A recent report of the British Mental Health Foundation identified key issues in service provision for children with learning disabilities and severe challenging behavior. Recommendations addressed issues such as definitions of challenging behavior, early intervention, implications for educational services, residential education, and…

Addresses problems of treating troubled girls at a male-dominated facility. The Positive Education Program (PEP) model is used in an Ohio day-treatment program for children with severe behavior problems. PEP staff use negative incidents as learning opportunities while positive programming makes school and its social interactions successful…

In this interview with Susan Conners, a middle school French teacher who has lived with Tourette syndrome (TS) since age 6, she discusses her lack of diagnosis until age 36, difficulties in school, why TS should be listed under "Other Health Impaired" in federal legislation, characteristics of TS, and interventions. (Contains…

Counseling as a related service in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is examined. The type of service options, personnel who may provide services, and legal requirements of IDEA are detailed. Recommendations are provided to schools for providing counseling services to students with emotional and behavioral disorders. (CR)

A study explored episodes of social and physical aggression among 30 low-income, African American, Hispanic, and Latina girls. Episodes of social aggression frequently led to episodes of physical aggression with group alliances solidified in the process. Adults intervened to resolve physically aggressive episodes, while precipitating socially…

This article explains how challenging routines for families of children with behavior disorders can be converted into opportunities to teach communication skills. A case description illustrates how routines-based intervention can extend procedures of functional assessment and positive behavior support. The approach offers flexibility in applying a…

Behavior problems, social skill deficits, and language delays were examined in 332 children (age 3), enrolled in Head Start. Boys showed elevated levels of behavioral problems across all measures. Both boys and girls displayed low language scores, with boys significantly lower than girls on both auditory and expressive skills. (Contains…

Different measures of symptoms and functional impairments were obtained on 285 Head Start children to identify emotional/behavioral disorders. These included six instruments completed by teachers and two completed by parents. Identification of children considered at risk ranged from a low of 1% to a high of 34%. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

The New Smyrna Beach Employability Skills Training Program in Florida offers emotionally and behaviorally disordered adolescents the opportunity to learn basic academic, social, employability, and business skills through participation in a school-based business that models an actual job site. Comparative data for suspensions, dropouts, and…

This quantitative and qualitative case study describes 30 months in the life of a young woman with autism and a history of life-threatening self-injurious behaviors (SIB) who moved from a large public institution into the community. Decreased frequency of problem behaviors was documented. The importance of multicomponent positive intervention…

This article describes a federally funded model self-determination project for students with severe emotional disabilities/behavioral disorders (SED/BD). The project promotes self-determination through instruction in problem solving, self-assertiveness, and self-management skills, and utilizes cross-age peer tutoring involving college students…

Two studies with four adolescents with behavior disorders investigated the relationship between antecedent events and aggressive behavior in school and home settings. The use of videotape recordings and behavioral rehearsal of alternative responses resulted in decreases in the frequency of aggressive behavior and associated antecedent events. (DB)

If teachers of students with behavior disorders are to be more effective, there must be several changes in preservice education. Teachers need training in one predominant theoretical philosophy, in remediation of academic deficits, in competent use of behavior management skills, and in writing individualized education programs. (SM)

This article discusses cooperative learning and computer-assisted instruction (CAI) for students with behavioral disorders. Elements of cooperative learning lessons and relevant software considerations are reviewed. Guidelines are offered and examples using specific software packages given, including models based on learning together, "Jigsaw"…

Interviews with and observation of six behaviorally disordered aggressive adolescents revealed that students perceived teachers as helpful when they engaged in specific aspects of teacher-student communication and flexible academic and behavioral program implementation. They perceived teachers' rigidity and use of discipline as unhelpful. Student…