The current trend of hurrying a child's development, as evidenced by the popularity of disposable pants for toilet training, is criticized. The pants frustrate both parents and children and, it is concluded, serve no useful purpose in the toilet-learning process. (LB)

The aim of the book is to serve for clinical, practical, basic and scholarly practices. In twentyfive chapters it covers the most important topics related to Autism Spectrum Disorders in the efficient way and aims to be useful for health professionals in training or clinicians seeking an update. Different people with autism can have very different…

Management of insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) is a complex task that requires the adolescent with IDDM recognize the interaction between diet, exercise, stress, emotions, and insulin dosage. With regularity, however, adolescents with IDDM are shown to be in less good metabolic control than younger children or young adults. The study…

Methods of deriving more information from auditory discrimination tests of learning disabled children in order to better diagnose and provide programing are described. (PHR)

A one-year pilot study was undertaken to aid students in realizing full academic potential and assist them in personal growth toward maturation. Student development intervention strategies were used to structure a developmental milieu. Results show the program had a positive impact on academic performance and dimensions of personal growth.…

Described are the history of the study of language disabilities, briefly outlining the work of Samuel Orton, Judson Herrick, Adolph Meyer, and Paul Schilder; Lauretta Bender's development of the Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test; and the basic principles of language disorders, including familial patterns, maturation lag, plasticity, and nonfixated…

Undeclared majors, like declared majors, are at various levels of maturity, and the development and implementation of advising strategies must incorporate these levels and the students' perspective. An integrated model of college student development applied to the undeclared major is presented. (Author/MLW)

Describes the application by principals of situational leadership concepts to reduce conflict among groups participating in decision making. Factors covered include maturity levels of participants, flexibility of leadership style, and possible variations in conflict management strategies appropriate to different maturity levels of participants.…

The author outlines ways to integrate work identity and social identity in order to improve the quality of life. He presents a model for maintaining balance between personal and professional growth, which can stimulate achievement in six areas of human potential. (SK)

Explores forces of tradition and community and pressures to find work and succeed in "modern" world on lives of rural youth. Examines data on 46 youth (aged 17-24) from Sawyer, Maine. Suggests lessons for social service professionals as they help youth, their families, and their communities build constructive future lives. (NEC)

This digest offers guidelines to parents and educators helping gifted adolescents adjust to problems related to their giftedness. Challenges to adjustment are noted in the areas of: ownership (talented adolescents simultaneously "own" and yet question the validity of their abilities); dissonance (between their high standards and their…

The competencies of the university secretary were studied at the University of Southern Maine. In addition to developing position descriptions, competencies that distinguish effective performers were also identified. Based on results of interviews with 24 secretaries, a competency-based model was developed. Fourteen competencies were categorized…

Situational leadership theory suggests that to reach maximum leadership effectiveness, the leader must adapt his/her behavior to different situations. For athletic coaches, this means that the amount of direction provided for students should increase or decrease according to the students' maturity levels. Applications of the theory are discussed.…

Presents results of a study developing an informal social skills teacher rating scale for use with early adolescents. Reports that the scale includes skill identification and situational analysis. Provides information on identifying and ranking responses and checking a content validity and reliability. Concludes that the matrix can generate…

Examines the impact of friendship on the process and outcome of peer-tutoring in a study involving 90 Welsh 8- to 9-year-old children. Finds peer-tutors have difficulty coordinating the demands of tutoring tasks because of their limited cognitive resources. Also finds friendship imposes greater burdens on children's limited resources. (NL)