The study investigated the effects of a behavioral teaching interaction strategy on greeting, departure, and telephone skills of a 10-year-old emotionally disturbed youngster in a residential setting. The interaction included instruction, modeling, rehearsal, and reinforcement components and was found effective in increasing and maintaining the…

Seventeen 10 year old academically talented students were compared to 15 10-year-old and 20 12-year-old average students in responses to videotaped vignettes depicting interpersonal interactions. Results supported the notion that interpersonal sensitivity is developmental in nature, but not suggestions of the superior interpersonal sensitivity of…

It is suggested that social and attentional pathology may be more specifically associated with the brainstem pathology that may characterize autism than are symptoms in other developmental areas. (Author)

The article discusses the lack of research on assessment and training of social skills to mentally retarded persons and proposes a multidimensional model for its study. (CL)

The importance of good interpersonal communication skills is examined. The disadvantages of passive behavior, the importance of self-concept, and the use and evaluation of assertiveness scripts are discussed. (CT)

Behavioral techniques derived from social learning theory to training social skills are reviewed. Studies using handicapped and nonhandicapped populations are included. It is concluded that social skills training represents a potentially effective appraoch to successful mainstreaming of handicapped children. The issues of generalization and…

The responses of 20 learning disabled (LD) and 20 normal children (9 to 11 years old) to a social inference task were compared. The LD children showed deficits in interpretation of the situation and determining consequences. No differences were found between groups in determining antecedents. (Author)

Research is reviewed on social development of young exceptional children, with discussion of findings in the following topic areas: age differences, sex differences, the role of objects in social interactions, familiar vs. unfamiliar peers, group size, and setting. (CL)

Summarizes a number of ways technical editors can develop an atmosphere of mutual respect in editing the writing of subject matter specialists. (TJ)

Offers some tongue-in-cheek suggestions for successfully interrupting a speaker at a meeting. (IRT)

Outlines Johnson's decision-making theory as a conceptual framework from which designers can work to facilitate effective relationships. The theory classifies clients into four styles: systematic internal, systematic external, spontaneous internal, and spontaneous external. (Author/JEG)

Interpersonal deficits in three mildly mentally retarded adults were treated via a conversational skills training program. For two of the three Ss studied, results indicated substantial increases in target behaviors with sequential introduction of the treatment strategy. Overall conversational ability, however, showed no practical improvement from…

Gives advice about dealing with group interviews in an academic environment, addressing the following topics: location, politics, preparation, presentation, and follow-up. (SK)

Examines peer affiliations of aggressive children in a sample of 948 students from 4th through 6th grades. The deviant peer group hypothesis was partially supported. Two thirds of aggressive boys and one half of aggressive girls were most likely to be members of nonaggressive groups, whereas popular aggressive boys were most likely to be in…