A study assessed the efficacy of a written script/cue card program to teach conversational speech skills to three verbal, literate boys (ages 8-10) with autism. Initially boys demonstrated low frequencies of conversational speech. Following intervention, all three quickly met the training criteria and maintained correct responding without cue…

Asserts that associations between child and adolescent aggression and competence need to be understood according to basic aspects of group process, such as dominance, resource control, and regulation of retaliatory gestures between group members. Maintains that although moderately aggressive children may be given status and power within the peer…

Examined relations among parent and child social information processing components and their links to children's social competence. Found some consistency between parents and kindergarten children in the types of goals and strategies provided in open-ended vignettes involving peer conflict. Fathers' and children's goals and strategies related to…

Investigated factors in the supervisory relationship that contributed to growth-promoting and growth-limiting climates as perceived by diverse supervisees. Interviews with students in a graduate counselor education program indicated that growth-promoting factors included supervisor competence and interpersonal bonds between supervisors and…

This article suggests strategies to improve perceived competencies in children with visual impairments. Strategies to increase perceptions of athletic competence include introducing role models and using behavior assessments. Guided discovery and peer tutoring are suggested teaching techniques. Strategies to improve social competence include…

Presents a response to Gifford-Smith and Brownell's "Childhood Peer Relationships: Social Acceptance, Friendships, and Peer Networks" (this issue). Focuses on the interaction of context, children's social skillfulness, and the type of peer relationship targeted as central elements in conceptualizing effective interventions. (Contains 12…

Explores the contribution of participant observation as a research method to the study of childhood. Discusses how participant observation permits a more comprehensive understanding of the process of friendship making than traditional sociometric techniques, and shows that, for the researcher, remembered experiences of participation and…

Sixty students with specific learning disabilities in either reading and spelling (Group R-S) or arithmetic (Group A), as scored by the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-Educational Battery, were compared. Results (measured by the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition) showed weaker nonverbal skills and more counseling among Group A…

Investigated linkage between delay-of-gratification dimension of impulsivity and social information processing in 80 second-graders and 80 fifth-graders. Found that low-delay ability and younger participants made less use of social cues than did older and high-delay ability participants; however, these findings were qualified by grade and gender…

Evaluated contributions of mothers' social coaching and responsive style to preschoolers' interpersonal competence with peers. Found that coaching and style were largely independent and were correlated with social competence; both predicted teacher ratings, and style predicted peer acceptance. Found no evidence for mediation effect of coaching,…

Compared adult children from dysfunctional families (with and without alcoholism) and adult children of functional families to gauge current relationship satisfaction. No significant differences emerged between the two dysfunctional groups. Analyses connected dysfunction in the family of origin to global distress and to difficulties with…

Notes that a well-structured job profile and interview can provide insight into the key qualities of an effective assistant principal. These include organizational skills, basic accounting knowledge, interpersonal skills, dependability, strong work ethic, effective problem-solving skills, leadership skills, written communication skills,…

This synthesis reviewed the findings of 13 intervention studies, published between 1975-1999, that examined the effects of manipulation of toys or group composition on social behaviors of children (ages 3-5) with disabilities. Positive outcomes were associated with children's playing with social toys and playgroups that included typical children.…

A study involving 215 Chinese junior secondary school students in Hong Kong found divergent thinking had a notable influence on specific psychological symptoms. Students' concerns with interpersonal relationships, as well as ability recognition, and concerns for being different emerged as the most important adjustment problems predicting specific…

A study examining the effectiveness of wilderness therapy programs for rehabilitating delinquent adolescents analyzed 23 programs using meta-analysis. Moderate effect sizes in favor of wilderness therapy programs were found with respect to enhancing self-esteem/self-concept, improving interpersonal skills, and promoting behavior changes. A small…