Children and young people with ADHD often experience social difficulties, which are associated with poor psychological, behavioural, and academic outcomes. As yet, underlying mechanisms of poor social functioning are unknown. The social functioning of fifty-two children (M = 14.13 years) who had been diagnosed with ADHD four years previously and their matched controls were assessed using several measures: the ratings of parents/guardians and teachers, and children's self-reports; a conversation task; the Otago Social Dilemma Test. Analyses were conducted for the whole sample plus a Socially-Impaired subgroup (clinically significant social problems), and a Persistent-ADHD subgroup (continued to meet DSM-IV ADHD criteria). First we compared the social functioning of children in the ADHD group with that of children in the control group by analysing the questionnaire responses of parents/guardians, teachers, and children's self-reports. Children in the ADHD group and Socially-Impaired sub-group were rated as experiencing more social problems and having fewer social skills than control children, across all informants. Children also estimated their own popularity, and despite experiencing social difficulties, no differences in children's popularity ratings were observed between children in the ADHD group and control group. Given that children in the ADHD group showed social difficulties, we investigated whether these deficits were driven by children's conversation skills. Children engaged in a 15-minute conversation with an adult confederate. The frequency of conversation skills were coded and analysed. Across all groups, ADHD children asked more questions, were less likely to offer extended information in response to a question, and were more likely to make at least one unco-operative statement. The number of extended verbal responses accounted for a significant amount of the variance in participants' social skills. Overall, however, the conversations of children with and without ADHD were remarkably similar. It appears, therefore, that it may be language style that influences social difficulties. Next we investigated a second mechanism that might account for social difficulties observed in children with ADHD; social problem solving skills. Children completed the Otago Social Dilemma Test, which involved viewing vignettes of social dilemmas and generating possible solutions to these problems. Children in the ADHD group provided poorer descriptions and showed less understanding of the problems portrayed. Although the ADHD participants were able to generate a similar number of solutions to the social problems as the children in the Control group, they made poorer decisions about what was the 'best solution'. ADHD participants' choice for best solution significantly added to a model of their social problems, even after IQ and severity of inattentive symptoms had been added. Taken together, the present study supports research showing that children with ADHD experience social difficulties, but they may lack insight into the effect of their behaviour on their status among peers. Children's conversation and their problem solving abilities may be factors influencing poor social functioning. Interventions that focus on teaching children to recognise social cues and generate appropriate solutions to social dilemmas may be beneficial.

<p>Priestley's One-to-One CBT programme is intended to reduce criminal recidivism. Data were collected from 1484 programme rounds in Sweden. 776 of these cases contained the data necessary for this study and were used in the analyses. The data included pre- and postprogramme test scores on areas addressed in the programme. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the tests or background data of participants have predictive properties for dropout and recidivism and whether test scores differ between sub-groups. To do this, t-tests and logistic regression analyses were performed. There were significant improvements on all scores post-programme. Only age predicted completion, with older participants being more likely to complete the program. Several variables were found to have predictive properties for recidivism. The most potent predictor for nonrecidivism was programme completion. The study finds a relation between some of the tests measuring psychological change, and recidivism. This partly supports the theory behind the programme.</p><p> </p>

<p>this paper is a study on children's social interactions in role-play. The aim is to try to highlight how children with other develop social skills and how to further motivate children tosee, understand and manage their reality in role-play by highlighting the characteristics of afunctioning role-play. I would also highlight the importance of pedagogue´s role in relation tochildren's social skills in role-play. The purpose flows into these issues, what distinguishes afunctioning role-play? Can the children in role-play influence their thinking to developunderstanding of others and the environment and if so, how? What significance does pedagogue´s role in children's role-play? I used out of a qualitative methodology to carry out this investigation. I chose to gather information for my study using a passive monitoring method, which i wrote down in detail the children's verbal and physical communication of the role-play, and even pedagogens relation to children's role-play. The results show that children in role-play are playing with others and use play signals and playrules in order to develop therole-play and social skills. This means that the language of both the physical and the verbalplay an essential role for the understanding of these elements. Playsignals is an understandingof what is real and not, by using movement, gestures and facial expressions, but it is noteveryone who understands the signals. To develop a successful game also requires thatchildren in role-play relate to playrules. These are reciprocity, consensus and take turns. There are other factors that affect social skills and characteristics of a functioning role-play. Examples of these are creativity and imagination. The result also shows how the teacher influences on children's role-play in different ways when they integrates in role-play, and also play materila in preschool affects children's play.</p>

this paper is a study on children's social interactions in role-play. The aim is to try to highlight how children with other develop social skills and how to further motivate children tosee, understand and manage their reality in role-play by highlighting the characteristics of afunctioning role-play. I would also highlight the importance of pedagogue´s role in relation tochildren's social skills in role-play. The purpose flows into these issues, what distinguishes afunctioning role-play? Can the children in role-play influence their thinking to developunderstanding of others and the environment and if so, how? What significance does pedagogue´s role in children's role-play? I used out of a qualitative methodology to carry out this investigation. I chose to gather information for my study using a passive monitoring method, which i wrote down in detail the children's verbal and physical communication of the role-play, and even pedagogens relation to children's role-play. The results show that children in role-play are playing with others and use play signals and playrules in order to develop therole-play and social skills. This means that the language of both the physical and the verbalplay an essential role for the understanding of these elements. Playsignals is an understandingof what is real and not, by using movement, gestures and facial expressions, but it is noteveryone who understands the signals. To develop a successful game also requires thatchildren in role-play relate to playrules. These are reciprocity, consensus and take turns. There are other factors that affect social skills and characteristics of a functioning role-play. Examples of these are creativity and imagination. The result also shows how the teacher influences on children's role-play in different ways when they integrates in role-play, and also play materila in preschool affects children's play.

En allmän uppfattning bland lärare i skolan är att mycket tid läggs på konflikthantering. Studien lyfter lärares uppfattningar kring konflikter och konflikthantering, då syftet är att studera konflikthanteringen i två klassrum. Syftet är även att se vilka uppfattningar lärare har kring förebyggandet av konflikter samt hanterandet av dessa. Studien bygger på observationer samt kvalitativa intervjuer där två lärare har intervjuats. Uppfattningen bland lärarna i studien är att en konfliktfri skola är till fördel för eleverna och undervisningen. Tolkningen är även att hanterandet av konflikter är ett måste i skolans vardag, samt att det tas tid från den planerade undervisningen till att hantera konflikter. Resultatet visar att det finns skilda uppfattningar om vilken nytta konflikthantering kan ha för elever. Tidigare dokumenterad forskning visar, i motsats till det resultat som framkommit i studien, att konflikthantering kan ge eleverna värdefulla verktyg för att klara av sociala problem som de ställs inför nu och i framtiden. Resultatet presenterar även att konflikter kan vara av olika karaktär där vissa konflikter blir konstruktiva och andra destruktiva. I resultatet lyfts även att det oftast är samma elever som hamnar i konflikt och att det finns en gemensam nämnare kring dem. I studien diskuteras resultatet. Här tas konflikthanteringens frånvaro i klassrummet upp, varför det är relevant att lyfta konflikter i klassrummet samt att barn behöver trygghet för att kunna hantera konflikter. Slutligen diskuteras de valda metoderna för genomförandet av studien. / A general opinion among teachers in school is that a lot of time is spent on conflict handling. In the study, teachers opinions about conflict and conflict handling will be discussed though the purpose is to study conflict handling in two classrooms. The purpose is also to see what opinions teachers have when it comes to preventing and handling conflicts. The study is built on observations and qualitative interviews with two teachers. The opinion among teachers in this study is that a school without conflicts gives the pupils advantages and is something that the school teaching take benefits from. The interpretation is that the handling of conflicts in school is unavoidable and time is taken from planned education to conflict handling. The result of the study shows that different opinions of pupils benefits from conflict handling. Earlier documented research shows, unlike the result of the study, that conflict handling may give pupils valuable tools to handle social problems they may experience now and in the future. The results even presents conflicts of different type of character, some of them can be constructive and some destructive. Focus of the result in the study is also that the same pupils often end up in conflicts and that there are a common denominator among them. In the study the result is discussed. Subjects that are in focus are the lack of conflict handling in the classroom, why it is relevant to discuss conflicts in the classroom and also that children need a security to be able to handle conflicts. Finally, are the chosen methods of the study discussed.

Priestley's One-to-One CBT programme is intended to reduce criminal recidivism. Data were collected from 1484 programme rounds in Sweden. 776 of these cases contained the data necessary for this study and were used in the analyses. The data included pre- and postprogramme test scores on areas addressed in the programme. The purpose of this study was to examine whether the tests or background data of participants have predictive properties for dropout and recidivism and whether test scores differ between sub-groups. To do this, t-tests and logistic regression analyses were performed. There were significant improvements on all scores post-programme. Only age predicted completion, with older participants being more likely to complete the program. Several variables were found to have predictive properties for recidivism. The most potent predictor for nonrecidivism was programme completion. The study finds a relation between some of the tests measuring psychological change, and recidivism. This partly supports the theory behind the programme.

Creativity and innovation are attributes that are important in business and leadership today, perhaps more than ever. The recent economic crisis has shown that relying on pre-established business patterns is not enough anymore. Art has always been visionary and creativity is one of its major characteristics.   This thesis looks into the possible impact the arts can have on leadership. We ask ourselves what it is that we can learn from the arts, what they can teach us that is relevant for leaders and leadership. We have used the grounded theory and the methods suggested by Corbin and Strauss. We have conducted conversations with 12 leaders coming from different occupations who share at least one characteristic; they are all engaged in the arts. Through their experience, and through secondary data we used from studies concerning the impact the arts have on communities, we have constructed a theory. This shows that through their interaction with art, people are affected in their well-being, their personal development and their cognition. This phenomenon we have identified as the leader's catharsis.   We conclude our work by showing a map to show where in leadership research our substantive theory is useful. Further we also discuss how our findings can contribute to future leadership research. Our thesis might contribute to the discussions of aesthetics and leadership, the influence art has on the well-being of followers and how leaders can effectively form frames. Further, we suggest that the arts can be seen as a school for leadership development.

Students with autism spectrum disorders present deficits in social interaction skills that may prevent their successful inclusion in general education placements. Considering the increasing number of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) being educated in inclusive settings and recent requirements on the use of research-based interventions in schools, the purposes of this study were (1) to evaluate the quality of single-case research and determine whether behaviorally-based interventions to improve social interaction skills of children with ASD in inclusive settings can be considered evidence-based practices and (2) to conduct a meta-analysis investigating whether specific factors such as participants' age, behavioral components used in the intervention, target social interaction skills, intervention implementer, and peer training moderate effectiveness of the interventions. Specific criteria for quality of single-case research were used to classify studies according to their certainty of evidence. Tau-U, a non-parametric index of effect size in single-case research, was used to measure the intervention's magnitude of change on target outcomes. Differences between levels of the moderators were analyzed using statistical significance test (p = .05) through the use of 83.4% confidence intervals. Results indicate that the use of behaviorally-based interventions to improve social interaction skills of students with ASD in inclusive settings can be considered evidence based practices. In addition, the interventions produced overall high effect size, indicating their effectiveness based on studies meeting minimum standards of methodological quality. More specifically, the interventions are demonstrated to be effective for preschool and elementary school children between the ages of 2 and 10 years. Studies targeting social interaction initiations or responses in isolation were more effective than studies focusing on both skills. While interventions using planned reinforcement were shown to be more effective, no differential effects were found regarding the use of planned modeling. No differences were found regarding intervention implementer. Finally, the use of peer training did not appear to increase effectiveness of the behaviorally-based social skill interventions. The results and their implications for practice and future research are discussed.

The term “social competence” is widely used by organizations in job advertisements, despite the problems of making a unified definition of it. The purpose of this study is to investigate which features the organizations require, why organizations require them and how the assessment is implemented for recruitment. To answer the purpose of this study, eight qualitative interviews conducted with recruiters from four different staffing agencies. Further a literature study was performed to define the concept of “social competence” and its meaning, in order to later connect this to the result. Based on this, the term “social competence” will be further studied using emotional labor and social capital. From the results, it was found that the organizations' demands for features in terms of “social competence” was communication, teamwork, commitment and flexibility. It was also found that the required social features could be linked to the definitions developed through the literature study.

The purpose of this Bachelors thesis is to investigate teachers' work and attitude to life in relation to the curriculum. Furthermore, how teachers look at students' emotional/social development in their general development. The thesis also reviews the criticism from The Swedish School of Authority on various programs primarily SET (social and emotional training) Three qualitative interviews and four observations at three different schools with teachers have been conducted. Using theories of social constructivism, deliberative conversation and social and emotional skills, the intention is to interpret the gathered material. The results show that the teachers see knowledge of life in school as important in the foundation of students´ emotional/social development. One teacher follows the SET program and two teachers’ took inspiration from various other programs and ideas. All the teachers proceed from core values, curriculum and their own goals in teaching life skills. Two teachers particularly emphasized on how the students developed emotionally and socially. Teachers were receptive to the National Agency’s criticism, and emphasized the importance of method selection, student adjustment, self-interest and that the Agency support the work. The teachers furthermore were able to handle sensitive situations.  This study focuses on teachers´ different views for and against the work program. Teachers who did not follow any program were perceived to have the best knowledge and education, and were most suited to the student body, where evaluation exercises were common. The SET program hinders teacher adaptation to the students because of its restrictive form. Life skills in school curricula have been considered important by the government, teachers and parents. There seems to be an increasing concern among students and greater demands of society. Agency's lack of clarity regarding value application has meant that the manual-based program SET, is sold as aid to schools by private operators. The Agency is now critical of these programs that they consider not to be sufficiently scientifically proven.