An approach to collaboration in social skills instruction for students with disabilities or other special needs is described. The Teaching Social Skills Program involves a four-step evaluation process, with various interventions for students who either cannot or will not demonstrate prosocial behaviors. Teacher training in collaboration skills and…

Studies examining the social skills deficits of children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are reviewed, and possible mediating activities are explored. Efficacy studies involving medication, behavioral interventions, and cognitive-behavioral interventions are discussed. The need for adjunctive nonpharmacological interventions…

This study evaluated the "I Found a Solution" computer-assisted social skills intervention program with 87 mildly mentally retarded students (ages 10-18) in 2 Israeli special schools. Following training, teachers rated trained students as demonstrating better task orientation and less aggression and behavior difficulties. The second…

Explores the meanings constructed around the concept of cooperation by a teacher and her fifth-grade students during cooperative learning. Their experiences indicate that cooperative learning has the potential to be a wolf in sheep's clothing, promising much but actually stifling the empowerment of students for proactive social action. (SLD)

With the exception of teachers, most educators are convinced that principals can have a powerful leadership role in curriculum and instruction. Achieving lasting educational change requires specific strategies, such as adaptive problem solving, school-level focus, compatibility, administrative leadership, teacher involvement, top-down or bottom-up…

Nine articles discuss therapeutic recreation, focusing on community reintegration, social skills training in mental illness, computer links for social service providers, approaches to professional preparation, assistive technology, play environments, self-esteem in adult clients, volunteers, and recreation and music therapy for sexually abused…

Constructed School Social Behavior Scales (SSBS) to include teacher-related and peer-related forms of social competence and antisocial behavior. Standardized SSBS using teacher ratings on 1,858 kindergarten through grade 12 students across United States Evidence presented from several related studies in present investigation indicated that SSBS…

Describes efforts to apply the action-research process to design and evaluate a theory-based program of intervention to reduce and prevent youth violence in high-risk urban environments. Twelve objectives were developed to design and evaluate "Responding in Peaceful and Positive Ways," a violence-prevention curriculum for sixth graders.…

Introduces this special journal issue by outlining previous research on early peer relationships. Explains that the articles in this issue provide a backdrop for identifying the early precursors of individual patterns of success versus failure with peers. (JS)

A study examined the extent to which current medical-student evaluation assesses noncognitive clinical skills and behaviors needed by graduates, including small-group conferences, case-based discussion, library research, lifelong learning, reasoned thinking, interpersonal skills, and logical/sequenced history taking and physical examinations.…

Presents eight language learning principles that suggest ways instructors can integrate language in their classrooms to reinforce anything from vocabulary to thinking and social skills in the form of group and pair work. The principles were developed to improve an imbalance between students' skills and teachers' expectations at Peninsula Technikon…

This article provides some basic foundation of family systems concepts for school professionals who work with students with disabilities. It addresses communication skills and psychological issues that can result in barriers to implementation of family systems concepts and describes a five-step process leading to conflict resolution. (Contains…

Comparing social competence and mental health of homeless and permanently housed Head Start preschoolers, parents and teachers identified more behavioral problems in homeless than housed children. After 6 months, mothers reported declines in homeless children's compliance. Teachers noted declines in their compliance and expressive skills. Homeless…

Evaluated the impact of Smart Talk, a computer-based violence prevention program for adolescents. Control and intervention-group middle-school students completed assessments before and after program implementation. Results indicated that the intervention successfully diminished intervention students' beliefs supporting violence and increased…

A study that videotaped 12 Mexican-American and 12 Anglo-American junior high school students with learning disabilities while they wrote stories in ethnically heterogeneous and homogeneous dyads, found students were skilled in maintaining positive and assertive reciprocal interactions whether they were paired with partners of the same or…