Preventing mentor-mentee relationships from ending prematurely is important because an early or unanticipated closure could lead to negative youth outcomes. In this study, the reasons for premature closure of a community-based mentoring program for youth with a visual impairment (VI) are studied. Data from 44 prematurely ended mentor-mentee pairs…

Multiple technological aids have been proposed to support the social interactions of people with autism. The literature is extensive, but in many of the works there is a lack of clear processes focused on improving social skills. In this paper, we analyse a selection of 57 technological supports from the last 10 years, whose main characteristic is…

Some researchers suggest difficulties synchronising with a partner could underpin the social differences associated with Autism Spectrum Condition, potentially acting as a marker for autism. Social Motor Synchrony (SMS) is one aspect of synchrony that could augment observational diagnostic procedures. However, the full breadth of literature…

Social skills are critical behaviors that enable students to effectively navigate their social lives. Further, social skills function as protective factors against emotional behavior concerns and enable strong academic growth. Social skills can be developed and improved via programs implemented in schools. Students identified as gifted have long…

Departing from normative notions of participation as passive or responsive vis-à-vis active or agentic, this article conceptualises participation as "'relational investment'". Drawing from a qualitative case study of a culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) Australian primary classroom, I argue that students' decisions about how to…

Social-emotional skills as valid predictors for subsequent school success should be promoted in early childhood. Preschools are a relevant setting to reach children from families with low socioeconomic status. The federal state law for children´s day-care and preschools in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania offers preschools in difficult…

In recent years, student engagement in high-impact educational practices (HIPs) has received significant attention from academics. However, a lack of focus persists regarding the factors responsible for its engagement. Our study utilizes the presage-process-product (3P) model of student learning and engagement to investigate the dynamics between…

Aim/Purpose: This study explores the effectiveness of a virtual reality (VR) application designed to teach Theory of Mind (ToM) skills to children aged 5-6, addressing the gap in research on the use of VR for typically developing children. Background: ToM is a critical skill for social interaction and understanding others' perspectives. Despite…

Sense of belonging among undergraduate college students improves the likelihood of retention and graduation, along with the overall association with positive mental health and well-being. College students build a sense of belonging with their peers through various forms of involvement opportunities, including informal campus recreation activities.…

While social difficulties in autism are well-established, questions remain regarding whether these represent challenges in "acquiring" or "performing" such skills, reduced social strengths, or a unique distribution across these domains (i.e., social profile). This study empirically derived social profiles of 211 autistic and…

Background/purpose: The enhancement of students' social skills and prosocial behavior in the learning process in the school environment is a must as an effort to minimize the emergence of various moral corruptions among students, such as acts of violence, bullying, being individual, lack of empathy, lack of motivation to learn, which has an impact…

Social communication deficits are one of the defining features of autism spectrum disorder. In schools, social communication deficits are assumed to be due to a skill acquisition issue and remediated through social skills instruction; however, social skills instruction has been fairly criticized, particularly by those in the autistic community, as…

This study aims to compare the psychological resilience of children who receive Montessori education with those who do not receive Montessori education(the group attends a school where education is provided according to the Preschool Education Programme of the Ministry of National Education). The study used the Relational Scanning Model Comparison…

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often exhibit persistent deficits in social communication and interaction, along with restrictive and repetitive patterns of behavior. These characteristics can significantly hinder their ability to navigate social interactions and succeed in academic settings. This study explored the need for…

In a world that seems to grow more unpredictable and challenging by the day, how can we increase learning and joy for children while offering them much-needed support? Uncertainty and disruption have created a youth mental health crisis that requires all hands on deck. This urgently needed guidebook offers comprehensive and scientifically-grounded…