A meta-analysis of 53 studies on social skills training of children with learning disabilities found a mean effect size of only 0.211, with few differences among teachers, peers, or children themselves who judged the effectiveness of the training. Discussion focuses on possible links between learning disabilities and social skills that might…

A peer-mediated intervention was used to improve the social skills of 3 children with autism (ages 5 to 13). The intervention paired each child with a nondisabled peer who initiated interaction persistently within the autistic children's usual school setting. The autistic children demonstrated more frequent interactions and more positive and…

Key characteristics of an effective college student leader are defined: consistency in word and action; ownership of responsibility for actions and leadership position; development of healthy relationships with friends, coworkers, mentors, and mentees; and ethical decision making. It is argued that leadership is a full-time job and that student…

A total of 137 students--72 program and 65 nonprogram participants--took part in a longitudinal study investigating the effect of an outdoor orientation program for freshmen at a small liberal arts college in the Northeast. Principal instrument was the Environmental Preference Questionnaire. Results indicated that the orientation program had a…

Examines whether social skills deficits are a vulnerability factor in the development of psychosocial problems (such as depression and substance use). Uses 227 students who twice completed measures of psychosocial problems and a measure of stress. Finds results consistent with the hypothesis that some social skills deficits function as a…

Examines frequently used measures and procedures in social comparison research. The question of whether a method truly captures social comparison requires a clear understanding of what social comparison is; hence a definition of social comparison is proposed, multiple ancillary processes in social comparison are identified, and definitional…

Describes a program that bonds high-risk students to school as a basis of developing positive behavior and an ethic of social responsibility and service. The bonding is seen as essential to the process of building social and academic skills in at-risk youth. (Author)

A model is presented to help residential outdoor education staff modify their work with individuals and groups to suit the circumstances. Public and personal arenas are the settings in which staff operate, and formal and informal approaches describe ways of working in a setting. A diagram depicts the relationship between the arenas and approaches,…

Pupils with autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) fear the unknown and changes to their routine. Their fears may be unexpected, such as what is for breakfast. "Social stories" can alleviate such fears by giving a detailed account of each day's activities. A case study shows how a social story in diary form helped a boy with ASD cope with an outdoor…

Article describes "Reality Rub" Life Space Crisis Intervention that was used to untangle a problem caused when a youth attributed hostile intentions to innocuous comments by a peer. This incident helps explain the taxonomy of processes that can lead students to distort social perception and cognition. This abuse of reality is seen when a student…

Examined the validity of an observational assessment of adolescent social competence within a group interaction during a revealed differences task. Found that ratings of task enjoyment, involvement, leadership, self-confidence in task, and global social competence showed strong correlations to counselor ratings and peer sociometrics and were…

Experiment compares students receiving an instructional intervention designed to increase intrinsic motivation with students receiving traditional instruction. Concept-oriented reading instruction (CORI) integrated reading and language arts with science inquiry, emphasizing learning goals, real-world interaction, competence support, and…

Student teachers in agricultural education (n=18) and family and consumer sciences (n=6) completed a multicultural attitudes survey before, immediately after, and 1 year after a practicum in a diverse setting. Their greatest gain was in teacher-student relationships. (SK)

Poor listening can have dramatic consequences; relatively minor mistakes can lead to misunderstandings and hurt feelings. In stressful situations, board members should use extra thinking time, focus on the person speaking, look interested, ask questions, paraphrase, empathize, and pause before reacting to angry outbursts. (MLH)

This article describes a six-session program designed to help seven Australian young adults (ages 18-21) with Down syndrome understand friendships better. During the sessions, students explored and discussed various types of friendships and the emotions associated with them, using the students' own experiences and videos in conjunction with…