Reviews literature on possible causes of social functioning deficits in adults with learning disabilities including language disorders, information processing deficits, and behavioral and/or attention problems. Discusses co-occurrence of social functioning deficits with nonverbal learning disability, and effects of educational isolation,…

Twenty-four relatively high-functioning children and adolescents with autism were compared to typically developing children (matched for nonverbal mental age and language level) on three tasks designed to assess the presence of cognitive social scripts. Results indicated that basic scriptal knowledge was intact, but that reliable differences in…

This study compared 20 prelingually profoundly deaf adolescents (age 11-16 years) and 20 matched, hearing adolescents on a picture-sequencing task and a social judgment test. Results did not support the hypothesis that deaf adolescents possess significantly poorer knowledge about social reasoning than hearing peers but it did support the…

The number of adolescent firesetters increases every year; therefore it is essential that mental health professionals be aware of the characteristics of firesetters. Describes the individual and environmental factors that relate to the etiology and levels of firesetting. Specifically, discusses the different types of firesetters and their…

This study explored the effects of repeated sessions in which an adult imitated the behaviors of a child with autism. During the three sessions the 10 children showed progressively greater social involvement and interaction with the adult. (Contains references.) (Author/DB)

Discusses the case of a 25-year-old male with childhood disintegrative disorder (CDD), or Heller's syndrome, in terms of differential diagnosis, progression of the disorder, and suggestions for home- and school-based interventions. Documents the progressive deterioration of cognitive and social competencies. (Contains 23 references.) (GCP)

A collaborative initiative to help elementary children succeed by providing them with a high-quality, enriching after-school experience was based on principles of developmentally appropriate environment, child centeredness, computer technology, and parent involvement. Preliminary evidence indicates that the program had positive effects on reading…

Fifty-four young professionals in their first job after apprenticeship described their task-related and private interactions at work during five days, using a variant of the Rochester Interaction Records self-observation method (Reis and Wheeler, 1991). Results showed that more task-related interactions were reported than private interactions at…

This study consecutively examined the effects of 2 social interventions--peer training and written text treatment--on the social communication of 5 elementary students with pervasive developmental disorder. Each child with autism was paired with 2 peers without disabilities to form 5 triads. In Intervention 1 (peer training), peers were taught to…

In this paper, we highlight the importance for teachers of having sound practical skills in interacting with students, parents, administrators and other teachers, and argue that the development of such skills is often insufficiently considered in professional training. We then present a new framework for conceptualizing practical skills in dealing…

The ability to ask quality questions and to respond adequately and usefully are skills few are formally taught. These skills are learned haphazardly by some and by trial and error by others. Asking questions and responding to questions are vital to learning, relating with others, and in professional/vocational endeavors. This article advocates…

France is not advanced regarding evaluation in social work, despite a law established in January 2002 making evaluation a legal obligation every 5 years. This article presents a software program to help social services evaluate on both individual and group levels. Automatic dashboard results of the program with special emphasis on the main…

Adolescents with impaired language comprehension and formulation skills often experience difficulty keeping up with the linguistic and social demands of peer interaction. This clinical exchange describes an individualized treatment program designed to increase the conversational skill of an adolescent male with language impairment. Treatment…

Sarah Pigneguy here describes a creative arts project set up to support the acquisition of social skills and to offer students the chance to experience a different style of teaching and learning. Her down-to-earth account shows what can be achieved on a relatively low budget in a single term.

Site-specific dance, which is often defined as dance that occurs outside of the conventional theater space, challenges choreographers to look at, listen to, feel, and think about the space in which the dance is performed. It also asks audiences to be active participants in the performance experience. The dances have to be informed by the space and…