Context: All youth, especially those with serious emotional disturbances (SED), face challenges as they transition to adulthood. Little is known about rural youth at risk for transition problems. Purpose: To examine transition-age youth who use publicly funded services in rural and urban/suburban locations in Tennessee in order to describe youth…

The "Restrictiveness of Living Environment Scale" has long been the primary way to conceptualize the "restrictiveness" of a child's living situation. However, changes in systems of care and other factors have created a need to revisit how restrictiveness is conceptualized and measured. A measure was created to assess an environment's level of…

Objective: The objectives of this study were to identify the relationships between caregiver strain among parents of young adolescents with ADHD and child characteristics during a 1-year period. Method: Parents of 52 middle-school-aged youth with ADHD participated in this study and completed two evaluations 1 year apart. Results: Ratings of…

Programs for adolescents with severe behavior disorders (BD) in Illinois are examined in terms of existing psychoeducational models of BD programs. Research is reviewed on the definition and etiology of BD, and the historical and theoretical background of educational treatment for this group is offered (including a description of several models…

A paper on professional and ethical issues involved in teaching behaviorally impaired students is followed by reactions of seven administrators, educators, teachers, and specialists. The paper begins with a review of the literature on teacher competencies and personality traits and notes the importance of such attributes as skill in educational…

Discriminant analysis of vigilance performance measures differentiated 11 adolescents with attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity from 20 adolescents with conduct disorder, while univariate analyses of variance failed to reveal statistically significant differences between the two groups. While both groups displayed similarities in…

The conference paper examines West Virginia's process-product model used to develop educational programs for exceptional students (behavior disordered learners and intellectually gifted learners). The background of the program is discussed, and requirements of the state's master plan are outlined. Noted are findings and recommendations of task…

A review of research studies on the effects of fenfluramine as a pharmaceutical treatment for autistic children is presented. Fenfluramine had positive effects on the reduction of hyperactivity and stereotypic behaviors in approximately one-third of subjects. The best responders were children with the highest baseline intelligence quotients.…

Identifies frequently cited journal articles on children's emotional/behavioral disorders. Describes characteristics (e.g., funding source, research design, statistical method) of frequently cited articles and compares them to randomly selected articles. Discusses implications. (Author/ABL)

Describes a treatment approach for the symptom management of bulimia that is a synthesis of various techniques, including cognitive-behavioral therapy, response prevention, relapse training, and psychodynamic therapy. The model has been a useful teaching tool for staff and patients in both group and individual formats. Addresses the challenges of…

The study examined DSM III (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual) Axis I and Axis II diagnoses in 350 school children (aged 6-14) referred for psychiatric evaluation. Diagnostic categories were examined for relationships to age, sex, ethnicity, IQ, achievement, and special education placement. Findings suggested certain diagnostic groups appeared to…

The impact of undesirable competing behaviors on maintenance and generalization of desirable behaviors by two 8 year-olds with severe developmental disabilities was examined. Desired behaviors were often replaced by less desirable behaviors which served the same function within maintenance and/or generalization situations. (Author/CL)

The article focuses attention on the versatility of paraprofessionals in programs for behaviorally disordered students. Roles described relates to diagnosis, monitoring student progress, behavior management, instruction, classroom support, mainstreaming, use of community resources, and parent counseling. Specific job assignments that should not be…

Focusing identification and programing only on behavior related to students ability to function in the environment might give a uniform perspective for service and a specific goal for special education. Such an approach may alleviate problems with client specificity, program goals and philosophies, and service efficacy. (CL)

The paper describes a model for understanding system level responses to the cognitive dissonance produced by working with emotionally disturbed/behavior disordered students. Responses to mild, moderate, and severe levels of dissonance are cited, and the dibilitating effects of increasing threats to a system's order are portrayed. (CL)