A study involving three elementary students with emotional/behavioral disorders in a self-contained special education classroom compared the effects of choice and no choice conditions on academic and social behaviors. Opportunities to make choices during academic situations positively affected the academic and social behaviors of two of the three…

A study examined the types and extent of academic deficiencies of 130 adolescents held in a regional detention facility. Most participants' achievement scores in reading, language, and mathematics were below their grade-level placements, students with experience in special education scored lower than other offenders, and males scored lower than…

A study investigated the situation and characteristics of people with mental retardation reported to exhibit challenging behaviors in two areas of England. Results indicate challenging behaviors were shown by 10-15 percent of people with mental retardation, two-thirds were men/boys, and close to two-thirds were adolescents or young adults.…

This study of 15 children with feeding disorders investigated identification of effective behavioral reinforcers by comparing outcomes and time requirements of two procedures in which presence in a particular area produced access to a preferred stimulus (i.e., zone discrimination). Both procedures were viable reinforcer identification tools, but…

This study investigated the relative influence on test anxiety of academic self-concept, cognitive interference (experience of task irrelevant thoughts), academic achievement, and study skills, with 82 adolescents with learning disabilities and behavior disorders. Results showed a positive relationship between test anxiety and cognitive…

This comparative analysis examined effects of direct instruction, cooperative learning, and independent learning instructional practices on the classroom behavior of four third graders with behavior disorders. In the direct instruction condition, students displayed higher rates of on-task behavior and lower rates of disruptive behavior relative to…

Discusses appropriate and effective levels of service in educational, social, mental health, and juvenile systems for children and youth with emotional and behavioral disorders. Notes problems with provision of integrated services are not entirely related to the lack of financial and programmatic resources. Introduces conceptual, practice, and…

Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales scores and measures of intellectual functioning obtained for 44 children (ages 4-13) with autism, 21 with pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified, and 30 with developmental disorders, indicated autism and combined nonautism groups could be differentiated on socialization, daily living skills, and…

A survey of 130 Australian primary education teachers found that most were confident of their ability to manage classroom behavior but needed support in dealing with distractibility and were concerned about aggressive behavior. Less confident teachers expressed higher levels of concern about aggression, distractibility, and disobedience. (Contains…

This article describes using bibliotherapy to improve reading comprehension and enhance self-esteem or improve behavior for students with learning and behavior problems. A step-by-step procedure is provided to ensure success with all students. A list of recommended books to use with students in preschool through second grade is provided. (Contains…

Discussion of mentorship between students with emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD) considers justifications for such mentoring relationships, guidelines for establishing a mentorship program, and an account of implementation of a mentorship project involving African American males with EBD (four mentors (ages 13-15) and five proteges (ages…

A study assessed the cross-cultural psychometric characteristics and validity of a multiple-gating screening procedure used by the Early Screening Project (ESP) to screen and identify 126 children at risk for behavioral problems in Head Start centers. Results indicate that the ESP was effective in identifying children exhibiting serious behavioral…

This article delineates the reasons why educators find punishment a more acceptable approach for managing students' challenging behaviors than positive reinforcement. The article argues that educators should plan the occurrence of positive reinforcement to increase appropriate behaviors rather than running the risk of it haphazardly promoting…

Proposes a framework for further research and development in the field of computer-aided learning for students with autism. The framework is based around the core deficiencies of autism, namely a social impairment, a communication impairment, rigidity and inflexibility in thinking and a theory of mind deficit. Presents proposals for computer-aided…

This article provides a review and critical analysis of 11 service learning programs for children and adolescents with emotional/behavioral disorders. It identifies substantial limitations in program descriptions and evaluations but concludes that both students and teachers are extremely satisfied with service learning and students feel empowered…