In this intervention, Anne, a 15-year-old girl in residential treatment, is helped to sort out her conflicted feelings of anger and attraction to a female staff member. Through the Massaging Numb Values Reclaiming Intervention, she finds more productive ways of expressing emotions and managing her interactions with the staff person. (Author)

A study examined the socioemotional experiences of adolescents with and without learning disabilities (LD) in an Israeli kibbutz environment during school transition periods. Seventh- and ninth-graders with LD received more social peer rejection and were judged by teachers to exhibit lower social skills and higher behavioral problems. (Contains…

A review of 27 studies that examined effects of childhood physical abuse and exposure to partner violence found that the children who were victims or witnesses to violence in the home were at risk for experiencing both behavioral and emotional problems and somewhat at risk for impaired social functioning. (CR)

This case study recorded and analyzed, during a primary prevention program in an urban day care center, the process of emotional socialization in two 4-year-old children considered at risk for academic failure. It isolated and described influential factors in emotional socialization, described changes in social skills and emotional expression, and…

Describes the use of the sports literature-based School PLUS (Personal Learning Using Sports) program to teach interpersonal skills, promote reading and language development, and build self-esteem through sports. Discusses intended audience, curriculum components, instructional approach, and development of the School PLUS team. (SAS)

Principals deal with a range of people, issues, and forces represented by individuals, factions, and special-interest groups. Principals must develop a framework; analyze problems quickly, develop alternative plans, make sound decisions, and communicate resolutions clearly and sensitively to all parties. A political-awareness inventory is…

An upstate New York superintendent shares strategies to ensure good board-administrator relations. Superintendents should stress the primacy of serving students' interests and maintaining a respectful culture, set goals, treat board members equally, work for the majority, refrain from socializing, and evade noneducation-related disputes. (MLH)

This article discusses the importance of competence in functional skills for developing the social skills, friendships, and perceived quality of life in students with severe disabilities. The need to include functional skills instruction in general education settings is emphasized and methods of providing community based instruction are provided.…

A review of 36 studies on school-age children with mental retardation indicated children in general classes do not attain social acceptance ratings at as high a level as do their typical peers. Integrated students perform better than segregated students on measures of academic achievement and social competence. (Contains extensive references.)…

Notes that full inclusion of special needs children into regular early childhood settings is supported by research in terms of social and behavioral outcomes. Details observations of an inclusive preschool classroom utilizing integrated therapy for three special needs children. Highlights the themes revealed: integrated therapy and teacher…

School business administrators must be both business managers and educators. As the school district's chief financial officer, the school business administrator must have strong communication and interpersonal skills. Spheres of involvement include working with school staff, parents, the district office, town officials and committees, vendors, and…

This article presents an overview of several pivotal response interventions. Areas discussed include responsivity to multiple cues, motivation to initiate and respond appropriately to social and environmental stimuli, and self-regulation of behaviors. The trend to streamline intervention by targeting behaviors that have a widespread effect on…

A study involving 6 children with autism investigated whether self-initiations might be associated with highly favorable post-intervention outcomes. Results found that children who had highly favorable outcomes exhibited more spontaneous self-initiations at pre-intervention. Further study indicated children could learn a variety of…

The use of a programmed generalization strategy in general education classrooms was evaluated with 29 middle school students. Results indicated that the intervention, i.e., social skills training and self-monitoring with teacher matching, led to generalization of improved student behavior in up to six different class settings. (Author/CR)

Presents a series of observations of infant/toddler-caregiver interaction in the child care setting to illustrate infants' social competence and its potential link to emotional literacy. Concludes that caregivers need to appreciate infants' communicative competence, listen to preverbal behaviors, and reflect on their images of children and the…