A study of principals in the Illinois Administrators' Academy individualized development program during 1990-91 examined changes in instructional leadership to determine whether mentors affected principals' behaviors. Principals reported changes in all behaviors associated with each of five leadership dimensions. Further interviews of…

This review of the literature on functional assessment and treatment of challenging behavior in children and adults with developmental disabilities first discusses functional assessment methods and then research issues, including informant assessment, direct observation assessment, and experimental (functional) analysis. The implications of this…

Addresses the ways in which the United States uses history to justify present events. Suggests that two myths about history tend to confuse thinking (1) the notion that history repeats itself, and (2) the belief that hindsight is 20-20. Argues that history teachers must alert students to the complexity of human events and avoid misleading…

Reviews Guy Steuart's career and major themes of his writing: the nature of health, program development process, and the role of the professional health educator. (SK)

The prevention, prediction, and management of crises with students having emotional/behavioral problems is addressed. Three phases of crisis management are identified: precrisis, during the crisis, and postcrisis. Techniques to reduce the frequency of behavioral crises and effective interventions are suggested. (DB)

To determine whether children younger than four have an authentic theory of mind, studies relying on deceptive hiding measures for indexing false belief were carried out. Children accurately anticipated the impact of deceptive strategies on the behavior and belief of opponents and used information management to help and hinder others' efforts. (BC)

Use of lithium with mentally retarded individuals with psychiatric conditions and/or behavior disturbances is discussed. The paper describes components of an adequate clinical trial and reviews case studies and double-blind cases. The paper concludes that aggression is the best indicator for lithium use, and reviews treatment parameters and…

Claims termination of counseling is punishment, not reward, to emotionally starved children from troubled environments. Discusses how counselor decided to allow students to come for weekly counseling if the student exhibited reasonably acceptable behavior that week. (ABL)

This commentary outlines considerations in assessing (and programing for) social validity to attain results that are valued by client audiences. It discusses the objectives and contexts of several types of social validation, procedures for conducting a social validation, and questions addressed by researchers in assessing social validity. (JDD)

Defines self-modeling as positive change in behavior that results from repeated observations of oneself on videotapes that depict only appropriate or desired behaviors. Sees self-modeling as effective, short-term, and relatively inexpensive technique that can be used by school psychologists in educational settings. Presents case study in which…

Describes Boys Town model which, grounded in research on development and dynamics of aggression, targets seven critical skills for creating safe, positive treatment environments that empower aggressive youth to change. Discusses these skills: relationship building components; praise and differential reinforcement; behavioral specificity;…

Discusses the use of transdermal nicotine (TN) in smoking cessation and its value as an effective procedure. The article reveals that, compared to a placebo, TN has double the quit rate percentages, and less than 5% of smokers quit TN due to side effects. (GLR)

Provides an overview of the Start SMART smoking cessation program which combines nicotine withdrawal therapy with behavior modification. The Start SMART program provides seven, intensive one-hour group sessions that are shown to be a most effective intervention with a specific population--motivated, yet highly dependent smokers. (GLR)

Explains the use of videotape recordings to provide examples of self-modeling for the purpose of student behavior change. Reviews research on the efficacy of videotaped self-modeling (VSM), technological requirements, editing, arranging the videotaping, using self-modeling as a positive behavior support, and precautions and challenges. (DB)

Provides a set of best practices for working with high-risk young people derived from the approaches and strategies that have been used successfully by "turnaround teachers" for generations. States that believing in students' resilience requires foremost that teachers believe in their own innate capacity to transform and change. (Author/MKA)