In order to facilitate entry of a new child into the classroom, the teacher of cognitively and emotionally impaired children should be aware of the class's hierarchical social organization. (CL)

Evaluates the effectiveness of social skills training methods specifically designed to enhance children's peer relationships. Discusses "coaching" methods on the basis of a small scale survey of social skills training procedures in use at social service agencies, guidance centers, hospitals, and clinical settings. (Author/AOS)

Argues that establishing the purpose of observed inappropriate social behavior could help in understanding reciprocal relationships. Suggests inappropriate behavior can occur because an unpopular child adopts an interpersonal strategy to cope with rejection. Studies show that differential deficiencies in social skills are associated with the type…

A review of 32 studies that compared social competence of children with learning disabilities and typical children in inclusive classrooms found children with learning disabilities and low-achieving children were at a greater risk for social difficulties than were average-to-high-achieving children and did not have accurate self-perceptions of…

This article suggests specific strategies to prevent rejection and isolation and encourage interactions when students with disabilities are integrated into general education classes. Teachers are encouraged to foster proximity, teach peer support and friendship skills, foster respect for individual differences, and provide a positive model. (DB)

This study examined loneliness and sense of coherence among 187 preschool children in Israel, of which 111 were at high risk for developing learning disabilities. The high risk children demonstrated higher levels of loneliness and lower levels of coherence than the control group. The high risk children also were less accepted by nondisabled peers.…

This article highlights three teachers who were actively involved as friendship facilitators by illuminating their use of a friendship-facilitator framework with three students with moderate/severe disabilities. The framework includes three strategies: finding opportunities to bring children and youth together, acknowledging individual strengths…

Focuses on the nature of peer relationships of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) children, including relationship problems that are commonly manifested in the areas of academic, conduct, and social problems. Finds that children with ADHD experience numerous peer difficulties and may benefit from specially designed intervention. (SD)

This article addresses effective techniques for teaching students with emotional disturbances and/or behavior disorders in group settings. Three stages of group development are described with specific teaching strategies for each stage identified and related to Maslow's hierarchy of needs, including needs for safety and trust, belonging and…

Summarizes research on the effects of friendship and group acceptance on adolescents' evaluations of camp, and on the incidence of homesickness among boys ages 8-16 participating in a residential sports camp. Implications for camp involve helping campers develop appropriate social skills and educating staff concerning the symptoms of homesickness.…

A review of 33 studies in which mainstreamed or included students with deafness were compared to another group found that hearing students were more socially mature than deaf included students, deaf students and their deaf classmates interacted more, and deaf students were somewhat accepted by hearing classmates. (Contains references.) (Author/CR)

This study examined the relations between preschool children's attachment security, temperament, and peer acceptance. Ninety-eight preschool children and their mothers were recruited through childcare centers in the southeast. Mothers and their children participated in two two-hour home observations. Attachment security was assessed using the…

This paper orients the reader to social communication assessment and reviews methods for assessing social communication behavior in children from toddlerhood through the preschool years. Most standardized, normed tests of language in this age range focus on morpho-syntactic and semantic comprehension and production abilities. While social…

Research tells us that children with developmental disabilities and delays have reduced social interaction and reduced social acceptance by other children in comparison with their same-aged peers within early childhood settings. The consequence of this is that these children have limited access to the possible developmental opportunities within…

This chapter focuses on the relationship between popularity and aggression. Subgroups of prosocial-popular, aggressive-popular, and aggressive-unpopular boys from a sample of 286 boys from urban and suburban areas of a major midwestern city are examined in terms of their behavioral and social-ecological correlates. The measures of social…