This article advocates functional strategy assessment in the formulation of intervention hypotheses intended to improve the academic performance of students with emotional and behavioral disorders. A functional strategy assessment model is presented, and two case illustrations are offered to demonstrate the model's feasibility. Examples of…

A survey of 120 families of children with emotional or behavioral disorders found they received more needed support from formal organizations and paid professionals than from informal organizations and unpaid individuals. However, family members were reported as the most helpful for coping with daily challenges. Parents receiving more support…

The role of family relational problems in the assessment and treatment of psychopathology in children, including the relationship between family and individual disorders, is considered. The study of family relational problems is placed in historical and theoretical contexts and in relationship to assessment issues. Current diagnosis and…

This article documents the responses of a state-supported residential high school for gifted students following the 1994 suicides of three students. The school's measures to develop a screening procedure, design a prevention program, disseminate information about adolescent suicide, and host a conference are outlined, as is a separate crisis…

A study examined the job performance of 47 adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders. Significant discrepancies were found between supervisors' ratings of the importance of work behaviors and their ratings of adolescents' performance of the same behaviors. Adolescents' self-evaluations were significantly more favorable than the ratings…

A cooperative project of the University of Oregon and Springfield, Oregon, School District provided adolescents with emotional disturbances with a transition specialist to develop a service delivery plan and access services. Self-determination, competitive vocational placements, and educational support were emphasized. Project impact on…

Given the limited use of social competence assessments by teachers, this article briefly reviews three assessment strategies for preschool children, developmental and curriculum-based assessment, direct observation, and peer relations and friendship assessment. A modified performance-based assessment of peer-related social competence is…

In this introductory article, the main features of positive behavior support are described, including a prevention-focused continuum of support, proactive instructional approaches to teaching and improving social behaviors, conceptually sound and empirically validated practices, systems change to support effective practices, and data-based…

Discussion of requirements of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) under the 1997 amendments to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act examines key components of the IEP, who constitutes the IEP team, roadblocks to effective use of the IEP, the top 10 common problems in IEPs, making the most of the IEP, transition planning, and…

A study evaluated the effectiveness of in-school support systems, Pupil Support Bases, for 45 adolescents with social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties at 11 comprehensive schools in Scotland. Students in focus groups agreed unanimously that the Pupil Support Bases were helpful and sometimes prevented them from being excluded. (Contains…

This paper reviews findings that suggest a causal relationship between depression, anxiety, or conversion reaction and voice, speech, and language disorders in neurologic patients. The paper emphasizes the need to consider the psychosocial and psychopathological aspects of neurologic communicative disorders, the link between emotional and…

This article reviews personality assessment of students with severe emotional disorders (SED) as mandated by the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA). The EHA definition of SED, assessment strategies required by EHA guidelines, functional Individualized Education Plans, and the role of the school psychologist in the process are…

The paper outlines risk factors for the development of both communication disorders and emotional/behavioral disorders in young children, outlines communication assessment considerations, offers a transactional approach to early intervention which emphasizes the interplay between young children and their caregiving environments, describes…

While Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 apparently protects individuals with emotional or behavioral disabilities when applying for admission to teacher education programs, closer inspection reveals that other legal and moral issues must be considered in protecting the public interest, especially the education of children and youth…

Examined construct and discriminant validity of Classroom Adjustment Rating Scale with 169 normal, 125 learning disabled, and 48 emotionally handicapped elementary boys. Boys were rated by 69 teachers. Factor analysis identified three homogeneous scales: Acting-Out, Learning Problems, and Shy-Anxious. Discriminant analysis classified 77 percent of…