SEVERITY OF ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND SOCIAL SKILLS DEFICITS

This study explored the differences in the rated social skills of elementary‐aged students at‐ risk for emotional/behavioural disorders (E/BD) based on severity of academic difficulties. Teachers nominated students at‐risk for E/BD who were classified into four groups of academic difficulty based on the Wide Range Achievement Test‐3. Students, parents, and teachers completed the Social Skills Rating System. Teachers’ ratings indicated that academic strengths did not significantly affect perceptions of students’ social competence; all children were rated with notable social skills deficits. Consistent with previous positive research, self‐ratings were uniformly positive across groups. Parents’ ratings indicated highest social competence for children with most severe academic deficits. Key words: emotional disorders, behavioural disorders, academic performance, elementary school, social competence;,self‐perceptions, parent perceptions, teacher perceptions Cette étude a exploré les différences chez des élèves du primaire présentant des risques de troubles affectifs et du comportement dans l’évaluation de leurs habiletés sociales , par rapport à la gravité de leurs difficultés académiques. Les enseignants ont désigné ces élèves à risque, qui ont été répartis en quatre groupes en fonction de leurs difficultés académiques évaluées en utilisant le Wide Range Achievement Test‐3. Les élèves, les parents et les enseignants ont rempli le questionnaire sur les aptitudes sociales (Social Skills Rating System). Les évaluations des enseignants révèlent que les aptitudes scolaires n’ont pas une incidence importante sur les perceptions des aptitudes sociales des élèves ; tous les enfants ont été évalués comme ayant d’importants déficits quant aux aptitudes sociales. Conformément à des recherches antérieures, les auto‐évaluations sont uniformément positives dans tous les groupes. Les évaluations des parents font état d’aptitudes sociales plus fortes chez les enfants ayant les déficits scolaires les plus graves. Mots clés : troubles affectifs et du comportement, rendement scolaire, école primaire, aptitude sociale, autoperceptions, perceptions des parents et des enseignants

Comparing Service Delivery Models for Children with Developmental Delays in Canada: Adaptive and Maladaptive Behaviours, Parental Perceptions of Stress and of Care

This study compares two service delivery models (community-based and centre-based), examining them in light of children’s adaptive and maladaptive behaviours, and parental perceptions of stress and of care. More specifically, parents of 96 children with developmental delays assessed their children’s adaptive and maladaptive behaviours and rated their own perceived levels of stress as well as their perceptions of care from service providers. Findings indicated that children from the community-based sites were perceived as having less severe social skill deficits than those from centre-based sites. Regarding parental stress, mothers from community-based settings reported more challenges with their child’s father than did the mothers from centre-based settings; and fathers from the community-based settings reported more challenges related to their health than did the fathers from the centre-based settings. Regarding care, parents from the centre-based settings had more positive perceptions of care than did parents from the community-based settings. Therefore, in general, parents receiving services within community-based settings reported fewer positive perceptions of care and more challenges than those from centre-based settings. Overall, the results of this investigation can inform future programming for community- and centre-based service delivery systems. More specifically, the findings highlight the important role that family-centred care can play in supporting the needs of children with developmental delays and their families; particularly for families using community-based services

Peer tutoring, social status and self-concept

Boys with behaviour problems (BP) exhibit a variety of difficulties in academic and socio-behavioural-emotional domains. Interventions offered at the early elementary years can significantly decrease difficulties that can occur later in life. Without early interventions, behaviour difficulties can persist into adolescence and adulthood. In addition to the difficulties experienced in the academic and socio-behavioural-emotional domains, boys with BP tend to endorse negative self-perceptions and based on the scarce literature, they also tend to have a low social status, as perceived by their peers. As the profile for boys with BP is well established and tends to be stable, effective interventions that encompass academic and behavioural components must be implemented in the school environment, in which boys spend a great portion of their day.The present study focussed on investigating the effects of a well-researched programme, Classwide Peer Tutoring (CWPT), on the academic, behavioural, on-task, self-concept and social status of 40 boys with BP following 12 weeks of participation in the programme. A control group of 33 boys with and without BP who did not participate in CWPT was also investigated on the same variables. Results are particularly encouraging, as significant findings were obtained on many of the measures for all boys who participated in CWPT. Furthermore, in addition to the impressive academic improvements, important gains were observed on the social status and domain-specific perceptions of boys with BP. Implications regarding implementation of CWPT with additional populations of children with diverse needs will be discussed as it relates to the inclusive movement