PSYCHOTROPIC MEDICATIONS: AN UPDATE FOR SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS

This article provides an overview of medications used frequently in the treatment of pediatric depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. The need for a collaborative relationship between the prescribing physician, school personnel, and the family is outlined. School psychologists can play crucial roles by providing the physician with information at the time of referral, developing school‐based psychosocial interventions that augment pharmacological treatment, completing periodic evaluations to assist in symptom monitoring, and alerting the family and physician to any adverse side effects.     

Epilepsy in school‐aged children: more than just seizures?

Epilepsy is the most common neurological disorder in childhood and can have a significant impact on a child's schooling. Children with epilepsy may have special educational needs due to having learning disability, specific learning difficulties, specific cognitive deficits or having symptoms associated with ASD, ADHD, depression or anxiety. These difficulties are often under‐recognised due to the emphasis placed on the management of seizures. The effects of seizures and side‐effects of anti‐epileptic medications (AEDs) can also influence classroom learning. The significant stigma associated with epilepsy can influence attitudes towards affected children and impact on self‐esteem. Interventions to support children with epilepsy should focus on epilepsy management, learning and behavioural interventions and whole‐school psychosocial interventions. Epilepsy is a spectrum condition and for some children the effects on schooling will be minimal but for others significant supports will be needed. Therefore, an individualised approach within the school environment and close collaboration between teachers, parents and medical professionals are essential in order to meet the children's needs.     

A survey of school psychologists' knowledge and training in child psychopharmacology

A national sample of 320 school‐based, practicing members of the National Association of School Psychologists provided information on (a) their caseloads receiving medications, (b) types of school psychopharmacology training opportunities available and perceptions of their current training in child psychopharmacology, and (c) information about consultative efforts in monitoring medication effects on school functioning. Results indicated that almost one of every four cases seen by survey participants were being treated with psychotropic medications; nearly all respondents have engaged in consultation related to medication evaluations. Professional workshops and independent reading were the most utilized training opportunities, and participant responses indicated an overwhelming need for basic educational training to improve knowledge and consultation in this area. Implications of these findings on training in evidence‐based interventions and current practice are discussed as school psychologists experience legislative pressure to diminish their collaborative involvement in medication treatment consideration and evaluation. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 43: 623–633, 2006.     

Early onset bipolar spectrum disorder: Psychopharmacological,psychological, and educational management

Although published research continues to advocate medication as the first line of treatment for early onset bipolar spectrum disorder (EOBSD; N. Lofthouse & M.A. Fristad, 2004), preliminary research demonstrating the utility of cognitive, cognitive‐behavioral, and psychoeducational therapies is promising. It appears as if future treatment of EOBSD will most likely include a combination of psychosocial treatments and medications; however, additional research needs to be conducted to support this assumption. This article provides a brief overview of published research related to EOBSD, the most common medications used to treat EOBSD, and preliminary research on the effectiveness of psychological treatments with children and adolescents classified with EOBSD. Finally, due to the lack of published behavioral and educational management strategies, this article provides practical suggestions for helping children and adolescents with EOBSD within the home and school settings. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 43: 451–460, 2006.     

Schools in the shadow of terrorism: Psychosocial adjustment and interest in interventions following terror attacks

Following terrorist events, teachers and nonteaching school personnel are important in helping children recover, yet little is known about their willingness to assist with this. We surveyed 399 employees from a Washington, D.C.‐area school district following terror attacks (September 11, 2001, attacks; sniper shootings) about their exposure, adjustment, interest, and involvement in psychosocial interventions. Between 10% and 27% experienced one or more symptoms of posttraumatic stress (depending on category of symptom) in the month prior to the survey. Regression analyses revealed that peritraumatic distress, behavior change, and posttraumatic growth predicted interest in information on psychosocial interventions. Feeling prepared, adaptively managing work responsibilities, and perceiving an increase in student problems were related to intervening with students. Implications for school preparedness are discussed. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

An examination of group‐based treatment packages for increasing elementary‐aged students' reading fluency

Reading fluency has been described as one of the essential ingredients for ensuring that students become successful readers. Unfortunately, a large number of elementary‐aged students in this country do not fluently read age‐appropriate material. Because of this, small‐group interventions are practical and more time efficient than individualized intervention programs, but very few small‐group interventions have been developed to target students' reading fluency of connected text. The primary purpose of this study was to examine four group‐based treatment packages containing two or more of the following reading interventions: repeated reading, listening passage preview, and practicing difficult words in isolation. Effects of each treatment package were evaluated with 4 third graders using an alternating‐treatments design, and effects were evaluated for both immediate and retained reading‐fluency gains. Findings indicated that the combination of all three intervention components was most effective. Results also suggested some inconsistent relationships between immediate and retained reading gains for 3 of the 4 students. Implications of these findings, limitations of the study, and directions for future research are discussed. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 43: 183–195, 2006.     

Empirically supported psychotherapy interventions for internalizing disorders

The present article provides an overview of the best‐developed interventions for child and adolescent internalizing disorders characterized by anxiety and depression. The review emphasizes interventions that fall into established efficacy categories, but also addresses briefly several other promising treatment procedures. Research on the treatment of child and adolescent depression has not yielded interventions with clearly established efficacy, although there are a number of treatment approaches that may be characterized as possibly efficacious. The treatment of child and adolescent anxiety disorders, on the other hand, includes a number of interventions with good empirical support. While the field is clearly advancing, there remain important deficits and limitations with regard to the evidence base for interventions addressing child internalizing disorders. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 43: 439–449, 2006.     

Relational aggression in children and adolescents: A review with implications for school settings

This article provides an overview of the literature on relational aggression of school‐aged children and adolescents, with the specific aim of making this information relevant to school settings and education professionals. Relational aggression is discussed in terms of definitions, terms, and the importance of the school context. The literature on gender and familial influences as they relate to relational aggression is overviewed. Assessment methods for detecting relational aggression in children and adolescents are described, with an emphasis on measurement techniques most viable for capturing this sometimes‐elusive construct. We conclude with a discussion of proposed best practices in school settings for effectively preventing and responding to incidents of relational aggression within the context of social and emotional learning interventions and positive behavioral interventions and supports. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 43: 345–360, 2006.     

RESEARCH SECTION: The acceptability of psychosocial support interventions for children orphaned by HIV/AIDS: an evaluation of teacher ratings

The AIDS epidemic has created many orphans around the globe. A majority of these orphans live in sub‐Saharan Africa. Children orphaned by HIV/AIDS face many daunting challenges in their struggle to cope with life. The issues they face due to the loss of their parent(s) include poverty, the stigma associated with HIV/AIDS and stress. This study carried out by Morgan Chitiyo of Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Darlington Changara of Midlands AIDS Caring Organisation and George Chitiyo of Tennessee Technological University discusses how different psychosocial and educational interventions have been developed to help the children to overcome these challenges. However, few of the interventions have been empirically tested to determine their efficacy. The authors set out to evaluate the treatment acceptability of a psychosocial support programme using a group of teachers who had received training and were participating in the implementation of the programme across their schools. Findings from the study indicate high acceptability ratings of the programme.     

Prevalence of mindfulness literature and intervention in school psychology journals from 2006 to 2016

Mindfulness has been gaining momentum in the field of school psychology, however compared to other applied psychology fields, less research on mindfulness interventions has been conducted. This study systematically reviewed mindfulness literature and empirical studies in nine school psychology journals from 2006–2016. The prevalence of mindfulness articles and research specifically focused on mindfulness intervention were examined. Additionally, the type of intervention implemented, tier of intervention, and targets of intervention were examined. Results indicated that .57% of articles during the ten‐year time frame were related to mindfulness (n = 17). Eight of the 17 articles investigated mindfulness interventions, with interventions ranging from informal practices (e.g., Mandala coloring) to specific intervention programs (e.g., Compassion and Attention in the Schools). Majority of interventions were implemented at the universal level for students. Future directions for mindfulness research and the importance of mindfulness in school psychology are discussed.     

Perinatal interventions for mothers and fathers who are survivors of childhood sexual abuse

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is a worldwide problem with severe long-term consequences. A history of CSA can impact the childbearing experience of mothers and fathers; affecting their mental health, parenting skills and compromising infant development. Nonetheless, the perinatal period offers huge opportunity for intervention and hope. This literature review collates evidence for perinatal psychosocial interventions targeting both mothers and fathers who are survivors of CSA. Publications dating from 1970 to June 2016 were searched using Medline, Maternity and Infant Health, PsychINFO, PsychArticles, PubMed and the International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS). There were no perinatal interventions that considered the needs of survivor fathers. Sixteen publications on 9 psychosocial perinatal interventions for CSA survivors were identified. However, no sub-analyses specific to CSA survivors were reported. Trauma-specific perinatal interventions drew from a range of theoretical models and varied widely in format. Generally interventions were associated with improvements in maternal mental health, parenting competence, infant attachment security and positive public health outcomes. They were safe and feasible to implement, acceptable to parents and therapist, and therapists were able to implement protocols with adequate fidelity. Yet current data is hampered by small sample size, inconsistent reporting of CSA rates and outcome measures, scarcity of observational data and longer-term follow-up. Intervention modifications are proposed for CSA survivors in view of their unique childbearing experiences.     

War and conflict: addressing the psychosocial needs of child refugees

ABSTRACT

Since 2016, over 32 million children have been displaced from their homes mostly the result of war and conflict. For many children under the age of 8, a life of war and conflict is all they know. They have grown up in a world where bombings, gunfire, death, and destruction are the norm. This experience places young children at heightened risk for adverse and long-term psychosocial consequences such as anxiety, depression, social withdrawal, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Schools have been found to be the ideal setting for providing interventions to address the psychosocial needs of child refugees. As such, it is important that early childhood educators understand the complex needs of child refugees. The purpose of this article is to describe the psychosocial effects of war and conflict on infant and school-aged child refugees globally and help early childhood educators to recognize interventions that may be needed by these children. Recommendations for early childhood teacher educators are also included.     

Interventions for academically underachieving students: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Despite decades of research on interventions for academically underachieving students, no clear answers have emerged. Synthesizing across existing intervention efforts can help in understanding not only the overall effectiveness for these interventions, but also the factors that may moderate such effectiveness. In the current study, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the effectiveness of interventions for academically underachieving students, exploring effects on achievement and psychosocial outcomes. Overall, findings from 53 studies revealed that interventions are moderately effective in improving achievement and psychosocial outcomes. Moderator analyses revealed that intervention effectiveness varied by grade level. Implications for research and practice are discussed, particularly the need for rigorous evaluations of well-designed interventions that consider the fit between students’ unique reasons for underachievement and the makeup of the intervention.     

The response in response to intervention: Evaluating the utility of assessing maintenance of intervention effects

Extensive evidence exists demonstrating the utility of Curriculum‐Based Measurement in reading (R‐CBM) for progress‐monitoring purposes; however, most studies have evaluated R‐CBM from a traditional psychometric perspective, which allows for variability in individual student's data that is not a function of increased skills (i.e., measurement error) to be ignored. Although measurement error can be ignored when the level of interest is at the group level, it is difficult to ignore at the individual‐child level when evaluating intervention effectiveness. To account for measurement error, it is recommended that R‐CBM data be collected twice weekly for 10 weeks before making decisions regarding intervention effectiveness. Waiting 10 weeks to learn that an intervention is ineffective is troublesome. The current study explores maintenance of intervention effects as a supplemental procedure to R‐CBM progress‐monitoring procedures. Data from 4 students suggest that maintenance data might be valuable in the early termination of ineffective interventions. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 43: 713–725, 2006.     

The mediational role of schools in supporting psychosocial transitions among unaccompanied young refugees upon resettlement in Norway

This article explores the role of schools in supporting unaccompanied young refugees in critical psychosocial transitions concerning processes of socialisation, integration and rehabilitation upon resettlement. Drawing from a qualitative research project based on interviews with students and staff conducted during fieldwork in five secondary schools in Norway, the findings suggest that the psychosocial support provided by schools is random and lacks a concerted effort among relevant professionals. Making schools refugee-competent calls for more comprehensive representations of refugee students and teachers, enhanced collaboration concerning psychosocial support as well as school-based interventions as an integral part of educational policy and practice.     

Conceptualisation,Development and Validation of an Instrument for Investigating the Metacognitive Orientation of Science Classroom Learning Environments: The Metacognitive Orientation Learning Environment Scale – Science (MOLES-S)

Metacognition refers to an individual's knowledge, control and awareness of his/her learning processes. An important goal of education is to develop students as metacognitive, life-long learners. However, developing students' metacognition and evaluating whether classrooms are oriented to the development of students' metacognition are difficult and often time-consuming tasks. Further, no instruments that measure key dimensions related to classroom factors that specifically influence the development of students' metacognition have been available. This article describes the conceptualisation, design, and validation of an instrument for evaluating the metacognitive orientation of science classroom learning environments. The metacognitive orientation of a learning environment is the extent to which that environment supports the development and enhancement of students' metacognition. Social constructivism was the guiding referent informing the instrument's orientation and development. This instrument measures students' perceptions of the extent to which certain psychosocial dimensions, evident in learning environments where interventions have resulted in enhanced student metacognition, are evident in their science classrooms. Findings from the use of this instrument complement what is already known from research studies to be generally the case in relation to science classrooms' metacognitive orientation. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Hope into action: How clusters of hope relate to success‐oriented behavior in school

Several studies have found that higher hope is associated with higher academic achievement. Although scholars have asserted that this association is the result of higher hope leading to an increased likelihood that students will engage success‐oriented behaviors (e.g., participating in class, completing homework assignments), very little empirical research has been done to test this assertion. In this study, cluster analyses yielded three clusters of hope (high, average, and low) in a high school sample (N = 447) and a college sample (N = 375). Differences among hope clusters were examined across three domains of indicators—engagement, disengagement, and motivational variables—associated with success‐oriented behavior in school. Results from both samples indicated that students with higher levels of hope reported higher engagement, higher motivation, and lower disengagement, with medium to large effect sizes. These results have implications for both hope research and scaling psychosocial interventions.     

A Follow‐Up of Mathematics Interventions for Secondary Students with Learning Disabilities

Abstract This article extends a previous review of the literature ( Maccini & Hughes, 1997 ) on mathematics interventions for secondary school students with learning disabilities (LD). A systematic review of the literature from 1995 to 2006 yielded 23 articles that met the criteria for inclusion. It was determined that a number of practices demonstrated significant gains for secondary school students with LD in math, including mnemonic strategy instruction, graduated instructional approach, cognitive strategy instruction involving planning, schema‐based instruction, and contextualized videodisc instruction. We also discuss the nature and focus of math interventions and implications for both research and practice based on the findings.     

Adjustment to university and academic performance among disadvantaged students in South Africa

Adjustment to the university environment is regarded as an important factor in predicting university outcomes. This study explores the pathways taken by adjustment and other psychosocial variables (help‐seeking, academic motivation, self‐esteem, perceived stress, and perceived academic overload), in relation to the success of economically and educationally disadvantaged students at university. Participants were 194 first‐year students on need‐based financial aid at a South African university; they completed questionnaires that measured these psychosocial variables, and their final first‐year academic results were obtained via the university’s records office. Path analyses showed that adjustment did not function as a pure mediator on academic performance as the dependent variable. Furthermore, the psychosocial factors explained much (59%) of the variance in the students’ adjustment and 20% of the variance in their academic performance. Hence, the psychosocial variables better explained the students’ adjustment to university than academic performance.     

School-based interventions for obesity: Current approaches and future prospects

Obesity is a serious, prevalent, and recurring disorder that affects many school children. There are numerous physical, and perhaps psychosocial, difficulties associated with being overweight. This article examines three major types of intervention strategies that have been utilized in school-based weight-reduction programs. Behavior modification, dietary control/nutrition education, and physical activities have been successfully combined in multificeted obesity interventions to produce modest weight loss. Improved research designs, long-term follow-up, further examination of social supports, and prevention strategies are needed.