Factors associated with family reunification following a short-term stay in a shelter for runaway and troubled youth were examined. Children who were not reunified with their caretakers following their stay reported more family problems, appeared to be at higher risk of suicide, and stayed longer in the shelter. Implications for delivery of shelter service programs are discussed.

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Youth discharged from a short-term residential facility and reunified with their parents were contacted between I and 3 years after discharge to determine whether or not the youth had a subsequent placement following reunification. Of the 148 youth who reunified with their parents, 110 (74%) were contacted. Risk factors were identified by using survival analysis techniques to analyze differences in the time to the first subsequent placement. The number of self-reported personal problems reported at intake significantly predicted a shorter time to subsequent placement disruption.There was also a trend (p = 12) for the number of prior formal placements to predict future placements.

No abstract

Studies about the characteristics, assessment, and treatment of impulsive children are reviewed and summarized from the viewpoint of their application to school settings. Research has indicated that impulsive children often display such characteristics as global search-and-scan strategies, poor selective attention, low anxiety over errors, aggressive social behavior, immaturity of moral reasoning, externalized behavior problems, and deficient reading skills. Impulsivity has typically been assessed with visual discrimination tests and behavioral ratings by teachers. Treatment of impulsivity has included cognitive training such as modeling and self-instructional training, and behavioral methods such as positive reinforcement and response cost. Specific recommendations about the assessment and treatment of impulsivity in school are emphasized.