This study tested the efficacy of a new social skills intervention, S ocial S kills GR oup IN tervention-High Functioning Autism (S.S.GRIN-HFA), designed to improve social behaviors in children with high functioning autism spectrum disorders. Fifty-five children were randomly assigned to S.S.GRIN-HFA treatment (n = 27) or control (i.e., traditional S.S.GRIN intervention; n = 28). Examination of the direction and magnitude of change in functioning revealed that children who participated in S.S.GRIN-HFA exhibited significantly greater mastery of social skill concepts compared to children in the control group. Parents of S.S.GRIN-HFA group participants reported an improved sense of social self-efficacy, whereas parents of control participants reported a decline. The advantages of a specialized intervention such as S.S.GRIN-HFA, designed specifically for children with high functioning autism spectrum disorders, are discussed.

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Without sufficient education and training on mental illness, school teachers are less likely to have the capacity to recognize related symptoms in students and make appropriate referrals for care. The current pilot study tests the overall effectiveness of a new in-service training designed as the introductory component to a school-based mental health intervention. The training included information on the prevalence of mental health problems in the United States, common youth disorders, and treatment barriers that many families face. Participants’ knowledge before and after the training was measured using a 27-item instrument, and statistical significance was assessed for pre- to posttest changes for individual items. Results are overwhelmingly positive and provide evidence of an increase in accurate knowledge of child mental health issues. Implications for both practice and research are discussed.

There are multiple examples in the literature of universities and school districts coming together to form partnerships to effectively meet the needs of children and adolescents. University-school partnerships can be mutually beneficial to both types of institutions for several reasons, including the opportunities they provide for sharing resources and conducting meaningful, evidence-based, practice-informed research. While university-school partnerships are critical for identifying points of intervention in schools and for improving children’s physical health, mental health, and academic outcomes, substantial barriers exist to forming successful partnerships. Potential partner institutions need information on how to create trusting and mutually beneficial university-school partnerships. This paper summarizes 10 lessons learned over the past 10 years from a successful university-school partnership and provides tangible ideas and strategies for others who hope to engage in similarly successful partnerships.

Understanding how military families who have children with special health care needs (CSHCN) successfully cope in the context of exceptional demands of the military lifestyle can inform scholarship, policy, and practice to the benefit of families. Using data from 775 female civilian parents (mothers serving as Key Spouses) married to active duty Air Force members, this study examined differences on dimensions of network support and spouse resiliency between mothers who do and do not have CSHCN, as well as the relative contribution of formal and informal network support to variation in self-reports of resiliency among mothers with CSHCN. Mothers with CSHCN experience significantly less formal and informal network support than their counterparts. Despite

In a given year, approximately 26 percent of persons in the United States 18 years and older suffer from a diagnosable mental disorder. About six percent are diagnosed with a serious mental illness and 65 percent of these are mothers. Mothers with serious mental illness are at increased risk of losing custody of their children. This report represents findings from a qualitative study of the relationship between positive and negative social interactions as three such women went through the process of experiencing threats to their children's safety, relinquishing custody, and working to regain it (or to adjust to a permanent placement). Data collection involved semistructured interviews. A thematic analysis of data was conducted. Among three conceptual models of social interactions-additive, moderating, and domain specific, the domain-specific model was prominent. Findings are discussed as preliminary to future similar studies involving larger samples. Tentative implications for policy, practice, and research are discussed.

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