Scores from the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scale were compared to age and performance IQ for 72 children and adolescents with autism and 37 nonautistic controls with mental retardation. The relationship between the two groups' adaptive behavior profiles was stable from preschool age through adolescence. Increasing IQ was associated with lower…

Examined the relationship between childhood loneliness and insecure-ambivalent attachment in infancy. As predicted, the most loneliness in early childhood was reported by children classified insecure-ambivalent in infancy. Possible explanations center on the contribution of attachment to peer relationships, internal working models, and child…

Describes a study assessing the effectiveness of an intervention program for youthful offenders in Iowa based on a cognitive approach to rehabilitation, which pivots on the theme that "bad thinking leads to bad behavior." There were gains in prospects for improving life goals and empathy toward victims. Other results were mixed. (LKS)

Examined effects of zero, one, or two years of preschool education on outcomes of inner-city black children from low-income families through grade six. Found that although two-year participants began and ended kindergarten more academically competent than 1-year participants, through the elementary grades, the two groups did not significantly…

Direct observation and sequential analytic techniques were used to analyze rates, antecedents, and predictive sequences of aggressive behavior for 28 elementary school-aged children with emotional/behavioral disorders. Results indicated that low rates of positive social interactions characterized the daily classroom ecology of students displaying…

This study represents an attempt to build a home-based intervention package wherein caregivers encourage positive interactions between young children with autism and their siblings. Using a previously validated, classroom-based social skills intervention package, caregivers in three homes were able to produce substantial improvements in sibling…

Two experiments examined the effects of rewards alone, rewards plus discussion, and self-evaluation plus rewards on peer interactions of elementary level students with emotional or behavioral disorders. Observational data on eight students showed the self-evaluation procedures to be effective in improving peer interactions when implemented in a…

The Association of the Physically Handicapped of Haifa and the North Haifa, Israel, (AHVA) initiated a desktop publishing and self-employment venture. Questionnaire results after the first year of operation indicated that participants developed new technical skills, learned work-related behaviors, and expanded interpersonal competencies and…

Investigated associations of family processes and self-perceptions with adjustment and self-esteem following the transition to junior high school. Students' positive self-concepts in academic and social domains resulted in positive adjustment, whereas self-consciousness proved detrimental. Adolescents' perceptions of their parents as…

This article explains how cooperative learning techniques can be used to teach interpersonal social skills, describes the cognitive-behavioral model for treating deficits in social problem-solving skills, and outlines the critical steps for using peers as social skills trainers in classrooms with antisocial students. (DB)

Negative attitudes toward disabled people are fostered by society's body-beautiful ethic, success orientation, nondisabled guilt, the concept of "spread," and media stereotypes. Strategies for improving camper and staff attitudes toward disabled people include precamp training, social skills training, role playing, a positive camp…

Proposes a model in which parental social status (PSS) affects school achievement and self-concept in the academic domain. Also studied how perceived PSS affects self-concept in social domains. Findings supported the model with one exception: PSS was unrelated to academic self-concept in the urban setting. (RJM)

Presents a 15-month follow-up to a study comparing inductive social skills training to skill assembly social skills training and cognitive-relaxation coping skills interventions for general anger reduction in college students. Compared to control group, counseled groups reported lower trait anger, general anger, anger across many situations, and…

Presents research from a recently completed study investigating the relationship between college-age offsprings' perceptions of several dimensions of interparental conflict and indicants of adjustment. Analysis revealed that frequency of interparental conflict was the most important predictor of depression, externalizing behavior problems, and…

Social interaction skills are an important part of leisure behavior. Many people with disabilities and/or illness lack adequate social interaction skills and require direct intervention. The article provides a background and explanation of social competence and a listing of commercially available resources for social skills intervention. (SM)