This paper describes the ongoing action research program at a residential school for students with emotional and behavior disorders in England. Structured "cooperative play" is used to improve language and behavior skills of students, train adults, and provide a research setting in which changes can be observed, recorded, and…

Describes the Vermont Community Adjustment Tracking System (VT-CATS), which utilizes four behavioral instruments to allow intensive, ongoing, and interpretable behavioral assessment of a service system's most challenging children and adolescents. Also explains the adjustment indicator checklists and the ability of VT-CATS to address agencies'…

A question-and-answer format is used to summarize requirements concerning suspension and expulsion of students with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997. Questions address definitions, due process rights, suspension and expulsion as a "change of placement," the Interim Alternative…

Describes the use of a self-determination curriculum for mental-health intervention and primary prevention for Head Start children. The curriculum addresses critical adaptive-skills domains, including social skills, self-evaluation, self-direction, networking or friendship, collaboration or support seeking, problem solving and decision making, and…

This article describes the Behavior Assessment System for Children, a multimethod, multidimensional approach to evaluating the behaviors and self-perceptions of children ages 2.6 to 18 years. The BASC contains a Teacher Rating Scale, a Parent Rating Scale, and a Child Self-Report of Personality. Its administration, reliability, and validity are…

Discusses features of a middle school program for students with emotional or behavioral disorders, noting how these features promote a secure, inviting environment that meets the students' emotional and psychological needs. Topics include the special education teacher's involvement with regular classroom teachers; focus on student behaviors; and…

Despite a general move and support for inclusion of children with exceptionalities in the regular classroom, children with emotional and behavioural difficulties are often excluded. The paper describes an ecosystems model to facilitate the inclusion of children with emotional and behavioural difficulties in use in some schools in Canada. Results…

Recent research in psychology, psychiatry and neuroscience has demonstrated reliable associations between temperament and individual differences in sensitivity and responsiveness to environmental cues and behavioral consequences. Temperament-influenced behavior patterns evident in infancy have also been found to predict behavioral tendencies in…

The current emphasis on educating children in the least restrictive environment has resulted in the use of physical restraint procedures across all educational placement settings, including public schools. Since its initial use, restraint has been controversial. Professionals who use physical restraint claim that it is necessary to safely manage…

This report summarizes the findings of three 5-year federally financed dropout prevention programs for high risk students and their families known as the ABC programs: ALAS (Achievement for Latinos through Academic Success), the Belief Academy, and Check & Connect. The information is based on a comprehensive report called "Staying in…

This final report discusses the outcomes of an outreach project based on the validated Developmental Therapy-Teaching model that emphasizes teaching skills which foster a child's social-emotional-behavioral competence. The project assisted early childhood and local child care programs in replicating components of the model in inclusive or pull-out…

This paper outlines school-based intervention methods for students with behavior problems that have caused them to be excluded from their neighborhood school. The methods focus on developing the social competence of these youth. Four projects found to be effective in Quebec (Canada) secondary schools are described. One program provides an…

This report describes the experiences of one California nonprofit agency which evolved, in less than 3 years, from supporting 65 people with autism and other challenging behaviors in 13 group homes to supporting 57 people who live in their own homes. The report describes the program's initial focus on providing integrated services in the group…

In response to increasing demands that Canadian school boards provide behavior adaptation programs to counter the effects of disruptive home environments, school violence, and victimization, this paper explores definitions and diagnostic criteria for the following behavior disorders: attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, oppositional defiant…

A conflict resolution curriculum is suggested as a pilot program in a classroom for students with behavior disorders, as these students have more referrals for detention and suspension and more encounters with law enforcement agencies than do other students. Using a modeling approach, all students would subsequently benefit, as the program expands…