Notes that psychopharmacologists have made considerable strides in establishing safety and efficacy of psychotropic drug therapy for childhood behavior disorders. Discusses controversy pertaining to appropriateness of medication or inadequacies of clinical management. Presents brief overview of the safety and efficacy of psychotropic drugs and the…

This article summarizes and critically analyzes the literature on self-restraint (in which a mentally retarded individual restricts or prevents motion of a body part), particularly its identification, etiology, modification, and relationship to self-injurious behavior. The paper examines the hypotheses of negative reinforcement and stimulus…

Notes that interpretation of Public Law 94-142, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), benefits from participation of professionals from both law and education. Considers Slenkovich's (1983) book, "PL 94-142 as applied to DSM III diagnoses." Provides background on 1991 reaction to Slenovich by article's authors and Slenovich's…

Focuses on social maladjustment exclusion in serious emotional disturbance criteria in Public Law 94-142, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Responds to earlier articles by Skiba and Grizzle in reaction to Slenovich's book, "PL 94-142 as Applied to DSM III Diagnoses" and Slenovich's response to articles. Addresses two aspects of debate…

Focuses on social maladjustment exclusion in serious emotional disturbance criteria in Public Law 94-142, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Responds to earlier articles by Skiba and Grizzle in reaction to Slenovich's book, "PL 94-142 as Applied to DSM III Diagnoses" and Slenovich's response to articles. Comments on these analyses, and…

Focuses on social maladjustment exclusion in serious emotional disturbance criteria in Public Law 94-142, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Responds to articles by Skiba and Grizzle in reaction to Slenovich's book, "PL 94-142 as Applied to DSM III Diagnoses" and Slenovich's response to articles. Assesses debate between Skiba and Grizzle…

Presents Life Space Interview, effective intervention strategy for use during crisis work with troubled students, as it was applied to case of Andy, 14-year-old black male student who had been taunting low-functioning deaf student. Describes Andy's background, the incident itself, and the Life Space Interview. Concludes with instructional comments…

Conduct disorder represents class of chronic antisocial and disruptive behaviors that interfere with effective interaction with environment. Disorder is relatively common, well documented, and has proven to be difficult to treat successfully. Reliable correlates can be clustered into personal, family, school, and peer dimensions. Successful…

Examines psychobiological literature pertaining to conduct disorder (CD), with particular emphasis on how such information can increase understanding of youths representing undersocialized aggressive subtype of CD. Reviews literature from neuroanatomical, biochemical, psychophysiological, and pharmacological arenas. Outlines theoretical framework…

The systems approach assembles in a single assessment setting four basic instruments to determine the current functioning status of the individual for the purpose of better understanding the dynamics involved in severe behavior problems: (1) the Democratic Maturity Test ; (2) the Life Fulfillment Inventory; (3) the Voluntary Control Test; and (4)…

Discusses Project RENEW, a program designed to help facilitate successful transitions for youth aged 16-21 who have been referred as having a serious emotional disturbance or mental illness. This program utilizes a personal futures planning process to help youth identify education, employment, and relationship goals. (Author/MKA)

Samples of gifted adolescents in Louisiana (N=44) and Connecticut (N=34) were administered the Torrance Tests of Creative Thinking (TTCT), and their parents completed the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Scores on tests were statistically unrelated, and CBCL scores were similar to national norms and represented an absence of behavior disorders.…

A comparison on the body-rocking of 21 college students and 22 individuals with mental retardation found a greater proportion of the people with mental retardation were less sensitive to situational factors, demonstrated atypical collateral behaviors, engaged in less leg-kicking, and executed their body-rocking with larger amplitudes. (Author/CR)

Discusses the challenges of functional behavioral assessments and the need to establish and support valid and effective methods for conducting functional behavioral assessments that are practical in school settings and that adequately address the multifarious relationships between problem behavior and its social/environmental contexts. (Author/CR)

Of 483 inmates who were referred to a sex offender treatment program and followed for an average of 44 months of opportunity to reoffend, 38% were arrested for new violent or sexual offenses. After statistically controlling for the static variables that predicted reoffending, the treatment program was associated with a higher rate of sexual…