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…

A study compared the effectiveness of two extinction interventions, extinction by omission and noncontingent delivery of reinforcement, to treat aggressive behavior with a 10-year-old boy. Analysis revealed that aggression was maintained by positive reinforcement in the form of attention. Noncontingent reinforcement of attention produced a more…

Reliability and construct validity, including confirmatory factor analysis, of the ASQ-T were examined. Conners's 1989 and Margalit's 1983 factor models were compared on a new sample (N=70 teachers). Psychometric properties of the ASQ-T were examined, particularly its utility as a measure of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and comorbidity…

Sleep patterns of 30 individuals with self-injurious behavior and mental retardation were compared to 30 matched controls residing in the same residential facility who did not self-injure. Individuals with self-injury slept significantly less than individuals without self-injury. Neurochemical dysregulation in sleep disturbances among individuals…

Presents the necessary foundations of gender-specific interventions for adolescent girls within the juvenile justice and special education systems and outlines the three components of gender-specific programming: comprehensive programming, safe and nurturing environment, and relationships and connections. Includes a discussion of an…

A study involving 18 emergency homeless shelters in Los Angeles screened 169 homeless children (ages 6-12) for behavior disorders, learning disabilities, or mental retardation. Results found almost one half of sheltered homeless children screened positive for at least one disability requiring special education services, with behavior disorders…

Describes the Wediko Children's Services program in Boston and the Boys Town Center for Adolescent and Family Spirituality in Boys Town, Nebraska. These residential treatment programs for at-risk and troubled youth help young people address inappropriate sexual behaviors and learn alternative skills to create positive and healthy relationships.…