When Child Protective Services (CPS) enters the picture assisting hard shipped families, the child may get placed in a foster home thus starting the cycle of mobility-the child is often moved from one home to another, one school to another resulting in a lack of residential and academic continuity for the child, which in turn results in negative effects in behavior, emotions and academia.

Researchers have noted that by providing formal and informal social skills training (SST), the school can become a potential optimal setting that fosters the development of social competence in students with behavioral problems. Indeed, learning to get along with people is one of the most important skills that we can teach students. In order to maximize its effectiveness, SST must be motivating and personally relevant enough for students to want to use the skills. In addition, it must provide opportunities for learned skills to be practiced under varying conditions and in as close to natural situations as possible in order to enhance the transfer of training. The purpose of the study was to investigate the social competence of students aged from six to twelve, diagnosed with emotional/behavioral disorders (E/BD) in a public self-contained school setting, and to increase the students' social competence by using a literature-based method that employs multiage grouping, impersonation, and telecommunications. By providing intensive, literature-based training in a multiage classroom, the SST gave students opportunities to practice skills in a natural, real-life environment and, therefore, increased the likelihood of generalizing these skills in other settings. The employment of impersonation and telecommunications also enhanced students' acquisition of social skills and their interests to learn.

The problem of this thesis is to study the types, causes, and effects of maladjustments found in analyzing certain pupils of the sixth grade. Also the problem seeks to determine why the present curriculum is not meeting the needs of these maladjusted children of the Decatur Elementary School.

Previous research suggests that as well as behavioural difficulties, a small subset of aggressive and antisocial children show callous unemotional (CU) personality traits (i.e., lack of remorse and absence of empathy) that set them apart from their low-CU peers. These children have been identified as being most at risk to follow a path of severe and persistent antisocial behaviour, showing distinct behavioural patterns, and have been found to respond less to traditional treatment programs. One particular focus of this thesis is that emerging findings have shown emotion recognition deficits within both groups. Whereas children who only show behavioural difficulties (in the absence of CU traits) have been found to misclassify vague and neutral expressions as anger, the presence of CU traits has been associated with an inability to correctly identify fear and to a lesser extend, sadness. Furthermore, emotion recognition competence varies with age and development. In general, emotion recognition improves with age, but interestingly there is some evidence that it may become less efficient during puberty. No research could be located, however, that assessed emotion recognition through childhood and adolescence for children high and low on CU traits and antisocial behaviour. The primary focus of this study was to investigate the impact of these personality traits and pubertal development on emotion recognition competence in isolation and in combination. A specific aim was to assess if puberty would exacerbate these deficits in children with pre-existing deficits in emotion recognition. The effect of gender, emotion type and measure characteristics, in particular the age of the target face, was also examined. A community sample of 703 children and adolescents aged 7-17 were administered the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire to assess adjustment, the Antisocial Process Screening Device to assess antisocial traits, and the Pubertal Development Scale was administered to evaluate pubertal stage. Empathy was assessed using the Bryant Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents. Parents or caregivers completed parent version of these measures for their children. Emotion recognition ability was measured using the newly developed UNSW FACES task (Dadds, Hawes & Merz, 2004). Description of the development and validation of this measure are included. Contrary to expectations, emotion recognition accuracy was not negatively affected by puberty. In addition, no overall differences in emotion recognition ability were found due to participant’s gender or target face age group characteristics. The hypothesis that participants would be better at recognising emotions expressed by their own age group was therefore not supported. In line with expectations, significant negative associations between CU traits and fear recognition were found. However, these were small, and contrary to expectations, were found for girls rather than boys. Also, puberty did not exacerbate emotion recognition deficits in high CU children. However, the relationship between CU traits and emotion recognition was affected differently by pubertal status. The implications of these results are discussed in relation to future research into emotion recognition deficits within this population. In addition, theoretical and practical implications of these findings for the development of antisocial behaviour and the treatment of children showing CU traits are explored.

Previous research suggests that as well as behavioural difficulties, a small subset of aggressive and antisocial children show callous unemotional (CU) personality traits (i.e., lack of remorse and absence of empathy) that set them apart from their low-CU peers. These children have been identified as being most at risk to follow a path of severe and persistent antisocial behaviour, showing distinct behavioural patterns, and have been found to respond less to traditional treatment programs. One particular focus of this thesis is that emerging findings have shown emotion recognition deficits within both groups. Whereas children who only show behavioural difficulties (in the absence of CU traits) have been found to misclassify vague and neutral expressions as anger, the presence of CU traits has been associated with an inability to correctly identify fear and to a lesser extend, sadness. Furthermore, emotion recognition competence varies with age and development. In general, emotion recognition improves with age, but interestingly there is some evidence that it may become less efficient during puberty. No research could be located, however, that assessed emotion recognition through childhood and adolescence for children high and low on CU traits and antisocial behaviour. The primary focus of this study was to investigate the impact of these personality traits and pubertal development on emotion recognition competence in isolation and in combination. A specific aim was to assess if puberty would exacerbate these deficits in children with pre-existing deficits in emotion recognition. The effect of gender, emotion type and measure characteristics, in particular the age of the target face, was also examined. A community sample of 703 children and adolescents aged 7-17 were administered the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire to assess adjustment, the Antisocial Process Screening Device to assess antisocial traits, and the Pubertal Development Scale was administered to evaluate pubertal stage. Empathy was assessed using the Bryant Index of Empathy for Children and Adolescents. Parents or caregivers completed parent version of these measures for their children. Emotion recognition ability was measured using the newly developed UNSW FACES task (Dadds, Hawes & Merz, 2004). Description of the development and validation of this measure are included. Contrary to expectations, emotion recognition accuracy was not negatively affected by puberty. In addition, no overall differences in emotion recognition ability were found due to participant’s gender or target face age group characteristics. The hypothesis that participants would be better at recognising emotions expressed by their own age group was therefore not supported. In line with expectations, significant negative associations between CU traits and fear recognition were found. However, these were small, and contrary to expectations, were found for girls rather than boys. Also, puberty did not exacerbate emotion recognition deficits in high CU children. However, the relationship between CU traits and emotion recognition was affected differently by pubertal status. The implications of these results are discussed in relation to future research into emotion recognition deficits within this population. In addition, theoretical and practical implications of these findings for the development of antisocial behaviour and the treatment of children showing CU traits are explored.

A phenomenological study was conducted to investigate the experiences of school principals, who exceeded district standards on standardized performance evaluations, in providing effective educational programs for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities (EBD) in an urban setting. The aim of this study was to identify common experiences, practices, or attitudes regarding students with EBD, and their teachers, among school principals who qualified for the study. Data was be collected through principal interviews. Data results were coded, organized, and analyzed using a systematic method of phenomenological analysis to find general themes that speak to the essence of the experience.

Implementation of evidence-based practices in Texas schools was examined through a survey disseminated through 495 special education directors in 20 state educational service centers. The district-level directors were asked to forward the survey to all personnel providing direct or indirect services to students with EBD. Survey participants were asked to rate 27 evidence-based interventions for students with EBD in three categories on a 5-point Likert scale: (a) importance of the intervention; (b) frequency of use of the intervention; and (c) preparedness to implement the intervention. With a response rate of 32% and representation from all 20 educational service center areas, data were analyzed through simple frequency statistics to determine that most respondents were public school special educators who had been in their current position for 5 years or less. They identified a climate that supports successful teaching and learning and clear rules/expectations as very important. They reported using procedures for the use of physical restraint most frequently, and being most well-prepared to implement clear rules/expectations. A canonical correlation analysis revealed an inverse relationship between importance ratings of tertiary level interventions and frequency of use and preparedness to implement primary level interventions which implies that while practitioners rate tertiary level interventions as important, they are more likely to be well-prepared to implement primary level interventions and to do so with more frequency. Additionally, a review of literature is provided and results and analysis of the survey are discussed as well as recommendations for the future.

Text in Afrikaans / Die doel van hierdie studie was om deur die benutting van Gestaltspelterapie, adolessente wat gedragsprobleme openbaar, bewus te maak van hulself, ten einde hul toe te rus om hul lewenssituasie meer toereikend te hanteer. Daar is veral gefokus op die aspekte van die Gestaltterapeutiese proses wat die bewustheidsvlakke van die adolessente verhoog het. Ten einde hierdie doel te bereik is die navorsing kwalitatief benader, spesifiek deur ‘n deeglike literatuurstudie en die beskrywing van individuele en groepsgevallestudies. Die informasie is ontleed deur die data-spiraal analise. Vanuit die informasie wat verkry is, deur die integrasie van die literatuur en die empiriese ondersoek, kon die benutting van Gestaltspelterapie met adolessente wat gedragsprobleme openbaar, verken en in diepte beskryf word. / The main purpose of this study was to utilize Gestalt Play therapy with adolescents that display behavior problems, to make them aware of themselves, in order to equip them to handle their life situation more effectively. The focus were specifically on that aspects of the Gestalt therapeutic approach that increase the levels of awareness. In order to achieve this goal the research was approached qualitatively, specifically through a thorough literature study and the describing of individual and group case studies. The information was processed and analised by using the data-spiral analysis. From this information it was possible to explore and describe the utilization value of Gestalt Play therapy with adolescents that display behavior problems. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Spelterapie)

Text in Afrikaans / Die doel van hierdie studie was om deur die benutting van Gestaltspelterapie, adolessente wat gedragsprobleme openbaar, bewus te maak van hulself, ten einde hul toe te rus om hul lewenssituasie meer toereikend te hanteer. Daar is veral gefokus op die aspekte van die Gestaltterapeutiese proses wat die bewustheidsvlakke van die adolessente verhoog het. Ten einde hierdie doel te bereik is die navorsing kwalitatief benader, spesifiek deur ‘n deeglike literatuurstudie en die beskrywing van individuele en groepsgevallestudies. Die informasie is ontleed deur die data-spiraal analise. Vanuit die informasie wat verkry is, deur die integrasie van die literatuur en die empiriese ondersoek, kon die benutting van Gestaltspelterapie met adolessente wat gedragsprobleme openbaar, verken en in diepte beskryf word. / The main purpose of this study was to utilize Gestalt Play therapy with adolescents that display behavior problems, to make them aware of themselves, in order to equip them to handle their life situation more effectively. The focus were specifically on that aspects of the Gestalt therapeutic approach that increase the levels of awareness. In order to achieve this goal the research was approached qualitatively, specifically through a thorough literature study and the describing of individual and group case studies. The information was processed and analised by using the data-spiral analysis. From this information it was possible to explore and describe the utilization value of Gestalt Play therapy with adolescents that display behavior problems. / Social Work / M. Diac. (Spelterapie)

Child and youth care workers (CYCWs) provide intervention and support to children and youth in child and youth care centres (CYCCs) The purpose of this study was to investigate CYCWs’ knowledge and perceptions of attachment difficulties of children residing in CYCCs and to provide suggestions for social work support. The study adopted the Attachment Theory and Circle of Courage Theory. Drawing on qualitative methodology, 16 participants employed in CYCCs in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan region, South Africa were purposively selected for in-depth, qualitative interviews. The eight-step data analysis method by Tesch (in Creswell, 2014:198) was used. To ensure trustworthiness of the findings, the researcher mainly used Guba’s model cited in Krefting (1990:214–222).The researcher adhered to prescribed ethical considerations. The study recommended that child and youth care as a profession should be recognised and supported to ensure quality services to children with attachment difficulties living in CYCCs. / Social Work / M. A. (Social Work)