School population of 252 adolescents, aged 13 to 15 years, responded to Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (MOCI), Children's Depression Inventory, and List of Social Situation Problems. Scales intercorrelated significantly but appeared to measure different aspects of self-perception. No significant age or gender differences emerged. Findings…

Examined mother-child interaction in play and teaching tasks. Mother-child interaction aggregates represented task orientation, positive emotion, and allowance of autonomy. Maternal interaction aggregates predicted teachers' ratings of children's positive social behavior, assertiveness, and sadness in the preschool setting. (BC)

A nationwide survey of 263 parents, teachers, and other professionals and interviews with 24 teachers investigated the perceived importance of social skills instruction for students with disabilities. Both teachers and other professionals rated social skills as more important than did parents, regardless of student age or disability severity.…

This article provides a rationale for developing communication/interviewing skills of early childhood interventionists, presents information on training in family interviewing and communication skills, describes perspectives of interventionists who have attended a workshop on the family-focused interview, and suggests strategies to help…

The article examines options in social skills training for students with mild disabilities. Described are behavioral interventions and five packaged curricula. Among eight guidelines for evaluating a package are efficacy of approach, cost, and concern for generalization. Teachers are encouraged to teach social skills both directly and incidentally…

An attempt to replicate a previous study suggesting the dimension of intimacy-isolation predicts medical student speciality choice by using a new generation of medical students (N=203) and a new generation of well-validated personality measures failed to find support for the hypothesis. (MLW)

A portrait is presented of the toddler with slow expressive language development (SELD), based on research examining the health history; cognitive, communicative, and adaptive skills; behavior; and phonology of 30 toddlers with SELD and 30 nondisabled toddlers. The paper offers a review of research on the outcomes of SELD, and explores…

A discussion of team-building in organizations looks at the essential components of trust, common purpose, supportive internal and external environments, and cohesion. Barriers to team development, such as internal competition or communication problems, and the role of the team leader are also discussed. A student campus organization is used for…

Among 105 college students studying abroad, quick development of close social networks helped to minimize loneliness. A second study involving 159 undergraduates found that hints were least effective in gaining compliance; threats were least polite but as effective as promises; direct requests were most effective. Discusses implications for camp…

Newly hired school business officials should first review their job descriptions and work with supervisors to identify goals and clarify job expectations. They should plan how to manage their time, examine subordinates' job descriptions, review the district's fiscal history, join professional associations, fraternize with key local and state…

Discusses integration of Lev Vygotsky's theory of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) with the instructional strategy of cooperative learning. ZPD provides a conceptual basis for explaining the five basic tenets of cooperative learning: positive interdependence; face-to-face interaction; individual accountability; small-group and interpersonal…

Discusses study that assessed developmental students' adjustment to college using the Student Adaptation to College Questionnaire (SACQ). Findings revealed that student SACQ scores fell below the means of the norm sample on the Personal-Emotional, Attachment, and Social subscales. There was also a significant difference in scores, with regard to…

A study of 25 British students (ages 11-12) found that children with identified special needs did appear to be potentially at risk of being bullied through their social isolation. The most effective way of avoiding being bullied was to ensure there was someone lower down the pecking order than themselves. (CR)

A study examined effects of a tactile prompting device (the Gentle Reminder) as a prompt for a 9-year-old student with autism to make verbal initiations about play activities. Results indicate that the device serves as an effective, unobtrusive prompt for verbal initiations during play contexts and during cooperative learning activities.…

Elementary classroom teachers rated the withdrawn and social behaviors of 41 children with language impairments (LI) and 41 typically developing peers using the Teacher Behavioral Rating Scale. Teachers rated children with LI as more reticent than typically developing children, and boys with LI as displaying more solitary-active withdrawal…