop or sustain behavior problems. General education reform and legislation direct schools to…

Many students identified with emotional or behavioral disorders have social skill deficits, often displayed as less mature or inappropriate social behavior. Students may have difficulty engaging in appropriate play or social interactions and may at times become aggressive. The inability to interact with others has a negative impact on academic…

The term "literacy" is often used synonymously with reading and writing. However, literacy entails more than reading and writing. Literacy involves communicating with others and includes listening, viewing, following, and reading directions and interacting with friends and colleagues. The literacy skills and abilities are essential for all…

More than a decade ago, Asperger syndrome (AS) was added to the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual-4th Edition" (DSM-IV) (American Psychiatric Association [APA], 1994). Although there is much debate over the differentiation between high-functioning autism (HFA) and AS, social skills deficits are a hallmark of both disorders (Klin, 2000). These…