A Precision Teaching Framework for Improving Mathematical Skills of Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Journal of Behavioral Education - The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of a precision teaching (PT) framework on the mathematical ability of students with intellectual and...     

Selective Mutism and Its Relations to Social Anxiety Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder

In current classification systems, selective mutism (SM) is included in the broad anxiety disorders category. Indeed, there is abundant evidence showing that anxiety, and social anxiety in particular, is a prominent feature of SM. In this article, we point out that autism spectrum problems in addition to anxiety problems are sometimes also implicated in SM. To build our case, we summarize evidence showing that SM, social anxiety disorder (SAD), and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are allied clinical conditions and share communalities in the realm of social difficulties. Following this, we address the role of a prototypical class of ASD symptoms, restricted and repetitive behaviors and interests (RRBIs), which are hypothesized to play a special role in the preservation and exacerbation of social difficulties. We then substantiate our point that SM is sometimes more than an anxiety disorder by addressing its special link with ASD in more detail. Finally, we close by noting that the possible involvement of ASD in SM has a number of consequences for clinical practice with regard to its classification, assessment, and treatment of children with SM and highlight a number of directions for future research.

     

From Ousia to Sophia: The Patristic and Classical Background to Twentieth‐Century Essentialism and Personalism

Both Classical Greek philosophy and the early Christian theology that often drew upon it reflected a tension in their understanding of essence (ο?σ?α). Was it a concrete thing, something that could assume agency and be related to, or did it refer only to the shared characteristics that reflect things and persons of a common kind? In this article I first establish that this question pertains, mutatis mutandis, to the Platonic forms, as well as to Christian concepts of essence and nature. I then argue that the Christian theology of the conciliar period sided against the reification of essence/nature, noting that their misplaced concreteness resulted in problematic doctrines. In conclusion I briefly explore how this same dynamic plays out in twentieth‐century Orthodox theology, as expressed by Sergius Bulgakov, Vladimir Lossky and John Zizioulas.     

Assessing interactional competencies: The early social-communication scales

Interactional competencies that develop in the first two years of life provide a foundation for all further social and communicative developments. Their normal acquisition, especially in the handicapped, can not be taken for granted. If delays in social-communicative development can be identified early in life and changes made in how the social environment interacts with the child, intervention may effectively facilitate social development. However, to accomplish this, both a model for describing and an instrument for assessing interactional competencies are needed. A recently developed set of scales, organized according to a cognitive-developmental framework and drawing upon recent research literature, is described in terms of its organization and content. Results that support the cognitive model underlying the set of scales are reported. The paper concludes with a consideration of potential criticisms that may apply to such a theoretically based instrument.     

Showing-off behaviour of nursery children

Assertive behaviours like showing-off have an important role for a child in getting attention from other children in a class without being aggressive. This study presented the showing-off behaviour in an English nursery school, and later it was discussed in comparison with that in the German kindergartens reported by Hold-Cavell. As a result, the English children performed showing-off behaviours at only one-half the frequency of German children. No sex difference was seen in either showing-off or physical aggression in the nursery class. The frequency of showing-off did not correlate with that of physical aggression; this result is discussed in terms of Hinde's motivational postulate. Showing-off behaviour is deserving of the further studies cross-culturally and onto-genetically.     

Temperamental Factors in the Execution of Interrupted Editing Tasks

The question investigated in this study is how the temperament traits of strength of excitation (SE), strength of inhibition (SI), and mobility (MO) affect behaviour during the execution of computer tasks and tasks interrupting them. Several hypotheses, partly derived from the regulative theory of temperament, were tested in an experiment in which the natural environment and the types of task commonly performed by secretaries were simulated. The sample consisted of 39 female secretaries (21–64 years old). It was found that individuals high on SE and MO needed less time to resume tasks after an interruption than individuals low on these temperament traits. Interruptions similar to the main task resulted in longer resumption times for low-SE individuals. MO was negatively related to the time needed to perform the main task. A model describing the relationship between the frequency of switches between tasks and the speed of task performance in low-MO and high-MO individuals is presented.     

Reliability and Validity of a Paper-and-Pencil Test Measuring Hemisphere Preference

The present studies examined the reliability and validity of the Preference Test (PT), a widely used self-report index of preferred hemisphere thinking styles. The PT consists of items that intend to tap left-hemisphere and right-hemisphere cognitions. In the first study (N=47), PT scores were found to have reasonable test–retest stability. In the second study (N=334), a factor analysis of PT scores showed that the PT has a two-factor solution that can best be interpreted in terms of putative left- and right-hemisphere items. In the third study (N=29), background EEG activity (F3, F4, P3 and P4) of subjects was recorded. PT scores were found to be related to EEG asymmetry patterns for frontal, but not for parietal, recording sites. More specifically, subjects with a left-hemisphere preference displayed relatively stronger left frontal activity than subjects with a right-hemisphere preference. By and large, the present findings provide strong support for the reliability and some suggestive evidence for the validity of the PT.     

EVidence for dorsolateral and orbital prefrontal cortical involvement in the expression of aggressive behavior

Numerous studies have implicated the role of the prefrontal cortex in the expression of aggressive behavior. However, the nature of this relationship remains poorly understood. As such, the purpose of this article is to review both the animal and human literature pertaining to prefrontal cortical functioning and aggression in an attempt to help clarify this relationship. Particular attention is paid to differentiating the functions of the dorsolateral and the orbital regions of the prefrontal cortex in the expression of aggression. Evidence was garnered from four different types of studies: 1) those examining aggressive behavior in animals following ablations to the prefrontal cortex; 2) those examining aggressive behavior in humans following surgical and accidental lesions to the prefrontal cortex; 3) those examining prefrontal cortical functioning in individuals with psychiatric disorders characterized by aggression; and 4) those relating prefrontal cortical functioning to human aggressive behavior in laboratory situations. The general conclusion of this article is that the dorsolateral region of the prefrontal cortex is more likely to be involved in the expression of physical aggression whereas the orbital region is more likely to be involved in the expression of what is termed herein “disinhibited-nonaggressive” behavior. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.