ABSTRACT
School-based problem-solving teams recently have received much attention as a possible support for children who are at risk for school failure and for over-referral to special education. However, no controlled studies of the effects of such teams on numbers of referrals for special education or for proportion of appropriate referrals for special education have been conducted. The lack of adequate research concerning school-based problem-solving teams, coupled with the widespread promotion of their use, suggests that further study of such teams is important. In this study, we investigated the effect of one team model, Teacher Assistance Teams, on special education referrals in elementary schools of a large urban district. To address limitations of previous research, schools with such teams were compared with those without across several years of implementation. Analysis yielded a significant decrease in referrals in both groups of schools but no significant differences between groups. These findings may be explained by the context in which both groups of schools functioned.
Subject(s)
Education, Special/statistics & numerical data , Learning Disabilities/epidemiology , Patient Care Team/statistics & numerical data , Referral and Consultation/statistics & numerical data , Child , Cross-Sectional Studies , Eligibility Determination , Female , Humans , Incidence , Learning Disabilities/diagnosis , Learning Disabilities/therapy , Male , Missouri/epidemiology , Problem SolvingABSTRACT
The relationship of aggression to several social cognitive variables in delinquent adolescent males was investigated. Subjects were fifty-eight institutionalized males identified by peers as high-aggressive or low-aggressive. Participants were administered measures of perspective taking, moral judgment, and person perception. The findings indicated that only perspective-taking ability was significantly related to aggressive behavior in delinquents. High-aggressive delinquents were less able to perceive others' viewpoints than were low-aggressive delinquents. These findings are consistent with previous research concerning perspective taking and aggression, but disconfirm research involving other social cognitive variables and aggression. Results further indicate the importance of studying social cognitive variables as they relate to relevant clinical behaviors.
Subject(s)
Aggression/psychology , Awareness , Cognition , Juvenile Delinquency/psychology , Social Adjustment , Adolescent , Humans , Interpersonal Relations , Male , Morals , Peer Group , Personality Development , Social PerceptionABSTRACT
A liquid methionine supplement known as methionine hydroxy analogue-free acid (MHA-FA) was evaluated as a source of methionine in the diet of young broiler chicks. Diets calculated to be deficient in methionine were supplemented with MHA-FA and performance compared to that obtained when comparable diets were supplemented with molar equivalents of methionine from L-methionine, DL-methionine, or the calcium salt of methionine hydroxy analogue. Performance of chicks fed the test product was equal to that obtained on the other methionine products. The use of MHA-FA might allow for a more even distribution in the diet, easier handling, and a lower manufacturing cost with resultant savings in the cost of producing poultry and eggs.