Evaluating the success of Sweden's corporal punishment ban.

OBJECTIVE: In 1979, Sweden became the first nation to explicitly prohibit all forms of corporal punishment of children by all caretakers in an effort to: (1) alter public attitudes toward this practice; (2) increase early identification of children at risk for abuse; and (3) promote earlier and more supportive intervention to families. The aim of this study was to examine trends over recent decades in these areas to assess the degree to which these goals have been met. METHOD: Primary data were collected from official Swedish sources for the following variables: public support for corporal punishment, reporting of child physical assault, child abuse mortality, prosecution rates, and intervention by the social authorities. Lines of best fit were generated and Cox and Stuart tests for trend were conducted. RESULTS: Public support for corporal punishment has declined, identification of children at risk has increased, child abuse mortality is rare, prosecution rates have remained steady, and social service intervention has become increasingly supportive and preventive. CONCLUSIONS: The Swedish ban has been highly successful in accomplishing its goals.

A decade of research on learning disabilities: a report card on the state of the literature.

A review of 208 studies of children with learning disabilities (LD) published in 10 major journals between 1988 and 1990 was conducted to determine the extent to which recommendations made in 1980 and 1984 regarding reporting and design of LD research have been followed. A number of problems continue to threaten the interpretability and utility of results, including imprecise subject descriptions, heterogeneous samples, and methodological weaknesses. Implications for the field are discussed and recommendations for improvement are provided.