Australian special education literature from 2005 to 2015 was analysed to identify trends in topics and issues. A content analysis revealed a strong focus on inclusive teaching practice and education, and a growing interest in addressing behavioural and emotional disabilities, and teaching social skills in regular classrooms. The findings suggest…

This exploratory grounded theory study examined teacher perspectives of social competence in urban alternative high schools. Research questions elicited teachers' conceptualizations of social competence and descriptions of how their views on students' social-emotional behaviors influence pedagogy. The specific school context was behavior-focused…

Social skills training (SST) is an evidence-based intervention to help increase social competence for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), but there is limited research that addresses SST for students identified as experiencing EBD at alternative campuses. A mixed methods design was utilized to examine SST at an alternative…

Background: Many educators assume that students develop appropriate social skills as a by-product of participation in physical education and sports (Hellison 2003). However, it has been demonstrated that appropriate social behaviours improve when interventions are implemented (Balderson and Sharpe 2005). It is known that students with…

This study examined the school adjustment of adolescents with disabilities and their nondisabled peers in a national sample of rural high school students. The total sample consisted of 7,376 students: 6,704 nondisabled students, 70 students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), 512 students with learning disabilities (LD), and 90 students…

Despite significant advances in the field of social neuroscience, much remains to be understood regarding the development and maintenance of social skills across the life span. Few comprehensive models exist that integrate multidisciplinary perspectives and explain the multitude of factors that influence the emergence and expression of social…

The relationship between social and communicative interventions and transition-related outcomes for secondary-aged youth with disabilities is explored in this systematic review. In all, 30 studies intervening with 316 youth with a broad range of disability labels (both high- and low-incidence disabilities) were reviewed. Subgroup analyses were…

Compared social competence of 566 elementary students classified as learning disabled, mentally retarded, behavior disordered, low-achieving, or regular education students. Found significant group effects on three subscales and total score of Walker-McConnell Scale of Social Competence and School Adjustment. Sex differences also were found, with…

Compared nonhandicapped children, children rated low on social interaction, and children with physical or mental handicaps, on social competence measures. Found that, on several measures, nonhandicapped and speech impaired children were superior to children who were rated low on social interaction, behaviorally disordered, and developmentally…

This newsletter issue discusses the results of a survey of 242 Family and Youth Service Bureau agencies that investigated the number of youth (ages 16-21) with disabilities served, and the incidence of and response to youth who did not have an identified disability, but whom staff may have suspected had an underlying learning, emotional, or other…

Social skills across three subgroups of midly handicapped children were compared to a matched sample of nonhandicapped students using a teacher rating scale. Function analysis revealed that 75 percent of the subjects could be correctly classified on the basis of teacher-rated social skills. (Author/JAZ)

Identifies six empirically and socially validated conversational behaviors that can serve as targets of interventions designed to increase social interaction among high school students with and without disabilities. Findings indicate that little social interaction occurs among these high school students in the absence of programming or support.…

This outreach project is based on the validated Developmental Therapy-Developmental Teaching model originally designed for young children with severe emotional/behavioral problems and their families. It is an approach that emphasizes the teaching skills that foster a child's social-emotional-behavioral competence. The model has proven effective in…

This text is intended to introduce undergraduate or graduate general or special education majors to student characteristics and teaching strategies with students who have mild disabilities (mild mental retardation, behavior disorders, and learning disabilities). Part 1 addresses the characteristics of students with mild disabilities. Chapter 1…

This collection of papers focuses on practical approaches to resolving behavior problems in the Australian school system. The papers are divided into four general categories: perspectives on behavior problems, focusing on families, schools and system initiatives, and programs in special settings. The papers include: (1) "Beyond…