Social skills and levels of inappropriate assertiveness/impulsiveness were assessed using the Matson Evaluation of Social Skills with Youngsters, with 17 autistic children (ages 2-21) and 17 matched nonautistic children. Significant differences in both appropriate and inappropriate social behaviors were found. Results suggest the importance of…

This article addresses the academic difficulties of children with language disorders (including dyslexia) and suggests that their persistent academic vulnerability results from the lifelong need to acquire language, to learn with language, and to apply language knowledge for academic learning and social development. The need for continuing…

This article describes a program at the Dallas (Texas) Regional Day School for the Deaf for multihandicapped elementary and secondary students. The program utilizes the Functional Skills Screening Inventory to identify current skills, develop objectives, monitor student progress, facilitate long-range planning, and evaluate the instructional…

Presents results of a study focusing on a program of dilemma discussion methods for an experimental group of female prisoners and their guards. Concludes that for both the prisoners and staff test scores reflect an increase in moral judgment and ego development. Urges consideration of prison reform from educational and developmental perspectives.…

Interviews with 39 vocational directors and 78 instructors identified leadership behaviors of successful administrators in 7 attribute clusters: physical, intellectual, personal, ethical, human relations, management, and cognitive. The result is a portrait of vocational administration as a complex, dynamic, and multifaceted process. (SK)

This research demonstrated a social network intervention for youths with moderate and severe disabilities. Two groups of nondisabled peers participated in weekly discussions with an adult integration facilitator to increase social interaction for two students (one autistic and one moderately mentally retarded). Both quantity and quality of…

A retrospective review of 51 studies from 22 journals (1976 to 1990) concerning generalization of social skills training with preschool children was conducted. Strategies employed by the most successful studies were identified, such as addressing functional target behaviors; using prompts, positive reinforcement, and feedback strategies; and…

As school communities encourage healthy human relationships, they allow young people to create similar relationships independently. Good schools affect family and student beliefs in their power and ability to handle the world around them. Suggests that students need caring adults who know them well and model appropriate relationship building. (SM)

A "social guide" model was used to teach staff of an apartment-based residential program to use a set of "community network strategies" to improve the social relationships of three women with severe or moderate mental retardation. The intervention resulted in increased size of participants' social networks and more frequent social integration…

Extent to which findings derived from 4 approaches to multimethod multitrait analyses (MTMM) were consistent in providing estimates of construct validity related to measurement of 4 dimensions of perceived competence across 4 maximally dissimilar rating methods was determined using sample of 158 eleventh graders in Canada. Four MTMM approaches…

Examined effects of familial configuration and support system failures for 256 college students. Found that individuals who had experienced parental divorce were more likely to have encountered parental hostility and/or lack of care, inadequate supervision out of school, lack of teacher concern, and financial hardship. Lower self-concepts and/or…

Two studies investigated (1) the development of children's implicit theories of self-attributes in the domains of intelligence, sociability, physical skills, and physical appearance; and (2) the degree to which conceptions of ability can be experimentally manipulated to predict achievement cognitions and behaviors. (BB)

Analyzes the relationship among physical attractiveness, locus of control, sex role orientation, and assertiveness in undergraduate students. Reviews videotapes of mixed-sex student groups engaged in discussion. Finds an internal locus of control positively correlated with assertiveness. Uses a behavioral measure of assertiveness rather than…

Examined relation between adolescent separation-individuation, family cohesion, and college adjustment in college students (N=240). First group was used to explore individuation measures. Theoretical model specifying that college adjustment would be predicted by family cohesion, positive separation feelings, and independence from parents, was…

Examined relations among problem-solving appraisal, self-reported study habits, and academic performance for 63 college students enrolled in developmental course for academically unprepared students. Found problem-solving appraisal significantly predictive of study habits and semester grade-point average. Suggests problem-solving appraisal is…