Social anxiety disorder, whose onset peaks in adolescence, is associated with significant impairment. Despite the availability of effective treatments, few affected youth receive services. Transporting interventions into schools may circumvent barriers to treatment. The efficacy of a school-based intervention for social anxiety disorder was examined in a randomized wait-list control trial of 35 adolescents (26 females). Independent evaluators, blind to treatment condition, evaluated participants at preintervention, postintervention, and 9 months later. Adolescents in the intervention group demonstrated significantly greater reductions than controls in social anxiety and avoidance, as well as significantly improved overall functioning. In addition, 67% of treated subjects, compared to 6% of wait-list participants, no longer met criteria for social phobia following treatment. Findings support the possible efficacy of school-based intervention for facilitating access to treatment for socially anxious adolescents.

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We investigated language development, relational aggression, and relational victimization in ethnically, socioeconomically diverse preschoolers. Relational aggression was positively related to language development. Girls were more relationally aggressive than boys, and higher-socioeconomic status (SES) children were more relationally aggressive and victimized than lower-SES children. Neither gender nor SES conclusively moderated the relation between language and relational aggression, though some findings suggest the possibility of stronger relations among boys and lower-SES children. Teachers agreed on ratings of relational aggression and relational victimization to a moderate extent.

The study provides evidence that intervention for social anxiety disorder that emphasizes exposure and social skills is efficacious. Results indicate that clinical improvement is sustained for at least 6 months, and that, overall, adolescents with social anxiety disorder do not respond to non-specific treatment. This investigation has public health implications by demonstrating that effective interventions can be transported to nonclinical settings.

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Teachers implemented a 6-week classroom intervention designed to promote emergent math skills and math interest in preschool-aged children. Teachers in experimental classrooms incorporated mathrelevant activities into their daily routine during circle time, transitions, mealtime, and small-group activities. Control classrooms engaged in their typical activities. After the program, experimental children scored significantly higher than control children on a standardized test of math ability and enjoyed math activities more than the control children, as measured by both teacher and self-report. Teachers rated the program as highly satisfactory and reported that they increased their own enjoyment and skill in implementing math activities in their classrooms. The intervention effects were largely accounted for by substantial gains by boys, whereas girls showed much smaller program response.Math skills are critical to many science and technology careers (Clark, 1988), and math deficiencies limit students' career options (Eccles, 1997). General worry has been expressed about poor performance among U. S. children (e.g., Geary, 1996), with particular concern about math development in girls and low-SES (socioeconomic status) children (e.g., Eccles, 1997; National Science Foundation, 1996). Women compose only 8% of engineers and 20% of physical scientists (National Science Foundation, 1996), and low-SES groups are even more vulnerable to poor math attainment (Rech & Stevens, 1996). Because math-oriented jobs tend to be well paid, these patterns contribute to the gender gap in salaries and to chronic cycles of poverty. In addition to the economic consequences of poor math achievement, poor school performance puts children at risk for mental health problems (Caspi,

Prior models suggest that math attitudes and ability might strengthen each other over time in a reciprocal fashion (Ma, 1997). The current study investigated the relationship between math interest and skill both concurrently and over time in a preschool sample. Analyses of concurrent relationships indicated that high levels of interest were related to strong math skills. Even when controlling for initial interest and a brief intelligence measure, math skills predicted math interest approximately 5 months later; in the same way, early interest predicted later skill, even controlling for initial interest. These findings suggest that a reciprocal relationship between math interest and math ability may be in place as early as preschool.