A number of studies report that from the first years of life, preterm children have more difficulty self-regulating and communicating in their social group. If these children show signs of difficulty adjusting socially, the question then is whether or not these problems continue and persist over time. The objective is to observe the combined effects of birth status and the passage of time on the resolution/persistence of the social problems. At age 7, the social adjustment of 96 extremely preterm (EP) children was assessed in a school setting, and 82 (85%) were followed at 11 years, and matched with three healthy term peers of the same sex and socioeconomic status (SES) recruited in the same classroom. A total of 375 children have been "casted" by their classmates in social roles through a sociometric interview at 7 and 11 years. The findings indicate a customary stability in term children but persistent or even increasing problems of victimization in EP children and a decrease of aggressiveness over time in the EP boys subgroup. Moreover, we found persistent social isolation problems in the subgroup of EP girls at 7 and 11 years. It can be concluded that prematurity is associated with a process of social marginalization that results from both the children’s very limitations and the resultant reputation effects. At these ages, any discrepancy is quickly judged as a weakness that children do not want to be associated with. Furthermore, the passage of time confirms this and reinforces the marginalization process.
The College Student Subjective Wellbeing Questionnaire (CSSWQ) is a 15-item self-report rating scale for measuring four classes of college-specific wellbeing behavior: academic efficacy, academic satisfaction, school connectedness, and college gratitude. The present study investigated the psychometrics of a revised version of this measure, which included an additional item measuring academic satisfaction (for the purposes of balancing the number of items across subscales) and standardized the response options for all items to a unified 7-point Likert-type scale (for the purposes of enhancing administration feasibility and scoring interpretability), with a sample of current U.S. college students (N = 401). Results indicated that responses to the revised version of the CSSWQ had adequate data–model fit to the proposed higher-order measurement model, that all factors were characterized by strong latent construct reliability, and that the higher-order factor demonstrated convergent validity with several domain-general measures of wellbeing and mental health problems. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.
Some individuals with developmental dyslexia are able to acquire age-appropriate reading comprehension abilities by the time they reach postsecondary education. This study explored the role that study strategies have with secondary students with dyslexia in achieving age-appropriate reading comprehension skills. The findings of this study indicated that study strategies were not significant predictors of reading comprehension abilities, though cognitive ability was a robust predictor. Furthermore, oral reading fluency was not a significant predictor. These findings further support that as words become more complex, oral reading fluency may not be related to reading comprehension. Practical implications and suggestions for future directions in this area are discussed.
Little research has been conducted on the evidence base for educational interventions implemented by teachers targeting students with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD). Research examining particular techniques perceived as effective may facilitate guidelines for the application of evidence-based practices. A principal and teacher of students with HFASD from each of 29 different schools provided information on their current teaching interventions. Principals participated in an online survey designed to ascertain support for HFASD learners in their school, whereas teachers completed an online reflective journal to document methods they used in the classroom. Both teachers and principals found numerous strategies such as structure and incorporating needs to be successful. Inappropriate communication, disorganisation, and a lack of understanding were considered unhelpful. These results have implications for current practices in classrooms.
Although chronic pain is relatively common in childhood, many teachers feel ill-prepared to work with students with chronic and recurrent pain in the classroom and would like to learn more about supporting these students. A web-based eHealth intervention designed to provide information about pain and pain management in the classroom was developed based on input from clinicians, and usability was tested using three groups of stakeholders (i.e., youth with chronic pain, parents of youth with chronic pain, and teachers). Preliminary testing indicated that the usability goals were met, with the majority of participants in all groups indicating that the website was easy to use and that they would either recommend it to teachers or use it themselves. Minor design and content changes were suggested and made, whereas major changes will be made in the future. Results provide encouraging preliminary support for the utility of eHealth interventions as knowledge translation and dissemination tools for educators.
The purpose of this article is to provide the reader with insight into the clinical reasoning process involved in the assessment and intervention planning for a child with a reading disability. A Cattell-Horn-Carroll (CHC) theoretical/neuropsychological approach shall serve as the foundational theoretical framework for this case study, and Flanagan, Ortiz, and Alfonso’s Dual Discrepancy/Consistency Operational Definition of Specific Learning Disabilities will serve as the decision-making model for diagnosis. The reader will be guided through the author’s conceptualization of this case and suggestions for intervention will be discussed.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder whose incidence is rising. School-based professionals are in an ideal position to provide the much-needed assessment and intervention supports for students with ASD, as the professionals’ placement within a formal system affords the opportunity to observe and support children in a structured environment. This article will provide school-based psychologists with current information on the clinical features of ASD, best practice assessment and diagnostic approaches for the disorder, and information pertaining to intervention via the use of a clinical case study to inform readers about the clinical reasoning that ensues throughout the process of assessment to intervention.
The incidence of writing disorder is as common as reading disorder, but it is frequently under-identified and rarely targeted for intervention. Increasing clinical understanding on various subtypes of writing disorder through assessment guided by data-driven decision making may alleviate this disparity for students with writing disorders. The purpose of this article is to provide the reader with insight into the clinical reasoning involved in the assessment and intervention planning for a child with a writing disorder. The reader will be guided through the authors’ conceptualization of this case reflecting a recursive problem-solving approach to assessment for intervention.
Accurate assessment and effective treatment of mood disorders, particularly depression, is critically important for the millions of youth who are experiencing such symptomatology and who are at risk for a multitude of deleterious outcomes. Although the extant empirical literature provides substantial guidance for the assessment and treatment of depression, real-life complexities necessitate the inclusion of sound clinical judgment throughout the diagnostic, treatment planning and intervention phases. The purpose of this article is to present an example of a real-life case study reliant on evidence-based practices and sound clinical judgment in the assessment and treatment of depression. We first review the extant diagnostic, epidemiological, assessment, and treatment literature. The case study is intended to highlight the therapist’s use of evidence-based treatment (i.e., Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), while also considering points during treatment at which the therapist was required to use clinical judgment. Outcomes of the case are described and limitations reviewed.
Clinical reasoning requires thoughtful consideration of a variety of factors that contribute to the conceptualization of a case such as the reason for referral, school information, home environment, assessment outcomes, and behavioural observations made during assessments. The purpose of this article is to provide the reader with insight into the clinical reasoning involved in the assessment and intervention planning for an adolescent with oppositional defiant disorder. The reader will be guided through the authors’ conceptualization of this case and suggestions for intervention.
School psychologists typically conduct psychological and psychoeducational assessments, provide prevention and intervention services, and consult and collaborate with allied professionals (e.g., teachers, physicians, psychiatrists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers, and nurses) and parents toward better understanding and promoting the learning and development of children and youth. Within and across these roles, school psychologists maximize their judgments by utilizing psychometrically sound instruments, recommending and using empirically based intervention programs and approaches, and making informed decisions based on theory, research, and clinical experience. The purposes of this article and this special edition of the Canadian Journal of School Psychology are to promote the relevance and significance of clinical reasoning in this complex process of full service delivery and highlight examples of the effective thinking and decision making undertaken by school psychologists from assessment to intervention.
The purpose of this preliminary study was to determine whether incorporating vocabulary instruction in individual reading fluency interventions for English Language Learners (ELLs) would improve reading comprehension. Two vocabulary instructional procedures were contrasted with a fluency-building only condition in an alternating-treatments design with four ELL students in Grades 3 and 5. Results indicated that the two vocabulary instructional procedures, on average, did not affect reading comprehension. Despite no consistent overall effects, one student had better comprehension of passages used in fluency-building activities when definitions of key target words were taught, and two students demonstrated better comprehension of untaught passages following vocabulary instruction that included processing questions; however, all effects were of small magnitude. Reducing instructional time spent on fluency-building activities to incorporate the vocabulary activities did not attenuate intervention effects on reading fluency. Practical recommendations and future directions for incorporating vocabulary instruction in individual reading interventions are discussed.
The purpose of this article is to provide the reader with insight into the clinical reasoning involved in the assessment and intervention planning for a child with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. The reader will be guided through the authors’ conceptualization of this case, and suggestions for intervention in the classroom will be discussed.
Educational psychology is an important profession in the Newfoundland and Labrador school system. Educational psychologists have core training in the areas of education and psychology and offer a variety of services to students, families, and teachers in the school system. This article builds on Martin’s reflections by exploring the evolution of the profession over the past 15 years. The history of professional training and education within the province is highlighted along with regulatory considerations for psychology registration. The implementation of a standard of practice for the role of the educational psychologist in the school system is discussed along with practice considerations for the role. Finally, recommendations and future considerations are explored.
This study examined the mediating role of student school motivation in linking student victimization experiences and academic achievement among a nationally representative sample of students in 10th grade. Structural equation modeling supported that there were significant associations between student victimization and academic achievement for high school students. Give these significant associations, identification of the cognitive mechanisms that underlie these relationships is critical to understanding the plight of repeated victims. Our results indicated that students who reported frequent peer victimization also reported reduced school motivation (self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation), resulting in lower achievement in both reading and math. These pathways existed after accounting for differences in achievement that may be due to socioeconomic status and gender.
Over the past 15 years, the practice of school psychology in the province of Alberta reflects the entrenchment of assessment with the emerging possibility of a broader service provider role. This article articulates the influence that politics and government has had on the role of school psychologists in Alberta schools as special education funding frameworks have evolved. The authors describe the present training and roles of Alberta school psychologists and outline the work that has been undertaken in that province to advocate for a role in key government initiatives of Response to Intervention (RTI) and Inclusive Education.
While the geographic landscape of Manitoba has changed very little since the last review of school psychology in Manitoba was published 15 years ago, the school psychology landscape here has changed considerably, and we continue to be alive, well, and flourishing. Two previous articles in the Canadian Journal of School Psychology presented an earlier view of the state of school psychology in Manitoba. In this article, we build on and update those reviews in the specific areas of social and political environment, work environment, regulatory environment, and graduate education environment and provide our thoughts on the current and future state of the profession in Manitoba.
School psychology in New Brunswick experienced a surge of growth and development in the early part of the 21st century; however, dwindling numbers and recent government initiatives are presenting serious challenges to our ability to continue to provide the quality tiered services that we want to offer to the school community.
Directly employed by the territorial government, Yukon’s educational psychologists are moving away from "refer-test-place" services by actively clarifying a broader scope of practice within a non-categorical model of special education services. Yukon’s educational psychologists provide a variety of services, such as consultation, intervention support, emergency response, and assessment, and participate in multi-disciplinary fetal alcohol spectrum disorder diagnostic assessments. Despite no registration or licensure requirement to practice psychology in Yukon, newer educational psychologists are personally initiating registration procedures and advocating for ethical and professional practice.
This article reports on the status of school psychology in Ontario. School psychology practice in Ontario has continued to evolve since the previous report was published in 2001. School psychologists have varied roles, and although the most prominent one remains as assessing students for entry into certain special education services, school-based psychology services in Ontario serve an advantageous role for district school boards as they offer all levels of service. As such, school psychologists are providing more mental health awareness, prevention, and intervention services than previously reported. Since 2013, every school board has a Mental Health Lead, and each district school board is required to produce a School Mental Health Strategy. The current five levels of service/intervention, registration requirements, and training opportunities as well as professional organizations for school psychologists are further discussed in the present report.
The Prince Edward Island (PEI) school system has been struggling with issues of recruitment and particularly retention for psychologists. Reasons include concerns about professional autonomy; having more limited roles, which are heavily assessment focused; reduced job satisfaction; and restrictions on additional private practice work. The waiting list for a psychological assessment in the school system is currently more than 3 years. A number of years ago, psychoeducational consults were added to the referral process. During a brief meeting, a decision is made about the waiting list, but additional recommendations are also provided so that further assessments can occur and other interventions are initiated.
In Quebec, school psychology is alive and well. This article outlines current challenges and opportunities related to the practice of psychology in Quebec English schools. Changes to the practice of psychology in Quebec over the last decade have had an impact on the delivery of psychological services in schools. Modifications of the admission criteria to the Order of Psychologists and the passage of Bill 21 have affected the profession both positively and negatively. For the English-speaking educational community, school psychology remains highly valued, particularly in light of the overall paucity of services in the province for these youth.
In honouring the tradition my esteemed colleagues have initiated, the opportunity to contribute to this Special Issue is appreciated. Previous authors, Saklofske and Grainger, had an iconic presence that continues to affect ongoing developments.A solid foundation of professional practice in an ever-changing and dynamic field of applied psychology had been set. So much of what was predicted by these seminal leaders is now a reality with additional changes and refinements on the horizon. Information garnered from practicing psychologists, academics engaged in training and research as well as the Saskatchewan College of Psychologists assisted with this current update.
Since 1992, the British Columbia Association of School Psychologists (BCASP) has been the professional body for school psychologists in British Columbia. In the intervening 24 years, BCASP has been very successful in performing the dual roles of a certifying body and a professional development organization for school psychologists in British Columbia. Historically, school psychologists at the master’s level have been allowed to practice and to use the title school psychologist in specific settings (school, government agencies, hospitals, and universities) through an Exemption Clause in the Psychologist Regulation of the Health Professions Act. In 2001, the Health Profession’s Council repealed both the Psychologist Regulation and the exemption clause under which school psychologists work. The Ministries of Education and Health, recognizing that if these recommendations were adopted, the provision of psychological services in British Columbia schools would be severely affected, instead opted to extend the existing Exemption Clause until an agreement could be reached with the College of Psychologists of British Columbia (CPBC) and BCASP. This article provides an examination of the integral role that BCASP has played in this evolution of school psychology in British Columbia.
Registration as a psychologist in Nova Scotia can be at the master’s or doctoral level; however, the Nova Scotia Board of Examiners in Psychology has announced a move to the doctoral degree as the entry-level to practice. Many school psychologists in Nova Scotia practice at the master’s level; therefore, this change could affect school psychology training and practice. School psychologists in Nova Scotia have indicated that they wish to expand their roles to include more intervention and consultation, and teachers have also indicated that they would like more access to psychologists in their schools. Given recent calls to increase access to mental health services for children and youth, school psychologists could play an important role in service provision in this province. The move to doctoral-level registration may provide the impetus to begin important conversations about role expansion for school psychologists.
Incivility involves rude, discourteous, and disrespectful attitudes and behaviours. The present study examined how various temperament traits were related to beliefs of classroom incivility among adolescents. The sample comprised of 222 adolescents (120 boys) between the ages of 12 and 17 (Mage = 14.07, SD = 1.54) who were recruited from various extracurricular clubs and sports teams in Southern Ontario. Both intentional and unintentional incivility were examined through separate hierarchical multiple regressions. Lower Effortful Control and lower Frustration significantly predicted unintentional incivility. In addition, lower Affiliation and lower Effortful Control significantly predicted intentional incivility. The results are discussed highlighting practical implications in educational settings, as well as suggestions for future research on incivility, given its potential associations with more negative antisocial behaviours. The results suggest that although there may be shared temperament traits of adolescents who take part in classroom incivility, a disposition for specific subtypes may differ based on the specific temperament characteristics of adolescents.
In a sample of 128 Canadian junior kindergarten children (66 boys), we examined sex differences in emergent literacy and behaviour when listening to and interacting with books of four types: alphabet books with simple text and illustrations, traditional alphabet books with complex text and illustrations, alphabet eBooks, and illustrated storybooks. Girls outperformed boys on tests of emergent literacy. Engagement while listening to books being read was highest for storybooks but there was a sex by condition effect: Boys were less engaged with complex alphabet books than the other book types, whereas girls were less engaged with simple alphabet books than storybooks. During independent reading, both sexes spent significantly more time on-task in the eBook condition but less of their activity involved letter-related behaviours (e.g., saying letter names). Boys spent less time involved in letter-related behaviour than girls. This research contributes to identifying and promoting factors related to early academic success.
Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), the immediate and deliberate destruction of one’s own body tissue, without suicidal intent, and not for purposes that are socially accepted, is a critical concern for youth in schools. Despite significant scholarly advances and increasing clinical awareness of NSSI, many school mental health professionals (MHPs) continue to report feeling ill equipped to support students who self-injure, and emphasize a need for formal education about NSSI and its management in schools. Thus, the first part of this article summarizes current NSSI research on prevalence, age of onset, gender differences, functions, risk factors, and associations with suicide. Emerging from this review, the second part offers research-informed recommendations for MHPs managing NSSI in schools, including guidelines for (a) identifying students at elevated risk of self-injury, (b) developing a protocol for school personnel’s initial response to student self-injury, (c) first-level assessment of NSSI, and (d) managing critical issues related to NSSI contagion and online activity.
The present study investigated the needs of adult education staff pertaining to adult students’ mental health issues within a local school board. The study utilized mixed-methods design and was divided into progression of three separate studies. An initial focus group was conducted to identify the 12 participants’ concerns and provide a direction for the needs assessment survey that was administered to the entire population of adult education teachers in the board. Two 2-hr workshops were designed for the 114 members of the staff based on the needs identified by the surveys. An evaluation of the workshops indicated that the workshops were valuable and further training was desired. By educating teachers about students who are learning in the context of mental health challenges, we will be able to provide them with the necessary tools to do their jobs more successfully and comfortably.
This study investigated the effectiveness of a combined academic and personal counselling initiative on student performance and emotional well-being outcomes of 289 at-risk students at a Canadian University. Criterion for risk included academic struggles, mental health distress, or both. The program was developed to be tailored to individual needs, and students participated in weekly counselling sessions over the course of 1 academic year. Results showed significant overall increases in student grade point average (GPA), academic functioning, and mental health well-being, demonstrating the program’s effectiveness in addressing the differential needs of students. Implications of the results are discussed.
As the number of children affected by obesity increases in the United States, it is necessary to intervene with preventive and intervention techniques that will enact change. Because children spend a significant amount of their time in school, it is of particular interest to target strategies during the school day. Given the recommendations for the total duration and intensity of physical activity children should participate in, recess period is a means of acquiring a portion of this daily recommendation. Contingent reinforcement is a technique that is consistently used in schools to promote behavior change. One of these techniques, group contingencies, has repeatedly been shown to increase desired behavior and decrease inappropriate behavior in schools. In the present study, a multiple baseline design was utilized to investigate the use of interdependent group contingencies in physical activity performance during recess, as measured by pedometers, with one class from each of the third, fourth, and fifth grades at an elementary school. Some of the variability existed in gender- and body mass index-specific (BMI) subgroups, in regard to the effectiveness of the intervention and continued maintenance of increased physical activity levels, following the removal of the intervention. However, the overall results support the use of an interdependent group contingency intervention to increase the amount of physical activity students engaged in during recess.
As the diversity of the school-age population in Canada continues to increase, it is important for school psychologists to consider the potential influence of culture and language when assessing the cognitive abilities of students from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. The purpose of this study is to examine the linguistic demand of the oral subtest directions for the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fourth Edition (WISC-IV) and Fifth Edition (WISC-V). Text-based statistics were extracted from the WISC-IV and WISC-V subtests to generate three composite scores: verbosity, complexity, and total demand. Results suggest that the oral directions of the WISC-IV subtests Block Design, Letter–number Sequencing, Cancellation, and Comprehension demonstrate relatively high linguistic demand. The oral subtest directions of the WISC-V subtests Picture Span, Visual Puzzles, and Figure Weights demonstrate relatively high linguistic demand. These findings suggest that the linguistic demand of oral directions should be taken into consideration when selecting and interpreting some subtests from both of these cognitive batteries.
Two longitudinal studies of word reading, spelling, and reading comprehension identified commonalities and differences in morphophonemic orthographies—French (Study 1, n = 1,313) or English (Study 2, n = 114) in early childhood (Grade 2)and middle childhood (Grade 5). For French and English, statistically significant concurrent relationships among these literacy skills occurred in Grades 2 and 5, and longitudinal relationships for each skill with itself from Grades 2 to 5; but concurrent relationships were more sizable and longitudinal relationships more variable for English than French especially for word reading to reading comprehension. Results show that, for both morphophonemic orthographies, assessment and instructional practices should be tailored to early or middle childhood, and early childhood reading comprehension may not be related to middle childhood spelling. Also discussed are findings applying only to English, for which word origin is primarily Anglo-Saxon in early childhood, but increasingly French in middle childhood.
Social development may vary depending on contextual factors, such as attending a day school or a boarding school. The present study compares students from these school types with regard to the achievement of specific social goals, perceived social support, and reported prosocial behaviour. A sample of 701 students was examined. Students from boarding schools reported higher success in gaining autonomy from parents and forming romantic relationships than students from day schools. However, adolescents from day schools reported higher levels of peer-group integration than students from boarding schools. Compared with students from day schools, students from boarding schools perceived more support from their teachers, but less support from their parents. No difference in prosocial behaviour was found between the two groups. We conclude that some students from boarding schools need support in gaining access to a peer group. In addition, measures are suggested for promoting parental support of students from boarding schools.
An examination was conducted to address issues concerning the assessment of students with learning disabilities (LD) in English speaking Canadian postsecondary institutions. These issues concern the nature of appropriate and evidence-based assessment and whether there is fair access to academic accommodations for students with LD. Access to academic accommodations is granted when an acceptable psycho-educational assessment provides an LD diagnosis, but what "acceptable" means appears very inconsistent across settings. This examination has ascertained that there is still no commonly accepted and empirically based procedure for the assessment of LD. Instead, a confusing variety of assessment practices exist, resulting in Canadian postsecondary accommodations practices being opaque and, therefore, discriminatory and vulnerable to legal challenges.
Abstract
This study examined the extent to which postsecondary students endorse symptoms of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and whether experienced level of stress, depression, or anxiety are associated with higher reporting of ADHD symptoms. Students attending a combined health and counseling service completed the Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scale (CAARS), the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS), and the Life Experiences Survey (LES). A subset also completed the Brown Attention Deficit Disorder Scale (BADDS). Findings demonstrate that the BADDS had weak specificity; 35% of never-diagnosed postsecondary students were classified as probably or very probably having ADHD based on their BAADS score. Lower false positive rates were found on the CAARS. Misdiagnosis of ADHD seems especially likely in students experiencing high levels of stress, depression, or anxiety, as these psychological conditions were associated with elevated reporting of ADHD symptoms; such conditions must therefore be considered when assessing for possible ADHD in young adults.
Résumé
Cette étude examine jusqu’à quel point des symptômes du Trouble du Déficit de l’Attention Hyperactivité (TDAH) que présentent des étudiants de niveau postsecondaire peuvent être associés à des niveaux de stress, de dépression ou d’anxiété. Les étudiants qui ont eu recours à la fois à des services d’aide à la santé et d’aide psychologique ont completé « The Conners Adult ADHD Rating Scale (CAARS), « The Depression Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) » et « The Life Experiences Survey ». Un sous-groupe a aussi completé « The Brown Attention Deficit Disorder Scale » (BADDS). Les résultats montrent que le BADDS était peu significatif; 35% des étudiants de niveau postsecondaire qui n’avaient jamais été diagnostiqués auparavant ont été classés comme ayant probablement ou très probablement TDAH, ceci basé sur leurs résultats de BADDS. Un faible taux de faux positifs ont été trouvés avec le CAARS. De faux diagnostiques de TDAH semblent être attribuables à des étudiants sous stress intense, dépression ou éprouvant beaucoup d’anxiété puisque ces conditions psychologiques ont été associées à des symptômes de TDAH; de telles conditions doivent donc être envisagées lors de l’évaluation d’une existence éventuelle de TDAH chez les jeunes adultes.