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The extent to which both traumatic life experiences and resiliency factors contributed to gang-involved delinquent behavior in adolescent males was investigated. Results indicated that the juvenile delinquent residential treatment setting participants had significantly higher levels of both Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptomatology and emotional numbing than regular education high school students. Results also revealed that emotional numbing in the residential treatment setting participants positively correlated with gang-involved delinquent behavior. In addition, the low resiliency scores of residential treatment setting participants positively correlated with both gang involvement and delinquency. Practical implications of this study were discussed, including the effectiveness of screening for PTSD symptomatology when considering admission to a residential treatment facility and creating treatment goals.

Given the research that suggests the social use of language is the latest developing aspect of language, it was hypothesized that children with speech/language impairment (SLI) are particularly susceptible to social interaction difficulties, resulting in diminished social competence. This hypothesis was explored with SLI and non-language-impaired (NLI) 4- and 5-year-old children by gathering measures of social problem solving ability (as rated by teachers, parents, and peers), emotion knowledge, and language development. Results provided partial support for the hypothesis above. Speech/language-impaired children were rated significantly lower on parent ratings of self-control and higher in internalizing behaviors, and lower on teacher ratings of assertiveness, than the NLI controls. There were no differences noted on peer sociometric ratings or mutual friendships. However, SLI children scored lower on a stereotypical test of emotional knowledge, while scoring similarly to NLI controls on a nonstereotypical test. A test of language development (TELD-2) differentiated the SLI and NLI groups, both expressively and receptively. In addition, the TELD-2 indicated a significant difference in semantic processing errors, but not syntax errors, between the two groups. The differential effects of speech/language impairment on the development of social competence were explored. (Contains 2 tables.)

Investigated influence of child and classroom characteristics on teachers' ratings of intervention acceptability in two experiments. Measured teacher (N=163) ratings of acceptability of intervention procedures applied to a specifically defined behavior problem. Found intelligence and popularity of child and duration of problem significantly influenced acceptability ratings while classroom or student population factors did not. (Author/CM)