The more worldly-wise, or the "more literate" in its broader sense, student may present counsellors with new problems because of the very worldliness of his knowledge and experience. (Author)

Comparison of behavioral and emotional disturbance in 70 children and adolescents with Williams Syndrome (characterized by mental retardation and short stature) and a control group, found Williams Syndrome subjects were more likely to be diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder characterized by anxiety, hyperactivity, preoccupations, and…

Presents an analysis of existing norm-referenced measures of social and emotional competence and disability for young children birth-to-5 to determine whether these indices satisfy technical and conceptual requirements. It concludes that informal clinical opinion should be used to supplement norm-referenced measures in this area. (DB)

Provides ways preschool teachers can help special needs children develop interpersonal skills and communication skills through interaction with their peers. (HTH)

Focuses on the emotional/cognitive processes associated with teacher ratings of empathic and socially competent behaviors. Results indicate that children (N=120) with higher empathy ratings and at higher grade levels received higher scores on a storytelling measure--the Thematic Apperception Test. Clarifies the social information processing of…

Describes a cross-age peer mentoring program to help students with learning disabilities learn appropriate social behaviors. Discusses the goals and objectives of the program and provides details on program specifics. Gives evaluation strategies and suggests that social competency is better evaluated through observation and informal sociograms.…

Provides a brief review of 10 research articles on the use of computers in assessment including purposes, descriptions, procedures, and issues. Topics surveyed include using technology to assess social skills in persons with disabilities, special education technology use in mathematics, and technology use in implementing assessment models. (CR)

According to California's National Distinguished Principal, good leaders celebrate creativity and capitalize on others' creativity while building schools on foundations of trust, commitment, and fun. Successful leaders are optimistic, generate trust, reward innovation, create a safety net for risk-taking behavior, delegate authority, and lead…

A parent of a child with multiple disabilities and profound delays comments on the quantity and quality of Individualized Education Program (IEP) objectives concerning social competence in preschoolers with disabilities. The paper stresses the critical importance of social competence and the need for schools to give it priority over achieving…

This paper explores the neural systems underlying social behaviors as they pertain to autism. It discusses major channels for transmission of social-emotional information, neural pathways subserving social behaviors, and social cognition in autism. A hypothesis of autism based on deviant development of the widely distributed neural system…

Successful leaders possess technical, human relations, and conceptual skills. Often, due to its complexity, leadership is overlooked as a teachable skill. Choosing a leadership style depends on several factors, including the leader, group, and situation. Six leadership styles (democratic, benevolent autocratic, consultive, participative,…

This article describes a high school club for students with and without disabilities that was established to promote constructive social relationships through an after-school club format and to develop students' self-confidence, social acceptance, and peer interaction opportunities. The membership, meetings, officers, and activities of the club…

Reviews Baron-Cohen's study of autism and an explanatory theory called modularity of mindreading, which proposed a domain-specific modular psychological model based on evolutionary, developmental, psychopathological, and neurobiological considerations. Enumerates problems with the modularity approach and emphasized the evolution of domain general…

Compared the effectiveness of pelvic examination training given to medical students by a laywoman who served as both teacher and patient with training by an attending physician with a laywoman serving only as the patient. Found that the laywoman-trained students demonstrated better interpersonal skills than did physician-trained students. No…

This paper identifies factors possibly influencing long-term effectiveness of social skills training with students having emotional or behavioral disorders. These include: lack of a sound conceptual framework, questionable social validity of target skills, controversies surrounding the nature of social skills deficits, imprecise assessment…