A study examined the effectiveness of implementing a pre-correction and active supervision strategy on the rate of problem behavior during recess. The intervention reduced rates of problem behavior exhibited by elementary students (N=475), but was not effective in increasing rates of active supervision on the part of playground monitors. (Contains…

Examines the qualities of bullying victims, bullies, and the environment that supports bully/victim problems. Results indicate that victims share qualities that differentiate them from other children. Children who are victimized early in life remain victims for a long period of time, and other children can accurately identify potential victims.…

Chronotherapy was used to treat severe sleep problems in a girl with mental retardation. Chronotherapy involved systematically delaying the child's bedtime each night while maintaining a regular schedule during waking hours until an age-appropriate bedtime was achieved (in 11 days). Immediate improvements in the child's sleep patterns were…

A study of 97 adults found that 53 reported experiencing one or more types of trauma or abuse in childhood. As a group they scored more negatively than those reporting no abuse on measures of sleep dysfunction. Resilient characteristics were only related to measures of social-behavioral functioning, not well-being. (Author/CR)

A study used functional analyses to identify the social variables that maintained the inappropriate social-communicative behaviors of two adolescent students with mental retardation. Results were used to identify appropriate, functionally equivalent behaviors that the students were taught to self-monitor. The use of appropriate social skills was…

The escape-maintained destructive behavior of an 8-year-old girl with mental retardation persisted during hygiene routines with directive prompting, differential reinforcement for compliance, and extinction as treatment. Using nondirective prompting and noncontingent reinforcement, destructive behavior was reduced to near-zero levels during the…

A review of 14 studies of students with disabilities in general education settings found moderate to strong improvement in students' performance following self-management training. Descriptive summaries for each study are provided, as well as suggestions and resources for researchers and teachers who seek to promote self-management in inclusive…

A person-environment fit framework was used to examine the interaction of psychological vulnerabilities and perceptions of school climate to explain the emergence of behavioral and emotional problems in middle school students. Positive perception of school climate moderated negative effects of self-criticism. Results point to the importance of the…

A study involving boys (grades 4-7) who were highly gifted (n=18), low gifted (n=17), had learning disabilities (n=26), and were typical (n=26), found highly gifted boys exhibited levels of behavioral problems similar to those with learning disabilities, whereas low gifted boys had lower levels than boys with learning disabilities. (Contains…

Examines teacher-rated behavior problems and competencies during the first two years of formal schooling among African American and Caucasian children. Found a significant main effect for race for both behavior problems and competencies in repeated measures analyses. Data indicate that African American children did not maintain age-appropriate…

Describes treatment containing positive components of effective instruction delivery (EID) and time-in (TI) for achieving acceptable levels of child compliance in clinic and home settings. Mothers were able to master components of both EID and TI in the clinic. Skill mastery increased at home for EID but varied for TI. Discusses benefits of…

This article comments on a study that used functional assessment to reduce behavior problems in a child with multiple disabilities (Kern and Vorndran, 2000). It suggests additional principles need to be incorporated into an expanded model if functional assessment is to have a truly positive influence on naturalistic treatment planning. (Contains…

Assessed impact of an antipoverty program on family functioning and developmental outcomes for preschool- and school-aged children. Found that the New Hope program had strong positive effects on boys' academic achievement, classroom behavior, positive social behavior, and problem behaviors, and on boys' expectations for advanced education and…

Children's challenging behavior is a way of getting their needs met. Understanding that function can help camp staff to deal effectively with challenging behavior. The physical or social environment can be manipulated to promote desired behaviors, but transgressions require positive, educational, and realistic responses. Helping campers meet their…

A Spanish teacher successfully sued a student she claimed terrorized her, after school administrators ignored her complaints. Nearly 11% of teachers experience verbal and physical abuse by students. Although some states are stiffening penalties against violent students, educators' best recourse is to publicize the problem, devise policies, and…