Contends that child and adolescent clinicians should consider the contributions of a constructivist developmental framework. Reviews a constructivist developmental model for counseling adolescents. Highlights developmental theory and therapy within the context of the mental health needs of adolescents experiencing aberrant behaviors and/or…

Describes two functions of behavior problems (escape and attention seeking), functional assessment procedures, and treatment implications of these procedures. Seeks to stimulate interest in the potential relevance and advantages of adopting the functional conceptualization of behavior problems to assess and treat behavior problems of typically…

Autonomic reactivity to cognitive stress was assessed in 10-year-old boys who were rated as either disruptive (n=18), anxious-disrupted (n=18), or not disruptive or anxious (n=15). Electrodermal activity, cardiac reactivity, and muscle tension were higher during a mental arithmetic stress task for the anxious-disruptive group. (Author/SW)

The Double Struggle Life Space Crisis Intervention is a clinical intervention aiming to resolve student crises and address inappropriate staff behavior during crisis. As more inclusion takes place in the public schools, the frequency of student/staff crises will rise. Gives reasons for unprofessional staff behavior, a brief case study, and…

Describes one teacher's observations of student behavior at the college level, especially with regard to traditional versus nontraditional behavior patterns as perceived by the students. (HB)

Examined the link between different forms of family aggression and children's symptoms of psychopathology through interviews with 365 mothers and 1 of each mother's children between the ages of 6 and 12. Found that although domestic violence predicted children's general psychopathology, little evidence was uncovered for the presence of specific…

A three-level model explains the emergence and maintenance of rhythmic stereotypy and self-injury in disabled individuals: Level 1, internally regulated rhythmic behaviors; Level 2, stereotypy and self-injury as adaptive responses to understimulating or overstimulating environments; and Level 3, stereotypy and self-injury as learned behaviors to…

Ratings of 224 students with serious emotional disturbances by 40 teachers indicated that conduct disorders were very prevalent, were correlated with other problematic aspects of temperament and classroom competence, and co-occurred with other types of behavioral problems. Implications of the study for making eligibility decisions for special…

Mothers' child rearing and discipline, and toddlers' anxiety and compliance to mothers' demands, were measured. Measures of children's conscience, taken six years later, were related to maternal child rearing practices that deemphasized the use of power, and the level of toddlers' compliance to maternal demands. (BC)

Three functional assessment methods were compared with four adults with severe/profound mental retardation and stereotypic behavior patterns. The results of the antecedents, behavior, and consequences observation and the Motivation Assessment Scale indicated a sensory function of the stereotypic behavior for all subjects, whereas functional…

Children whose mothers were consistently more responsive during the children's infancy and early adolescence achieved higher IQ and arithmetic scores, had more positive self-esteem, and were reported by teachers to exhibit fewer behavior problems than children of mothers who were consistently less responsive. (BC)

Effective treatment programs for students with serious emotional and behavior disturbances have used several approaches, including continuous assessment and monitoring of progress; systematic, consistent, data-based interventions; provision for practicing new skills; treatment matched to problem; multicomponent treatment; programing for transfer…

Assessed role of social support in outcome of child management training (CMT) for single parents and assessed impact of adjunctive ally support training (AST) on treatment outcome. Single parents (n=22) with oppositional or conduct-disordered child received either CMT or CMT plus AST. Both groups improved, with changes maintained at followup; AST…

This article presents a definition of traumatic brain injury (TBI); describes problem behavioral characteristics of students post-TBI and some possible solutions; examines academic, social, emotional, and cognitive factors; and outlines interventions to assist teachers in working constructively with TBI students. (JDD)

Five elementary students with severe emotional disturbance participated in a comprehensive functional assessment process designed to yield a useful understanding of their desirable and undesirable behaviors. Individualized hypotheses were developed regarding relationships between classroom events and the occurrence of target behaviors, and…