Anne E. Hogan

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.

The Adaptive Social Behavior Inventory (Asbi): A New Assessment of Social Competence in High-Risk Three-Year-Olds

This article describes a new inventory for preschool social development. Scale construction was undertaken as an ancillary project in a multi-site study of early intervention for high-risk infants. Scale development began with extensive review; piloting was conducted to ensure appropriateness for mothers of varying educational levels. Descriptive and psychometric data on the 30-item inventory are presented for the sample of 545 3-year-olds. The three subscales are Express, Comply, and Disrupt. Intercorrelations among the scales are reported, as well as correlations with other competence variables. Differences are noted for gender and site, but not birthweight. Potential value of the inventory is discussed.

A Four-Year Longitudinal Investigation of the Social Skills and Behavior Problems of Students with Learning Disabilities

This longitudinal, prospective study investigated the social skills and behavior problems of three groups of students (10 students per group) from kindergarten through third grade: learning disabilities (LD), low achievement (LA), and average/high achievement (A/HA). Social skills and behavior problem rating scales were completed by teachers on all students during kindergarten through third grade. Students in the LD and LA group exhibited significantly lower social skills and higher levels of behavior problems than their A/HA peers, but no significant differences for either measure were found between the LD and LA groups. Scores on the cooperating/responding factor of the social skills rating scale increased over time, but scores on the outgoing/initiating factor of the social skills rating scale did not change significantly over time. Discussion focused on the finding that students in the LD and LA groups did not differ significantly on social skills or behavior problems over time, though both groups demonstrated more behavior problems and lower social skills than the A/HA students.

The Social Competence of Students with Learning Disabilities Over Time A Within-Individual Examination

O ver the past 6 years, we have investigated the social competence of a cohort of students whom we have followed longitudinally from kindergarten. Our primary research questions addressed the extent to which students from this cohort identified as learning disabled (LD) differed from other achievement subgroups (e.g., low achievement, average achievement) on aspects of social competence over time (Vaughn & Haager, in press; Vaughn, Hogan, Kouzekanani, & Shapiro, 1990; Vaughn, Zaragoza, Hogan, Walker, 1993). We were also interested in the extent to which the social competence of youngsters with LD differed significantly from that of other achievement groups prior to and following identification (Vaughn, Haager, Hogan, & Kouzekanani, 1992). When we addressed these questions, we compared the findings regarding students with LD with those of other achievement groups so that we could better understand the extent to which results were characteristic of the LD subgroup or were developmental and descriptive of all subgroups. Thus, if the social competence of students with LD decreased after identification, we could assess the extent to which this decrease was reflected in the performance of other achievement subgroups as well. To guide this investigation, we utilized a model of social competence that was analogous to that of intelligence in several ways (Vaughn & Hogan, 1990). First, we view social competence as a higher order construct that, like intelligence, is difficult to define and consists of several related constructs. Second, although the constructs are separated for the purpose of description, it is really the interaction of these constructs that yields the fullest understanding of social competence. Thus, we interpret the components as a part rather than the whole of our notion of social competence. Third, and perhaps most important to the purpose of this article, we are interested in the study of social competence from an individual-difference perspective as well as a developmental one. We are interested in how social competence varies over time and how the components of social competence, for example, self-concept and peer acceptance, mutually relate at one time and contribute to the development of the other components across time. As described in our previous research, we consider social competence to include the following four components: positive relations with others, accurate/age-appropriate social cognition, absence of maladaptive behaviors, and effective social skills. For the purposes of our research, these components have been isolated; however, we recognize that it is their interrelationship that is likely to yield the truest understanding of social competence. Finally, we recognize that, as with most constructs, the measures we select merely assess elements of the components of interest. Because the results of our studies based on the previously described model of social competence have been summarized elsewhere (Vaughn & Haager, in press), only a brief review will be provided here. The most frequently investigated construct of social competence is peer relations—the extent to which same-age peers accept or reject target students. Peer relations is a frequently investigated construct because of the persuasive evidence linking low social status with negative outcomes, such as emotional maladjustment (Cowen, Pederson, Babigian, Izzo, & Trost, 1973; Roff, 1963); criminality (Roff, 1975; Roff, Sells, & Golden, 1972); and school dropout (Lambert, 1972; Parker & Asher, 1987). An overwhelming number of studies investigating the peer acceptance of students with LD contrast this subgroup with non-LD students as a whole, rather than with achievement subgroups (e.g., other low-achieving students). The most consistent finding, at least with elementary school children, is that students with LD are less well accepted and more frequently rejected by their classmates than are students in the non-LD group. The non-LD compari-

The Identification of Giftedness: A Comparison of White, Hispanic and Black Families

A survey was sent to White, Hispanic and Black parents of children in the gifted and talented program of a large urban school district. The results indicated that there were few differences among the three parent groups in either the characteristics that had indicated to them that their child might be gifted, or in the attributes which they believed were current descriptors of their gifted child. Large group differences were present, however, between the White sample and the two minority group samples in the percentage of families who requested an evaluation of their child for possible placement in the gifted and talented program. Fewer of the minority parents made such a request. This factor could contribute to the underrepresentation of minority students in gifted programs.

Why Social Skills Training Doesn’t Work: An Alternative Model

“Man is biologically predetermined to construct and to inhabit a world with others” (Berger & Luckmann, 1966, p. 168). In the past ten years the interest in social skills training has increased dramatically. Social skills training programs have been developed and evaluated with a range of populations—delinquents, alcoholics, managers, criminals, the elderly (see, for review, Hollin & Trower, 1986), and for a range of purposes, for example, peer acceptance (Bierman & Furman, 1984), intercultural skills training (Bochner, 1986), interpersonal problem solving (Shure, 1985), and self-control (Meichenbaum & Goodman, 1971). Not surprisingly, social skills training programs have been developed that represent a number of models and theories including behavioral (Beck & Forehand, 1984), cognitive-social (Ladd & Mize, 1983), cognitive- behavioral (Vaughn, Ridley, & Bullock, 1984), and cognitive (Shure & Spivack, 1982).

Differential effects of massage and Heelstick procedures on transcutaneous oxygen tension in preterm neonates

Abstract The present study investigated the differential effects of heelsticks and tactile-kinesthetic massage on transcutaneous oxygen tension (TcPO2) in preterm infants. The sample was comprised of 37 stabilized preterm neonates from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. During the heelstick procedure, TcPO2 significantly declined an average of 14 mmHg. When compared to the tactile-kinesthetic massage, TcPO2 levels during the heelstick (M = 39.8) were significantly lower than during the stimulation (M = 72.8). Mean TcPO2 levels remained clinically safe during the four massage sessions evaluated. The TcPO2 levels during kinesthetic stimulation were somewhat more varied, and movement and pressurization of the TcPO2 electrode were investigated as possible artifactual explanations for this phenomenon. Overall, the findings indicate that social forms of touch such as tactile-kinesthetic massage do not appear to have a medically compromising effect on TcPO2 in the preterm neonate. These findings are evaluated in relation to the “minimal touch” policy, and implications for future handling of the stabilized preterm neonate are discussed.

Cognition in Child and Adolescent Behavior Disorders

Sattler (1974, p. 344), in his textbook on the assessment of children’s intelligence, states: “Research has shown that intellectual functioning is not usually a major factor of importance in the etiology of childhood behavioral or neurotic disorders.” He goes on to suggest, however, that emotional disorders could affect intellectual functioning in many different ways.

Novelty responding and behavioral development in young, developmentally delayed children

Abstract This study examined whether or not a measure of information processing ability based on the discrimination of novel and familiar stimuli was related to behavioral development among developmentally-delayed infants. Two samples of handicapped infants were administered multiple measures of visual novelty discrimination and a battery of assessments which were representative of available measures of development in infancy. The results indicated that, as a group, the developmentally delayed infants were capable of discriminating novel and familiar stimuli. Also, correlational analyses indicated that responding to novelty was related to developmental accessment performance in both samples. This finding is consistent with previous data which indicates that novelty response measures are associated with important individual differences in young children.

The Big Picture for Infant Development

Infant behavior varies enormously; that is obvious from the chapters in this volume. Research clearly indicates that the maturity or sophistication of infant behavior varies widely from moment to moment and across contexts.