P eer-assessed problem behavior was examined in relation to peer group membership and social network centrality (social prominence) in 59 fourth-, fifth-, and sixth-grade classes.Differences among students with and without disabilities were explored. Peer assessments for Starts Fights, Gets in Trouble, and Disruptive were used to identify students with high levels of problem behavior. Students with high peer-assessed problem behavior tended to associate with peers who shared their behavioral features, and they were as socially prominent as students with low problem behavior. Most students with high peer-assessed problem behavior were students without disabilities, but students with disabilities were overrepresented at the highest levels of problem behavior. Within prominent problem behavior peer groups, students without disabilities tended to have higher prominence than students with disabilities. Implications for school services are discussed.

This article examines the social development of students with disabilities from a developmental synthesis perspective. The developmental synthesis perspective views social growth as the integration of biological, psychological, and sociological features. Issues in the social skills deficit framework are examined along with the theoretical foundations of the developmental synthesis perspective. From this discussion, it is concluded that social interventions for students with disabilities should include a focus on the characteristics of the classroom social network as well as the characteristics of the individual. The literature on the formation of classroom social networks and their role in individuals' behavior development is reviewed. Three critical points emerge from this review: (a) Formal and informal social processes are likely to constrain the social opportunities of students with disabilities in both special and regular education placements; (b) following from these constraints, students with disabilities are at risk for associating with peers who negatively influence their social growth; and (c) such associations are likely to impede or prevent positive outcomes for social skills training programs. Implications for the delivery of educational services, as well as social interventions, are considered and future research needs are briefly outlined.