Twenty-six suggestions for setting up a class environment in which children with learning or behavior problems can develop friendships are presented, including integrating friendship into the curriculum, teaching necessary social skills, structuring successful recess and lunch periods, honoring children's friendships in placement decisions, and…

Factor analysis of the Childhood Autism Rating Scale found three factors: (1) social impairment, (2) negative emotionality, and (3) distorted sensory response. Subjects with autism were distinguished from subjects with either pervasive or nonpervasive developmental disorders by higher scores on social impairment. Negative emotionality was most…

The article presents advisory activities to help middle school students understand and strengthen relationships with peers and adults. The article also includes seven tips for setting up a sound advisory progrram. (SM)

Adaptations to the Candy Land board game to allow play by children with moderate or severe disabilities are suggested, such as attaching a small photograph of the student to the marker and using large heavily weighted markers. Ways to generalize new skills and gradually remove the adaptations are discussed. (DB)

This article addresses effective techniques for teaching students with emotional disturbances and/or behavior disorders in group settings. Three stages of group development are described with specific teaching strategies for each stage identified and related to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, including needs for safety and trust, belonging and…

Summarizes research on the effects of friendship and group acceptance on adolescents' evaluations of camp, and on the incidence of homesickness among boys ages 8-16 participating in a residential sports camp. Implications for camp involve helping campers develop appropriate social skills and educating staff concerning the symptoms of homesickness.…

Examines research on the fundamental contexts for social contact: the family and networks of social support. It focuses on the processes and dynamics within these systems of relationships that are considered vitally important to normal and abnormal mental and emotional development. (GR)

To explore theoretical issues inspired by the Likert response format, 2 social insight scales were developed and administered to 391 Air Force recruits. Results demonstrate the applicability of the probabilistic response format to measure differences in nontraditional knowledge domains and the existence of a factor that may be interpreted as…

This study evaluated a social skills training program with 18 deaf children (ages 9 to 13) in mainstream settings in three elementary schools in the Canary Islands. It found the intervention improved students' social problem solving skills and their assertive skills. However, no significant differences in social or academic integration as judged…

A survey of 204 parents of gifted students (ages 3-14) found a majority reported their child showed high potential in more than two talent domains. Twenty-seven percent of parents reported that their child's school offers services for special talents and 60 percent reported their child participates regularly in sports activities. (Contains five…

A program that combines sports and literature can improve students' reading, writing, and comprehension skills, promoting links between children's personal development and self-esteem and forging links between sports, literature, and daily life. Describes one such program, Sports PLUS After School, noting: program goals, components, and structure;…

Recommends that child care workers engage in community networking to form mutually beneficial relationships with people who can help children and families. Identifies good work, leadership, communication, advocacy, and sharing of credit as five fundamental components of power networking. (DLH)

Employers want employees who can communicate effectively, work as part of a team, and think on their feet. To help students acquire these qualities, the faculty of health sciences and counseling at Vancouver Community College integrated a sociocultural training model into their human relations programs. Evaluations indicate that students'…

A study assessed social skills development in children aged 8-13 with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder after they attended a residential summer camp. Questionnaires returned by parents of 12 such campers reported increases in age-appropriate behavior, independence, self-esteem, connection with peers, and participation in group activities.…

This article emphasizes the importance of documenting gifted education results to governing bodies such as state legislatures and school boards. It discusses three general issues of communication with decision-makers: being clear on intentions, being considerate of decision-makers, and providing useful information. Data gathering suggestions for…