Reports on the results of a study of 119 youth at the Hillsborough County, Florida, Juvenile Assessment Center involving community-based intervention. Results indicate that males were more involved in delinquent activities, whereas females came from troubled family backgrounds. Presents conclusions regarding the health service implications of…

Reviews the literature on young children's peer social development. Addresses implications of social learning theory and empirical research. Discusses recurring themes, including child/peer versus child/adult interactions, incorporation of toys and games, influence of mothers, and gender peer preferences. Considers areas lacking empirical support…

Examined 11th graders' perceived relationships with older sibling in the context of adolescent-parent and adolescent-peer relationships. Found that relationships with older siblings were similar to relationships with parents and peers. Positive sibling relationships contributed to emotional and school-related support beyond the contribution of…

Reports on a qualitative investigation of the effects of indirect aggression from peers on teenage girls. Outlines the perceived characteristics of victims and their responses to indirect aggression. Asserts that an understanding of the painful effects of indirect aggression on girls is an important prelude to designing interventions to assist…

Examines students' perceptions of their experiences with a virtual campus policy at Sheffield Hallam University (United Kingdom). Discusses how they are reacting to greater use of information and communication technologies (ICT), their relationship with faculty and peer groups, and the possible adoption of new strategies for studying and learning.…

A study of 12 playgroups (n=6 children per playgroup) examined the sequential process of social participation with peers for young children with mild developmental delays. Results reveal the existence of highly similar sequential play patterns between children with and without mild developmental delays and across specialized and inclusive…

Interviews regular and special education teachers concerning knowledge and attitudes towards attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD) and learning disabilities (LD). Determined that general knowledge was low among both groups. Three-quarters of teachers favored increasing peer awareness as to problems LD students encounter at school. No…

This pilot study examined how the individual social-behavioral profiles of six children with language impairment (LI) influenced their ability to work with two typically developing children in cooperative groups. Although the success of individual interactions was highly variable, the LI child's social profile was a good predictor of ability to…

A case study approach was used to collect data from two 13-year-old boys with Asperger syndrome and their mothers in Queensland, Australia. Four themes were identified through the semi-structured interviews with the boys and their mothers: developmental differences, problems associated with the general characteristics of the disability, stress,…

Examined differences in children's spontaneous use of emotion vocabulary during peer interactions and explored these differences in relation to children's likability as assessed by peers. Found that with increasing age, emotion vocabulary became more differentiated and complex, and children who used a larger number of emotion words were more liked…

Forty-eight children (ages 5 to 13) with autism or related pervasive developmental disability were paired with normally developing peers for informal play periods. Compared to a control group, the experimental children demonstrated improved social behavior which sometimes generalized to interactions with other children and the larger school…

Encourages teachers to interact with students and students to interact with each other to facilitate cultural awareness and respect for differences. Proposes a number of classroom activities, such as "how to" presentations, studies of cultural folklore, and a puppet show. (TB)

A reversal design was used in two elementary classrooms to examine effects of cooperative learning groups (CLG) in reading instruction for three students with autism and their general education peers. Results demonstrated increased reading gains, academic engagement, and peer interaction during CLG conditions. Results also documented the…

Comparison of the social interactions of nine children with visual impairments and a comparison group of nine children with full sight found that children with visual impairments were capable of interacting with others, but there were differences in the frequency of social initiations and the targets of these initiations. Results support…

This study compared peer interactions in 12 play groups of 6 preschool children each, containing either typically developing children, children with developmental delays, or both typical and delayed children. Results indicated higher levels of peer interactions in mainstreamed settings but a lack of full acceptance of children with delays by…