therapeutic needs, (c) identifying the range of services which potentially could help support them and their child, and (d) gaining access to those services. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) assures that a system exists to help accomplish these tasks. However, it appears that considerable variation exists in the extent to which parents are aware of, use, and are satisfied with services. Many factors likely in-

Current views of the role of social relations in the development of aggressive and disruptive behavior are presented, and advances in social development research are summarized. The primary points of the articles in this special issue are considered against this backdrop and synthesized with regard to implications for the development of preventative interventions and positive behavioral supports for aggressive youth with or at risk of emotional and behavioral disorders. Together these articles suggest that the social growth of such youth is highly complex and involves multiple factors, including the social goals and characteristics of the student, the affiliative patterns and social roles of the student, and the interactional dynamics among students and between students and teachers. Schoolbased interventions should focus not only on the behavior of the student, but also on socialcognitive processes and social contextual factors that support aggressive and disruptive behavior. n the past decade, considerable ret search has been conducted on the role of social relations in the development of problem behavior (i.e., aggressive and disruptive patterns). Information about the social factors that contribute to the development of chronic aggressive and disruptive behavior is particularly relevant to researchers and educators who work with youth with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Our aim is to consider the implications of recent findings in social development research for two prominent issues in the education and treatment of youth with EBD: the prevention of later disorder and the development of positive behavioral supports. We summarize and synthesize new directions in social development research, discuss the implications of this research for programs to prevent adjustment problems in youth with or at risk of EBD, and consider the implications of this research for the development of positive behavioral support strategies for youth with EBD. NEW DIRECTIONS IN SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH Developmental TrajectoriesUnderstanding how peer rejection and aggressive behavior in childhood are related to later adjustment difficulties has been a major area of interest for social development researchers. Coie and his colleagues have examined the developmental contributions of these factors. In a racially mixed sample of fifth graders, Kupersmidt and Coie (1990) found that aggression was a better predictor than peer rejection of adolescent delinquency and early school withdrawal. Peer rejection contributed independently to later adjustment problems only in a White subsample. Coie, Lochman, Terry, and Hyman (1992) followed two cohorts of African American third graders into early adolescence. Aggression and peer rejection were significant predictors of adolescent disorder, with each providing a unique contribution to the prediction. Miller-Johnson, Coie, MaumaryGremaud, Lochman, and Terry (1999) extend the knowledge base in this area. Their work suggested that the combination of rejected status and aggression most st...

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This article examines the issue of hidden curriculum as it pertains to the experiences of individuals with disabilities, primarily those diagnosed with autism disorders. Examining the assumptions regarding the hidden curriculum, this article explores the challenges these assumptions create for individuals with autism. We provide suggestions for how these challenges could be overcome through the use of specific strategies.

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