This article describes the Behavior Assessment System for Children, a multimethod, multidimensional approach to evaluating the behaviors and self-perceptions of children ages 2.6 to 18 years. The BASC contains a Teacher Rating Scale, a Parent Rating Scale, and a Child Self-Report of Personality. Its administration, reliability, and validity are…

Discusses features of a middle school program for students with emotional or behavioral disorders, noting how these features promote a secure, inviting environment that meets the students' emotional and psychological needs. Topics include the special education teacher's involvement with regular classroom teachers; focus on student behaviors; and…

Studied multigenerational links between maternal history of problem behavior, mother's age at birth of first child, and child conduct disorder in boys. Found that maternal age at first birth was associated with child's conduct disorder, and maternal history of problem behavior was also associated with early maternal age at first birth and the…

Presents the first year's methods and initial findings from Project Destiny, a three-year study that attempts to enhance the knowledge and strategies of professionals, parents, and community teams for working with middle school students having emotional or behavioral disorders. Initial findings and analysis of those findings are presented. (KW)

This article examines functional behavioral assessment (FBA) and its application in schools in three areas: the current knowledge base regarding procedures best suited for conducting FBA with students with emotional/behavioral disorders, issues surrounding the identification of competencies necessary for special educators to conduct FBA, and…

Interviewed parents and teachers to determine their communication preferences. Determined that teachers and parents prefer face-to-face communication, find it difficult to schedule meetings, and rarely discuss personal or emotional issues. Proposed strategies to improve communication patterns between teachers and parents, especially those working…

Direct observational data on 17 general educators and on eight matched pairs of middle school students with and without behavior disorders (BD) was collected. Teachers' use of student-centered practices versus teacher-directed classroom management practices was associated with positive and task-appropriate student behavior, but only for students…

A study investigated the impact of in-service training on the use of assertive discipline in a school for pupils with emotional/behavioral difficulties. Results indicate improved rates in on-task behavior and reduced numbers of disruptive incidences. Changes in pupil behavior mirrored an increase in teachers' use of positive feedback and praise.…

This article describes two studies that evaluated training intended to improve the family friendliness of five components of the admission treatment team process at an inpatient child and adolescent psychiatric hospital. While role-play training did not improve family friendliness, mindfulness training enhanced the family friendliness of all five…

An analysis of data from three federal reports indicates American Indian/Alaskan Native and African American students were over represented in high-incidence disabilities (i.e., emotional and behavioral disorders, learning disabilities, and mental retardation), and significant regional variations existed in minority representation, but variations…

First-year outcomes are reported for 18 pairs of first graders at risk for serious emotional disturbance (SED) assigned to Parent-Teacher Action Research (PTAR) teams and a matched control group in the same classrooms. Children who had PTAR teams showed greater reductions in teacher-rated externalizing aggressive and delinquent behavior.…

In order to improve post-discharge outcomes for children, it has been proposed that residential treatment centers place a greater emphasis on engaging families and building on strengths of the youths in treatment. This review presents the theoretical and empirical support for several promising strategies for engaging families, such as behavioral…

Despite a general move and support for inclusion of children with exceptionalities in the regular classroom, children with emotional and behavioural difficulties are often excluded. The paper describes an ecosystems model to facilitate the inclusion of children with emotional and behavioural difficulties in use in some schools in Canada. Results…

Recent research in psychology, psychiatry and neuroscience has demonstrated reliable associations between temperament and individual differences in sensitivity and responsiveness to environmental cues and behavioral consequences. Temperament-influenced behavior patterns evident in infancy have also been found to predict behavioral tendencies in…

The current emphasis on educating children in the least restrictive environment has resulted in the use of physical restraint procedures across all educational placement settings, including public schools. Since its initial use, restraint has been controversial. Professionals who use physical restraint claim that it is necessary to safely manage…