Examined the link between mother-son positive synchrony and child and best friend antisocial behavior in middle childhood. Found that positive synchrony observed at age 8 related to measures tapping parenting, parent-child conflict, child social information processing, and child and best friend antisocial behavior. Associations between synchrony…

Investigates sources of variation in parents' assessment of parental stress and the effects of early institutionalization. Participants included 109 mother-father pairs who adopted children from Eastern Europe. Significant differences between mothers and fathers were obtained on child- and parent-related stress. Results indicated that children's…

Describes a nine-month study conducted in an urban middle school to attempt to reduce the level of aggression of a small group of seventh graders by assigning them a positive role as mediators to fifth- and sixth-grade disputants. Pretest and posttest measures of self-concept and teacher's perception of problem behavior showed dramatic…

Forty-nine foster children with behavioral problems who were referred to therapy were compared to 19 normal children in foster care. Results found that the age of the child when placed in care, the number of placements, and the type of placement affected the need for therapy. (CR)

Frustrated by her ninth graders' misbehavior with a substitute teacher, a high school English teacher shelved her recriminations and engaged miscreants in a problem-solving exercise examining the incident. Establishing a protocol to talk about problems openly, without fear of retribution, made a big difference. Boys admitted to some poor choices;…

Coping strategies used by 84 sexually abused children ages 7-12 were evaluated along with related symptoms and factors. Avoidance behavior was associated with fewer behavioral problems but greater sexual anxiety. Internalization was associated with increased guilt, and active/social coping was associated with no symptoms or benefits. Expressive…

A survey was conducted to catalog the assessments used by 125 practitioners to evaluate the problem behaviors displayed by clients with mental retardation. Results indicate most practitioners rated functional assessment procedures as extremely or very useful. Findings are discussed with emphasis on the difficulties in conducting functional…

A study examined 391 adult referrals to a mental health clinic serving individuals with mental retardation to explore the relationship between referral source and referral reason. Externalizing behaviors were found to be the most common referral reason; however, referral reason did vary as a function of referral source. (Author/CR)

The effects of two levels of exercise (walking versus jogging) in suppressing the self-stimulatory behavior during academic programming of a 5-year-old boy with autism were examined. Decreased physical self-stimulation and "out of seat" behavior were found only for the jogging condition. Sharp reductions in these behaviors did not return…

A study compared the sandplay behavior and pictures of 26 children (ages 10-11) who had experienced sexual, physical, and/or emotional abuse and 26 typical children. The children who had experienced abuse had difficulty staying within the boundary of the sandbox, displayed more regressed play, and presented more disorganized pictures. (Author/CR)

For pairs of full siblings, half-siblings, and cousins, analyzed maternal ratings of children's behavior problems at three times between ages 4 and 10. Found that nonshared environmental influences were substantial at each age but did not contribute to continuities in children's problem behaviors. Results favor a liability model that relates…

Describes a physical education program for troubled youth attending an adolescent treatment center which promotes physically and psychologically safe, fair and flexible participation, with students encouraged to play just for fun and lack of competence considered an opportunity to learn. The paper incorporates the "Circle of Courage" to…

Children growing up in households where aggression, physical abuse and other antisocial acts are the norm often act out in school. Rather than treating these children simply as troublemakers, it is imperative to get to the root of the problem and help them deal with their anger appropriately. (GCP)

Examines the role of gender in preschoolers with behavior problems. Child characteristics, parent characteristics, and independent assessment of mother-child interactions were conducted. Few differences between the sexes were observed for any variables. Girls and boys shared more similarities than differences in terms of origins and developmental…

Twenty suggestions are offered to help eliminate bullying behaviors in the school setting. Among suggestions are to include class discussions on bullying; to formulate a no-bullying class rule; provide social skill instruction; reinforce positive behaviors; report bullying; supervise potential bullying situations; provide positive ways to gain…