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ISSN 1089-5701
Volume 19, Number 2 Summer 2010
Weighing the Evidence
TABLE OF CONTENTS with ABSTRACTS
Weighing the Evidence:
From chaos to consilience
How can we tell them apart?
Larry K. Brendtro and Martin L. Mitchell
3
A flood of contradictory publications claim widely different methods to be
"evidence-based." What then are the key principles for success with
challenging youth? Amidst all the confusion, how do we identify powerful
universal truths? The answer lies in a "consilience," which involves drawing
information from multiple fields of knowledge. Consilience combines research
from the natural sciences and the social sciences with
wisdom from
experience and values. The authors propose twenty evidence-based
principles
meeting this test for truth.
Medicating Our Youth:
Who determines rules of evidence
Robert Foltz
10
There is increased use of medications with
troubled youth and a corresponding increase in research about these drugs.
However, even the most exhaustive efforts too demonstrate the effectiveness
of medication strategies have resulted in less than robust outcomes. A
critical review of the most prominent studies highlights this
questionable trend in the common diagnoses of attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder
and pediatric bipolar disorder.
Positive Learning Framework
Tim McDonald
16
The Positive Learning Framework (PLF) model builds on the theoretical foundations of universal needs as described in the Circle of Courage. PLF offers a positive lens through which one can view students, behaviour, and instruction. This unique model draws on emerging findings in resilience research, restorative practices, and positive youth development.
Growing a Circle of Courage Culture:
One School's Journey
Deborah Espiner and Diane Guild
21
Mt. Richmond Special School is the first Circle of Couurage school in New Zealand. This is an evaluation of the creation of an authentic learning community in a setting for students with complex emotional and behavioural problems.
Measuring the Impact of Re-ED
Mark Freado
28
From its origins nearly a half century ago,
the Re-ED model has generated a series of
research studies evaluating its
efficacy. This article provides a historical perspective on
the evidence
base for this early strength-based model for working with troubled youth.
Conduct Disorders:
Are Boot Camps Effective
LaVaughn V. Jeter
32
Youth diagnosed with "conduct disorder"
are often placed in programs using forced
compliance and coercive
control. This article highlights confusion about this diagnosis and the lack
of evidence for punitive interventions in popular use.
The Evidence Base for Positive Peer Culture
Erik K. Laursen
37
This article explores
the evidence base for Positive Peer Culture (PPC) which is a total
system
for developing positive youth cultures in youth serving organizations. It
challenges a popular belief among some researchers that group programs which
bring together troubled youth are inherently negative.
Reforming Our Expectations About Juvenile Justice
Pamela R. Rodriguez and Daphne M. Baille
43
Typing the term "juvenile justice reform" into a Google"' search will result in 60 pages of entries. But what is meant by juvenile justice reform? What does it look like? How will we know when it is achieved?
Aggression Replacement Training® Stands
the Test of Time
Mark Amendola and Robert Oliver
47
Developed by Arnold Goldstein, Aggression
Replacement Training® (ART) is a leading
psychoeducational approach for
working with challenging youth. This article examines
underlying
evidence-based principles that contribute to success of the ART model.
Missing Data: Discovering the Private Logic of
Adult-Wary Youth
John Seita
51
The best expert on a troubled youth is that young person, but often that voice is silenced and hidden behind angry, avoidant, or manipulative behavior. The author is a former troubled youth who is now a university professor who trains professionals to connect with challenging children and youth.
The Truth in Their Experience:
The Evidence from Youth and Families
Thom Garfat
55
Relationships are the foundation of all successful helping, and the perspectives of youth and families crucial and bona-fide sources of evidence. Those who define evidence solely in quantitative terms are clinging to an illusion of reality.
Red Wig Therapy
William C. Morse
58
Over a half century ago, William C. Morse of the University of Michigan keynoted the first research symposium on the Education of Emotionally Disturbed Children. He shared this powerful story from a talented teacher who balanced science with the inspired zeal to do what she thought was needed to help troubled students.
Circle of Courage Highlights
61
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