Severely and profoundly mentally retarded institutionalized residents (N=74) who received lithium carbonate for behavior disorders were followed in a 10-year retrospective study. Thirty-one subjects demonstrated a sustained major reduction or elimination of behavioral symptoms. Lithium responders were likely to be older and to present symptoms of…

Investigated whether earliest school recollections (ESRs) diagnostic approach can reveal current attitude toward being mainstreamed of violent and assaultive youth. Examined current student behavior assessments of violent and assaultive youth (n=60) who previously attended specialized day-treatment facility to determine mainstreaming success.…

Elementary teachers (N=276) reviewed a vignette of a hypothetical gifted student described as having either mild or moderate behavioral problems and either nonlabelled or labelled as behaviorally disordered (BD). Teachers were more likely to refer the mildly disturbed student for placement in a gifted program and were not significantly influenced…

Two experiments, one involving two elementary-aged girls with autism and one involving three boys with serious behavior disorders, found that the use of contingent access to free time and play materials increased the rate of correct math problems completed and decreased the error rates. (Author/JDD)

Use of anabolic steroids is believed to increase the odds of violent antisocial behavior, thus posing risks to consumers and the general public. Some research shows the danger of steroids in inducing severe adverse psychiatric effects. Certain lawyers use this abuse to plead insanity for their clients. (SM)

The literature on the use of moral discussion groups to promote moral development in young people with behavior disorders is reviewed, and the use of the intervention is analyzed. Limitations and recommendations for applying the approach are discussed. (MSE)

Comparison of results of using the Revised Behavior Problem Checklist to identify mild or highly deviant behavior in 95 children (grades 3 through 6) by two regular education teachers of each child indicated little agreement between teachers. (Author/DB)

Six behavior rating scales used with children with problematic behaviors were reviewed for psychometric soundness of reliability and validity. They are: Behavior Dimensions Rating Scale; Behavior Evaluation Scale; Child Behavior Checklist, Teacher Report Form; Devereux Elementary School Behavior Rating Scale; Revised Behavior Problem Checklist;…

The introduction to the special issue looks at the implications for school policy and special education of increasing suicide, abuse, and violence. Nine school responsibilities and three levels of prevention (primary, secondary, and tertiary) are identified. (DB)

Fifty-three parents of children with educable mental handicaps, behavioral disorders, and learning disabilities completed a questionnaire on the types and numbers of program modifications needed to persuade them to accept full-time mainstreaming for their elementary-level children. Parents' specific mainstreaming recommendations are discussed…

Argues that behaviorally disordered students can benefit from the use of newspapers in their formal instruction. Presents a series of teaching suggestions for affective development, daily living, and vocational awareness including: categorizing, cause and effect, use of graphs, and arithmetic skills. (RS)

Research for biological-genetic markers of alcoholism is discussed in context of a multifactorial, heterogeneous, developmental model. Suggested that strategies used in linkage and association studies will require modification. Also suggested several extant associations of genetic markers represent true secondary interactive phenomena that alter…

Recent studies show the neuropsychopharmacologic basis of alcoholism. Studies involving the serotonergic and opioidergic neurotransmitter systems have shown consistent results. Concurrent nosologic developments have led to identification of subtypes of alcoholism. This article reviews literature in these various areas in an effort to enhance…

Describes work of Anton Makarenko (1888-1939), Ukrainian educator and youth pioneer considered one of century's great experts on troubled youth. Notes that, although Makarenko claimed to work without theories, he actually used sophisticated interventions that involved cognitive dissonance, paradoxical interventions, and cognitive reframing with…

Poetry writing is recommended in working with adolescent students both with and without emotional/behavioral disorders. Poetry writing is seen as having value in preventing emotional problems and in reaching depressed adolescents with language deficits. Examples are given from poems written by seventh graders. (DB)