This report summarizes information about Indiana's children and the institutions that touch their lives. Chapter 1 examines current demographic trends that relate to Indiana families. Chapter 2 reviews work and income patterns among adults and working teens, and reports on youths' aspirations for future careers. The growing issue of poverty among…

In response to concerns about the increasing number of students identified as disabled and eligible for special education services, and the growing number of young, aggressive, noncompliant, and very challenging students entering pre-kindergarten and elementary schools, a task force recommended the creation of a Behavior Consultation Team (BCT)…

Noting that a majority of adults believe something is fundamentally wrong with America's current moral climate, this booklet presents a framework for discussing the issue of troubled youths. The booklet presents three approaches, or choices, for addressing the problem: greater parental focus on children's needs; social partnerships in…

This study examined both maternal and child interaction styles, focusing on the association between differences in maternal level and quality of involvement and the synchrony and affective quality of child interaction behaviors. The subjects were 55 mother-child dyads in which the children (ages 2-5) had been referred to a mental health center…

Examined nonshared environmental (NSE) influences on twin preschoolers' behavior independent of genetics. Found that within-pair parenting differences correlated with monozygotic differences in behavior. For the extreme 10 percent of the parenting-discordant and behavior-discordant distributions, average NSE effect size was 11 percent, suggesting…

Examined relations between early family risk and later maladaptive social information processing and conduct problems among 178 economically disadvantaged boys. Found that early childhood assessments of disadvantage and maternal depression predicted boys' maladaptive response generation and conduct problems at age 10, accounting for 6 and 14…

Investigates using functional assessment with nondisabled, at-risk children in general education settings. Explores the combined and interactive effects of teacher and peer attention on problem behavior. Results extend functional assessment research by using a multiple assessment strategy in natural classroom contexts, involving general education…

A cumulative risk model was used to examine the relationship among failure-to-thrive (FIT), maltreatment, and four aspects of children's development (cognitive performance, adaptive functioning at school, classroom behavior, and behavior at home) in 193 6-year-olds. Risk status was negatively associated with the four developmental outcomes.…

Examined the moderating effect of risk on the relation between autonomy processes and family and adolescent functioning. In families in low-risk contexts, behavior undermining autonomy was negatively related to relationship quality; adolescents' autonomy expressions related to positive social functioning. In high-risk-context families, undermining…

This study examined the psychometric properties of performance measures for three novel, interactive virtual reality vignette exercises developed to assess social competency skills of at-risk adolescents. Performance data were collected from 117 African-American male 15-17 year olds. Data for 18 performance measures were obtained, based on…

In this paper we examine the characteristics of preschool attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) from both mental disorder and developmental psychopathology points of view. The equivalence of preschool and school-aged hyperactivity as a behavioral dimension is highlighted together with the potential value of extending the use of the ADHD…

Purpose: To examine smoking initiation in a group of adolescents at risk for developing substance abuse. Methods: Fifty-nine adolescents (25 control and 34 at risk adolescents) participated in a longitudinal study of behavioral and cognitive predictors of development of substance abuse. Aggression, conduct problems, hyperactivity, impulsivity,…

Written to meet the affective need of adolescent students to share their feelings and concerns with supportive listeners, this document contains 50 guided discussions on various topics relating to three focus areas: the self, the self and others, and stress. Under the focus of the self topics include: personal strengths and limitations; behind the…

The numbers of children living in poverty in the United States increased dramatically during the 1980s and remains high. This collection of essays, with a focus on children rather than on parents' income or self-sufficiency, examines the following questions: Why are so many children growing up in poor families? What are the effects of poverty on…

This paper describes and evaluates the Blalock FIRST (Fund for the Improvement and Reform of Schools and Teaching) project, a 3-year, federally funded project based in an elementary school that serves mainly female-headed, African-American families who receive government assistance and live in public housing. The Blalock FIRST project seeks to…