Examined influences of friends and friendships on adjustment to junior high school via self-reports, peer nominations, teacher ratings, and school records. Found that sociability and leadership increased if students had high-quality friendships, and behavior problems increased if students had friends with behavioral problems. Separate and…

Describes an evaluation of a home-school support project designed to improve the behavior of young children in danger of school exclusion. Concludes that, although the initiative was valued, effective operation of the initiative was hampered by problems of communication, by its single agency location, and by the short-term nature of its funding.…

Examined relationship between child behavior and peer preference from the person-group similarity and the social-skill models with 2,895 first graders. Found support for both predictive models, with the acceptability aggression and withdrawal varying across classrooms and the effects of inattentive/hyperactive behavior and prosocial behavior…

Describes a 10-step process that educators can use when conducting functional assessments and developing Behavioral Intervention Plans required under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 for students with disabilities with behavior problems. A case study is provided to illustrate the process. (Author/CR)

Examined technical and adaptive competence in coping among 97 African-American adolescents with learning disabilities. Findings indicated that short-term, reactive, technical competence was a better predictor of feelings of efficacy, and longer-term, developmental adaptive competence was a better predictor of behavioral problems. Gender subsample…

Examined for 2 years behavior development in 200 Dutch juveniles with serious behavioral difficulties admitted for residential treatment. Found juveniles finishing treatment as planned developed comparably to Dutch adolescents in general population; those leaving prematurely had further developmental difficulties. Noted treatment features…

Families of 72 children with sexual behavior problems completed a structured interview and psychometric measures. Caregivers manifested stresses across many variables including income, criminal arrest, family violence, sexual abuse, social support, modulation of emotion, and attachment to the child. Foster parents consistently reported lower…

The experiences of a first-year teacher of students with mild mental retardation are described from the perspective of that teacher. The enormous burdens that can be placed on new teachers in difficult situations are highlighted and implications are discussed for teacher educators, interpersonal relationships, and the role of special education.…

Case studies of four adolescent boys with behavioral disorders in four wilderness therapy programs identified time alone for reflection, a non-confrontive and caring approach by staff, and the role of wilderness as helpful common elements. Outcomes attributed to these elements included better family relationships, abstinence from drugs and…

Compared adopted and nonadopted adolescents across variety of measures. Found that adopted adolescents were at higher risk in all domains examined, including school achievement and problems, psychological well-being, and physical health. Effect sizes for group differences were larger for males, younger or older adolescents, Hispanics or Asians,…

Examined influence of teacher feedback on children's (n=91) evaluations of hypothetical videotaped peers, presented as being liked, disliked, or neutral by the teacher. Teacher feedback had a significant and discriminative effect on subjects' perceptions of the peers. Implications for classroom intervention are discussed. (SNR)

Although new legislation has addressed the needs of atypical students, the education of African American students with problem behaviors requires additional study and policy formation. Effective teaching for African American students must be fostered through collaboration, consultation, and partnership among all involved. (SLD)

Used longitudinal study with adopted children to examine genotype-environment correlations for behavioral problems. Found that children genetically at risk for antisocial behavior were more likely to receive negative parenting from adoptive parents than children not genetically at risk. Most of the association between negative parenting and…

Examined if and how differences in functioning of single-mother and two-parent families relate to occurrence of behavioral problems among inner-city boys ages 10-15. Findings included (1) multiple family risk factors contribute to occurrence of behavior problems; (2) most family risk factors were generalizable to both single-mother and two-parent…

Examined relations between U.S., Korean, and Chinese adolescents' misconduct and their perceptions of others' behavior and attitudes toward youth misconduct. Found that U.S. youths engaged in more misconduct than other groups. Perceived behavior and sanctions of close friends were strongest predictors of misconduct in all cultures. Found unique…