Problem behavior at school "interferes with the educational process and places a burden on teachers" (U.S. Department of Education 2002, p. III-17). Disciplinary problems have long been linked to negative outcomes for students with disabilities, such as course failure and dropping out of school (Wagner et al. 1991). Parents, administrators,…

This paper presents data on a new measure of attitudes toward children with severe emotional disturbance (SED) and reports on the measure's use to examine teachers' attitudes toward children with SED. Elementary or high school teachers (n=103) in western North Carolina completed the Attitudes towards Children with Serious Emotional Disturbance…

During a symposium, three presentations described initiatives that exemplify the principles and components of the Ecology of Outcomes. Emphasis is on accountability for achieving measurable outcomes and use of outcome information in program planning and development. Summaries of individual papers are: (1) "The Ecology of Outcomes: System…

This conference paper discusses the results of a study on the effectiveness of Florida's multidisciplinary Family Service Planning Teams (FSPT). The FSPTs were developed to create holistic service plans to enable children with emotional disabilities to live in the community and be successful in school. The FSPTs have become the focus of service…

This paper critiques current models for evaluation of mental health services provided to children and adolescents with emotional disturbances and offers an alternative model. The most popular model, Donabedian's tripartite model, is described. This model separately evaluates three domains: (1) structure (characteristics of the care providers,…

The Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale (CAFAS) provides information on psychological impairment, including a score for the child's overall functioning as well as scale scores for eight psychosocial areas: school, work, home, community relationships, moods, self-harmful behavior, substance use, and abnormal thinking. This symposium…

This conference paper discusses the results of a study that investigated the validity of the Family-Centered Behavior Scale (FCBS) and its companion tool, the FCBS-Importance. On the FCBS, parents of children with special needs rate how often a professional with whom they work performs certain family-centered behaviors. On the FCBS-Importance,…

This study investigated the various funding sources used by programs which serve and support youth and young adults with emotional and/or behavioral disabilities (EBD) as they transition into adulthood. Initial data from a survey of 18 program sites in Florida that are serving this target population resulted in the identification of more than 40…

This packet of material contains a collection of strategies designed to prevent school failure and antisocial behavior. The collection includes: (1) "Why Are We Surprised?", which discusses the poor learning outcomes and troubling behaviors of some students with disabilities; (2) "Paying Now or Later," which addresses the cost…

This paper reports on the University of South Carolina School-Based Mental Health Project, a program which provides mental health services within a public school setting in an effort to maximize the preventive and educational effects of mental health services within schools. The project is also developing a model to serve as a foundation for a…

Five groups of approximately 50 children, grades 2 through 6, from each of five schools (four in low socioeconomic mostly black areas), originally referred for 1 or 2 years' support in a behaviorally oriented resource room, were followed up after regular class placement for 2 or 3 years. (MC)

An extended-care program at a child guidance clinic placed student volunteers in closely supervised relationships with emotionally disturbed children. The study concluded that college students are an effective if unappreciated source of manpower. (Author)

Described is a college course involving clinical teaching in a residential setting by seniors majoring in the education of socially and emotionally maladjusted children. (GW)

Reported was a followup study of intellectual and nonintellectual predictors at second or fifth grade levels of later high school achievement level and status of about 150 subjects. (DB)