Since the identification of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) over 35 years ago, mounting evidence about the impact of maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy has prompted increased attention to the link between prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) and a constellation of developmental disabilities that are characterized by physical, cognitive, and…

The German version of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was used in a study to examine its usefulness in diagnosing socioemotional problems of deaf and hard of hearing children. The SDQ parent version was completed by 213 mothers and 213 fathers. The factor structure and reliability were tested, and the prevalence rate of…

Background: Children's physiological reactivity was examined as a moderator of relations between parental dysphoria and child adjustment problems, addressing gaps in the study of child characteristics as risk processes. Method: One hundred fifty-seven children (86 boys, 71 girls) were assessed twice over a two-year interval. Skin conductance level…

The present research, demonstrating the lack of validity of the Human Figure Drawing Test as a measure of social adjustment, casts doubt upon its value when used in a normal setting such as the classroom. (Author)

The purpose of the study was to examine effects of social development programs on role-taking, problem-solving skills, and classroom adjustment. The results indicated that the children in the experimental group gained in respect for others, ability to generate alternatives to problem situations, creative expression, patience, and self-reliance.…

Follow-up data on 57 schizophrenic patients, including 25 boys and 32 girls between the ages of 7 and 13, was obtained. (Author)

Interpersonal conflicts of children in natural settings are the focus of this review of the empirical literature in social and cognitive development and sociolinguistics. The central role of conflict in various developmental theories is outlined. Studies indicate substantial relations between children's socio-cognitive functioning and their…

Examined the role of coping strategies as moderators of the effects of peer victimization on children's adjustment among 9- and 10-year-olds. Found that strategies such as problem solving that were beneficial for non-victimized children exacerbated difficulties for victimized children. Social support seeking buffered victimized girls but not boys.…

Several controversies surround differentiation between socially maladjusted and seriously emotionally disturbed. Central to controversy is interpretation of social maladjustment as restricted to include socialized aggressive and adjudicated delinquents or broadened to include Conduct Disorders, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, and antisocial…

Examined processes involved in the relationship of early adolescents' appraisals of interparental conflict with adjustment problems in two samples. Found that perceived threat mediated association between interparental conflict and internalizing problems in both samples; self-blame mediated this association for boys in both samples and girls in…

Background: There have been several reports of successful psychosocial interventions for children with selective mutism (SM), a disorder in which a child consistently fails to speak in one or more social settings (e.g., school) despite speaking normally in other settings (e.g., home). The present literature review was undertaken in order to…

This paper reports on three studies of shy behavior in Mainland Chinese children. In Study 1 (N = 107, M age = 10.05), a Chinese Shyness Scale (CSS) was developed based on Chinese teachers' open-ended descriptions of children's shy behavior. In Study 2 (N = 388, M age = 10.80) and Study 3 (N = 198, M age = 10.20), the construct validity of the two…

The authors propose a heuristic model of the social outcomes of childhood brain disorder that draws on models and methods from both the emerging field of social cognitive neuroscience and the study of social competence in developmental psychology/psychopathology. The heuristic model characterizes the relationships between social adjustment, peer…