In the context of a response to other articles contained in a special issue on social interaction skills of handicapped students, trends in developing social interaction skills of behavior disordered students are discussed, including current training issues and procedures as well as suggestions for future research and program development. (JW)

Sociometric ratings assigned by and to partially mainstreamed behavior disordered and regular class elementary students were compared. Among results were that behavior disordered subjects, in comparison to matched nonhandicapped peers, assigned higher social rejection to their peers and received far less acceptance and more rejection from them.…

A checklist was developed to assess congruence between needs identified by psychoeducational assessment and instructional goals of the Individualized Education Program. Use with records of 106 behaviorally disordered students (K-12) suggested lack of diagnostic-intervention congruence and dissimilarity between IEP goals and diagnostic/assessment…

Presents an overview of current forces impinging on the field of emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) and offers some recommendations for actions. It identifies expanding social risk factors and notes unsympathetic public policy. Issues in educational programming are addressed in the areas of curriculum, placement, efficacy, and personnel. An…

Results of follow-up studies conducted on 67 high-school students with behavior disorders (BD) who graduated in 1985 and 22 graduates with BD who graduated in 1993, after passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), were compared to investigate the effects of transition requirements. The class of 1993 demonstrated better…

This study compared perceptions of staff in self-contained programs and mainstreamed programs for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) in a district committed to inclusion, interagency coordination, and staff training. Well-established self-contained programs were perceived as superior to relatively new mainstream programs in…

Problems in early identification of children with emotional or behavioral disorders in current systems of care are discussed along with current methods for early screening. Use of early detection and ongoing assessment of response as a basis for more focused intervention is suggested. Primary and secondary prevention issues are also discussed.…

A review of 20 independent samples found a wide range of school and student variables influence the use of administrative discipline contacts, whereas administrator/teacher and family variables have less influence. Relevant variables include participation in athletics, child neglect, antisocial behavior, and anecdotal suspension report. (Contains…

This article discusses evidence for functional behavioral assessment (FBA) procedures in terms of the meaning and interpretation of different forms of reliability and validity in FBA. It concludes that additional research needs to be conducted with various target behaviors across different settings to support the continued use of FBA. (Contains…

Explores several topics related to advocating for students with emotional and behavioral disorders, including the role of teachers. Various misdirected advocacy positions are critiqued and a new advocacy agenda proposed that focuses on program appropriateness, qualified personnel, least restrictive environment, and meaningful classification and…

Analysis of 214 Individualized Education Programs for students with behavior disorders assigned to public school resource, self-contained, and cross-categorical and residential/institutional special education programs found many lacked mandated components and contained discrepancies between annual goals and present performance levels across age…

The position paper of the Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders rejects the Regular Education Initiative based on the lack of evidence supporting proposals for radical restructuring, the lack of eligibility standards for services, and the lessons of history. It affirms the need for an array of service options. (DB)

Questionnaire data on 139 undergraduate and 144 graduate special education programs indicated that the ecological approach is included in programs to train teachers of the behaviorally disordered and that the emphasis on course hours and practice is similar for undergraduate and graduate levels. (Author/DB)

This study explored the ability of 273 adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) to recognize facial affect cues. In general, the EBD subjects were less accurate than non-EBD peers in recognizing facial affect cues. However, adolescents with externalizing disorders were as proficient as non-EBD adolescents in their recognition of…

Intensive group interviews with 11 special education and 3 general education teachers regarding the educational placement of pupils with emotional or behavioral disorders found diverse opinions about placement alternatives; administrative procedures seen as impediments; support for collaboration between decision makers and service providers; and…