Studies psychosocial development and friendship of 85 secondary school students and 138 college students (71 males and 152 females). Finds no gender preference in choice of developmental style. Friendship variables are more strongly associated with development for boys; girls view their relationships as closer than those of boys. (SLD)

Discusses four strategies teachers can use to encourage friendships among and to develop interpersonal skills of students when incorporating special needs children into regular classroom settings. Strategies involve: (1) establishing a classroom climate that encourages peer interaction; (2) encouraging deeper friendships with diverse children; (3)…

Health education and health promotion should involve all school personnel. Schools must provide reliable health information and offer special relationships for each student with at least one caring adult, particularly in middle school. Caring relationships provide examples of personal relationships that schools expect students to exhibit when they…

Eighteen language/learning-disabled adolescents were compared with 18 nondisabled adolescents and 18 linguistically matched nondisabled preadolescents on requesting assistance from listeners who vary in power and familiarity. The language learning-disabled adolescents were sensitive to social and contextual features and modified their requests…

Predictive links between social difficulties in early childhood and problems in middle childhood were examined. Peer, teacher, and self-assessments of behaviors and difficulties were obtained. Early peer rejection and aggression predicted later externalizing difficulties. Early poor peer acceptance, social isolation, and social incompetence…

Maintains that small-group games increase student time on task over whole-class games. Provides guidelines for designing small-group games as well as large-group games. Points out that games provide leadership opportunities, review material presented in class, and develop cognitive and social skills. Provides a list of teaching resources for using…

This study found that siblings (n=19) of severely autistic children, siblings of children with Down's syndrome, and siblings of normal children did not differ on measures of perceived self-competence or parents' report of social competence. Siblings of autistic children had more internalizing and externalizing behavior problems than siblings of…

This review examines evaluation and treatment of adjustment problems in adolescents with visual impairments and describes a behavioral family treatment program. It considers the impact of the child on the family and the family on the child; assessment (psychopathology, social skills competence, family adjustment, and marital functioning); and…

Describes the use of a self-determination curriculum for mental-health intervention and primary prevention for Head Start children. The curriculum addresses critical adaptive-skills domains, including social skills, self-evaluation, self-direction, networking or friendship, collaboration or support seeking, problem solving and decision making, and…

Describes changes in social behavior of 20 at-risk sixth and seventh graders from a small rural school during the implementation of a sport-education curriculum. Exposure to the curriculum was associated with increased positive peer interaction and accurate self-monitoring by students of their own social interactions. (SLD)

A study investigated attitudes of 147 high school students toward participation in an instructional unit to encourage development of work ethic, appropriate work attitudes, and employability skills, including interpersonal skills, initiative, and dependability. A majority found the unit helpful and the instructional methods appropriate. (MSE)

Examined preservice general educators' self-perceived levels of competence to participate in school- and community-based collaboration activities designed to enhance the education of diverse student populations. Surveys indicated that, overall, they perceived themselves to have less than average knowledge and skill for most competencies necessary…

This article describes the use of measures of functional assessment of essential activities in self-care, mobility, communication, and social cognition in preschool children. An overview of functional assessment is provided, and psychometric properties of the various tests are described. Case studies illustrate the value of using functional…

Examined the relevancy of group social functioning to individual social, academic, and psychological adjustment in China. Found that social functioning--including sociability, aggression, and shyness-inhibition--of group peers had unique contributions to individual social and school adjustment and adjustment problems, and that contributions of…

A study of 51 post-treatment survivors (ages 8-17) of cancer found they had difficulties in psychosocial adjustment in the areas of scholastic competence, emotional stability, and social competence. Students who repeated a grade were particularly concerned with academic performance and peer relationships. Homebound instruction was academically…