Truancy remains a persistent concern, with serious consequences for the individual, family, and society, as truancy is often linked to academic failure, disengagement with school, school dropout, and delinquency. This study analyzed large-scale data covering multiple years of cohorts of delinquent youths born between 1981 and 1988. Truancy…

To investigate the perceptions of behaviorally disturbed children regarding the school environment, 15 truant junior high boys were interviewed in depth. The truants perceived school as associated with authority, confrontations, discomfort, and lack of success. (Author/SB)

Since the reauthorization of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA; 1997) through the current reauthorization (IDEA 2004), disciplinary procedures and functional behavioral assessment (FBA) have been widely used in school districts to assist in the prevention and amelioration of problem behaviors. Although researchers have…

Perceptions toward school of 15 behavior problem truant girls were examined and compared to those of 15 nontruant girls and 15 truant boys (all junior high). Consistently, the truant girls showed less negative perceptions and less asocial behavior than the boys. The girls were more variable in behavior and attitudes. (Author)

This study investigated differences between high and low school attending of 38 severely emotionally disturbed adolescents. High attenders were from higher socioeconomic backgrounds, demonstrated higher mathematics skills, exhibited a superior behavioral adjustment, and were more likely to travel to school by private rather than public…

This special issue presents seven papers describing programs for children with behavioral disorders. Among topics addressed are use of role playing to foster social skills, truancy intervention, and cooperative efforts by mental health agencies and public schools. (CL)