Examined children's appraisals of marital conflict as mediators of conflict and children's adjustment, health, and physiological reactivity. Found that higher self-blame and perceived threat were vulnerability factors for children's internalizing behaviors, health problems, and higher cardiovascular reactivity. Higher perceived threat was a…

Examined associations among positive and conflictual marital behavior and multiple reports of child behavior problems in a community sample of 78 families with 3-year-old children. Found that less positive marital engagement and greater conflict were associated with observers' reports--but not with parents' or teachers' reports--of more behavior…

Structural equation modeling was used to examine how maternal distress mediated the link between exposure to community violence (CV) and development of early child behavior problems. Findings indicated that direct CV-early child behavior problems path diminished when maternal distress was included in the model, after controlling for maternal SES…

The efficacy of the atypical antipsychotic risperidone was evaluated in the treatment of aberrant behavior (e.g., aggression, self-injury) in 20 individuals with developmental disabilities. The study, a double-blind crossover design, identified 50 percent of participants as responders. Naturalistic observations of five participants showed that…

We conducted descriptive observations of 5 individuals with developmental disabilities and severe problem behavior while they interacted with their caregivers in either simulated environments (an inpatient hospital facility) or in their homes. The focus of the study was on caregiver reprimands and child problem behavior. Thus, we compared the…

The purpose of this article is to document characteristics of kindergarten classrooms that provide resiliency and reduce social and behavioral problems of children during their first year of formal schooling. We analyzed secondary longitudinal survey data of 13,533 kindergartners and 2,411 kindergarten teachers using hierarchical linear modeling…

The duration or magnitude of reinforcement has varied and often appears to have been selected arbitrarily in functional analysis research. Few studies have evaluated the effects of reinforcement magnitude on problem behavior, even though basic findings indicate that this parameter may affect response rates during functional analyses. In the…

The aim of this study was to examine growth trajectories of externalizing and internalizing problems during adolescence. In addition, we also examined factors that might account for individual differences in the level of problem behavior and in the rate of change: Adolescent gender and the quality of the relationships with parents and peers. The…

Cocaine use during pregnancy is a high-risk indicator for adverse developmental outcomes. Three levels of intervention (center, home, and primary care) were compared in a full service, birth to age 3, early intervention program serving children exposed to cocaine prenatally. Data were collected on 130 children from urban, predominantly poor,…

Schools are now required by law to create behavior support plans based on functional behavioral assessment (FBA) for students with behavior problems. Although FBA has been shown to be effective, there are questions as to its feasibility in the schools. In this pilot study we examined the effectiveness of a truncated FBA procedure. The FBA used a…

Children with developmental disabilities (DD) often present with comorbid disruptive behavior problems that may negatively affect their education, treatment, and social interactions. Therefore, treatments that reduce disruptive behavior in children with DD are critical. Three characteristics strongly suggest that PCIT is an appropriate treatment…

This article describes the ways in which I have tried, primarily as a policy researcher, to bring an advocacy perspective to my own work and, in collaboration with others, engage in efforts to improve the lives of children experiencing emotional and behavioral challenges as well as the lives of their families. It is organized in 3 sections. The…

Although it has been well established that parental involvement in school is linked to positive outcomes for children, there are a myriad of issues that make it challenging for some African American families to engage school personnel in collaborative problem solving (e.g., Hill & Craft, 2003). Some of the barriers that decrease involvement…

The present study compared Australian and Chinese teachers' causal attributions for student behavior. A total of 204 Australian teachers and 269 Chinese teachers rated the importance of four causes (ability, effort, family, teacher) of six student problem behaviors. Results showed that both groups of teachers attributed misbehaviors most to…

Approximately 20% of all children have a chronic illness, and about one-third of that number experience consequences severe enough to interfere with school functioning and performance. This article describes challenges that schools face in their efforts to serve students with chronic illness and their families, and it suggests the role that…