A new training model: Professional child psychology

School psychology certification implies limited opportunities in so far as it provides for a narrow age range and functioning within a public school setting. Child psychology as a professional model should encompass school psychology training, but broaden its scope to include children of all ages from infancy to adolescence. The school system is only a part of the broader alliance of agencies and institutions servicing the needs of children. The psychologist as a behavioral scientist should not be identified with institutions, but primarily with the subject matter of his training and concern, the child.     

Factors influencing the decision to administer psychoeducational tests

Ninety-nine NASP members participated in a study designed to investigate bias in the early stages of the referral process (i.e., in the decision to administer psychological tests). Each school psychologist received one of eight case studies, which described a child referred for academic learning problems. The case studies included typical referral information and varied student race (Black, White), socioeconomic status (higher, lower), and group achievement test scores (average, below average). The decision to administer individual psychoeducational tests was not influenced by the student's race or socioeconomic status. School psychologists were influenced by the group achievement test data. Students who showed lower achievement test results were more likely to be recommended for testing than were those who showed average performance levels. Thus, these school psychologists were not biased by knowledge of a child's race or socioeconomic status, but were influenced by instructionally relevant data (i.e., achievement test scores). In addition, when objective test data indicated average achievement levels, the psychologists did not generally recommend subsequent individual psychoeducational testing. The findings suggested that, under certain conditions, testing may not automatically follow receipt of a referral.     

Parent and teacher satisfaction with school‐based psychological reports

School psychologists spend a great deal of time translating assessment results into a psychoeducational report. The importance of creating reports that are both useful and understandable to the readers of the report while also being efficient for the school psychologist cannot be overstated. This study examines parent and teacher perceptions regarding the quality, understandability, and usefulness of school‐based psychological reports. Results of the surveys indicate that both parents and teachers perceive psychological reports as focusing more on tests and test scores as opposed to information that helps to understand the child or assists with intervention development. Strategies for upgrading reports to better meet the needs of parent and teacher readers are discussed.     

Four Perspectives on Child Care Quality

National and state child care policies are shaped in part by studies of child care quality. The majority of these studies focus on variables that influence child outcomes. Katz suggests that this is but one of four perspectives on child care quality, and that parents, children, and child care staff have perspectives on child care quality that have not been adequately addressed. This article reviews the variables, measures, and studies associated with each of these four perspectives. The authors argue that given the preponderance of studies conducted from the professional/researcher perspective, more effort should be directed to studying child care quality from parents' children's, and child care staff members' viewpoints.     

Reports of child sexual abuse in the schools

Few studies have examined the problem of child sexual abuse (CSA) as it relates to the role of the school psychologist. The purpose of this study was to examine the incidence of CSA reports to school psychologists, to examine the perceived quality of service to child victims, and to survey the usage of CSA prevention and screening programs as adjunct services in managing this problem. Of the 171 respondents, 498 child sexual abuse cases were reported. Respondents with prior CSA training rated their performance significantly higher than those without training in handling these cases. Those respondents reporting use of CSA prevention and screening programs generally rated their effectiveness as average or above. The results of this study suggested a need for training of school psychologists in the assessment of child sexual abuse. The results also implicated the use of prevention and screening programs as part of a service delivery program to all students in the public schools.     

Assessment of Vision in Multiply Impaired Children

Marianna Buultjens is tutor to the Diploma Course for Teachers of Visually Impaired Children, Moray House College of Education; Dr Aitken is psychologist and counsellor at the Royal Blind School, Edinburgh. They consider evidence on the assessment of vision in children with multiple impairment. Their data were obtained from educational personnel involved in placement decisions for 50 children. They point to heavy reliance on medical sources of information and a lack of confidence in the formal methods available. It seems that little practical information on visual functioning of the child is being made available for the guidance of educators.     

Referral of the child with learning problems: Bridging a communication gap

Successful communication between the teacher and school psychologist is considered a vital factor in providing appropriate diagnostic and remediation services to a child with a learning problem. Although considerable attention has been given to the psychological report, whereby the psychologist communicates with the teacher, only minimal attention has been given to the referral process whereby the teacher provides the psychologist with important behavioral data. Experience in one large metropolitan school system has demonstrated that teacher-psychologist communication is facilitated through: (a) providing the teacher with a clear understanding of her role in the diagnostic and remediation process, (b) employment of a theoretical approach to learning disabilities which is shared by both teacher and psychologist, and (c) use of a specific referral form—theoretically based—in order to communicate data about the child with a learning problem.     

Drawing Back the Lens on Play: A Frame Analysis of Young Children's Play in Puerto Rico

Research Findings: This study assessed public perceptions of child care and its providers in a Canadian province where government funding for child care includes subsidies and a voluntary accreditation process. In 2007–2008, 1,443 randomly selected adults in Alberta, Canada, completed a telephone survey. Individuals were eligible to participate if they had had interactions with a child younger than 14 years of age in the past 6 months. A total of 52% indicated that the government should cover about half of child care costs, and 72% indicated that child care providers at day care centers should have at least a college diploma. Between 80% and 90% indicated that child care providers were as central to children's development as elementary school teachers. One third of parents sought information on child development from child care providers. These parents were more likely to have children in care for more than 6 hr per week, have children younger than 6 years old, and be unmarried. Practice or Policy: The majority of Alberta adults were in favor of substantial public funding of child care. Adults who interacted with children valued the role of child care providers in supporting children's development, which may be encouraging news for providers. Because parents sought information about child development from child care providers, it is important to ensure that providers have both the training and the content expertise to provide parents with current information that will optimize development and support parents in their role. Policymakers, educators, and program planners may consider this information useful in allocating resources to promote child development.     

Teachers' Experience and Management of Young Children Treated Because of Home Conduct Problems: A qualitative study

In the present study, a sample of 27 teachers were interviewed regarding their experience and management of young children with conduct problems in day‐care or school settings. The children had been referred and treated because of oppositional and conduct problems at home. Qualitative analysis of data was performed by using elements of a grounded theory approach. Although the children had complex conduct problems presenting considerable challenges for their teachers, most teachers described a close and engaged relationship with these children. Teachers used within‐discipline and within‐classroom approaches in their work with a main focus on managing the child's daily life in day‐care or school, supported by close colleagues. Their practices were not deeply rooted in evidence‐based knowledge and methods. Most teachers reported collaboration with parents as positive and necessary, however, they only pursued it to a limited extent. Representatives from supplementary services, such as school psychologist, child protection care and child psychiatry, were rarely involved in the work of teachers. Implications of the findings are discussed.     

Pedagogic imaginings: negotiating pedagogies of care/protection in a risk society

Child care and protection have become key issues of concern for all teachers, and particularly for those teachers responsible for the care of young children. In this paper, we analyse focus group data on the topic of child care and protection produced by primary school teachers in Queensland, Australia. By drawing on concepts from cultural globalization, risk society and the sociology of childhood we outline the images, imaginary worlds and imagined professional identities constructed by a cohort of teachers. In particular, we pay attention to teachers' accounts of changes to everyday schooling practices in the context of new child protection legislation and policies. We argue that education and/or professional development in relation to child care/protection must involve critical engagement and contestation of the images, imaginary worlds and imagined collective professional identities of teachers and children constructed, and consumed often uncritically in these new times.     

How university student–teachers for primary school learn about Department of Education Policy on child sexual abuse,and mandatory reporting: the sources of their professional information

Many regional and local Departments of Education in many countries now require their primary school teachers to be mandatory reporters of child sexual abuse. However, many student–teachers are not provided with courses on child protection and its policy requirements during their pre-service university education. So, how do student–teachers source, and develop, their professional information about this important role? This study examines an Australian university cohort of final 4th year bachelor of education primary school student–teachers, asking them to identify and clarify the nature of any relevant professional information they accessed over the 4 years of their teacher education. The results show that, in the absence of formal child protection courses, such professional information was scarce and sporadic. Student–teachers consistently indicated a pattern of not learning about essential Department of Education policies and procedures whilst at university. These results, although disappointing, provide a rationale for university curriculum planners to design appropriate pre-service university training courses that initiate, develop, and enhance student–teachers’ professional competencies as mandated reporters of child sexual abuse.     

A national survey of current supervision and evaluation practices of school psychologists

This paper presents findings from a national survey of school psychologists regarding current supervision and evaluation practices. Thirty‐seven percent of usable surveys were returned. Overall results suggested that the sample of school psychologists were somewhat to moderately satisfied with current supervision and evaluation practices. However, wide variation in how supervision, evaluation, and professional development are obtained was indicated. The evaluation process is most often conducted by an administrator who may not be familiar with school psychology; and it is not viewed as an opportunity for professional development. In addition, evaluation criteria often are not tailored specifically to the roles of the school psychologist. Most alarming, and consistent with previous research, is that many school psychologists do not have enough supervision available to meet either their wishes or standards for the profession. Higher satisfaction with supervision was found when participants were provided with more regular and formal supervision contacts. Participants also indicated a person knowledgeable about school psychology could best provide supervision. Implications of the results and future directions are discussed. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Oral health-related quality of life in Brazilian child abuse victims: A comparative study

This study aims to assess and compare Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) in child abuse victims and non-abused children in a Southern Brazilian city. The study compared two independent samples of children aged 8–10 years: 48 child abuse victims recruited from a centre for Child and Adolescent Psychological Support (NACA) for abused children, and 144 public and private school students. Data collection consisted of administration of the Child Perceptions Questionnaire 8–10 (CPQ_8-10) to measure OHRQoL (dependent variable), clinical examination (dental caries), and collection of socioeconomic and demographic information (age, sex, skin colour, family income, and type of school). Multiple linear regression models were used to assess the association between presence of abuse and OHRQoL and subscales. After adjustment for clinical and sociodemographic variables, child abuse victims were found to exhibit higher CPQ scores on the overall scale and on the oral symptoms and functional limitations subscales. In conclusion, child abuse victims have a higher impact on OHRQoL. Based on the results, it is possible to suggest that greater care should be taken of these children, not only in providing treatment for oral disorders, but also in providing interdisciplinary care.     

农村家庭教育对爱护眼睛的知识普及

家庭教育、学校教育以及社会教育构成人一生的教育。其中,家庭教育是最初始的教育形式,对人的一生产生基础性影响。而家庭教育中的农村家庭教育应该引起相关部门与专业群体的足够重视,尤其值得注意的是农村家庭教育对爱护眼睛方面知识的普及不够,导致农村孩子视力堪忧。因此,学校、当地医院眼科医护人员以及农村家长三方必须通力合作,加大对农村孩子爱护眼睛的知识普及力度。     

Four alternative approaches to the family/school liaison role

Psychologists in the public schools traditionally have spent a small portion of their time working with parents. There is, however, a need for the psychologist to act as a family/school liaison agent whose function is to promote collaborative problem-solving efforts regarding problematic child behavior. Four different approaches to working with school personnel and/or family representatives are presented, including information imparter-gatherer, facilitator, consultant/educator or consultant, and counselor/educator. Advantages and disadvantages of each approach as well as trends in the research relevant to these approaches are discussed.     

学校教育考试究竟试什么

学校教育考试不仅是教育评价的技术手段,且是教育活动的有机组 成部分,是一种特殊的"化人"活动。学校教育考试价值及其内容出现偏差,不在 于人们是否知晓考试的价值及内容,而在于人们是否视自己为考试的受益者,是 否视考试为人们的生存方式和发展方式。教育者应养成充分把握、科学运用考试 的职业素养和行为习惯,受教育者应自觉参加考试,自信挑战考试,娴熟驾驭考 试,以考试规范自我行为,把增知长才与人格完善有机结合,把学习由兴趣逐步 引向乐趣、志趣.使自己成为全面发展、健康快乐的人。这是学校教育考试当试且 可试之内容。     

Prediction of kindergarten reading success from preschool report of parents

Most screening techniques for school learning difficulty have utilized data obtained from the child during an examination session. However, the child's potential for school learning difficulty may be assessed more reliably by parent report. The Minnesota Child Development Inventory was used to obtain parent observations on 59 children before the start of the kindergarten year. At the end of the kindergarten year, measures of reading skill were obtained by two group tests (Lippincott Reading Readiness Test and Metropolitan Reading Readiness Test) and one test administered individually to each child (Wide Range Achievement Test). Results indicated that the parent report on a number of variables from the MCDI correlated highly with postkindergarten success in reading (multiple r = 0.79). Although follow-up in the primary grades will be needed to determine whether these relationships hold, the data are provocative in suggesting that greater attention should be given to parent reports in evaluating a child's school readiness.     

Two alternative roles for the school psychologist in the treatment of emotionally disturbed and autistic children

This paper will describe two alternative roles for the school psychologist working with programs for autistic children or programs for emotionally disturbed children. The first approach is concerned with behavior management of children either by consultation to program staff or by direct work with the child, as well as support of staff through continuous feedback of classroom behavior management techniques. The second approach encompasses all of the first approach, in addition to the psychologist serving as corrdinator for the program and thereby assuming greater responsibility for cooperation between the school and the home, as well as for ongoing program development. A major difference in these two roles of the school psychologist, compared to the traditional role, is an intense involvement with a small number of children and a high level of input into the management, structure, and techniques used in a small number of classrooms. The paper will present a model for both of the two alternative approaches for the school psychologist. The model will include: a format for ongoing behavior assessment, suggestions for the structure of teacher-psychologist feedback sessions, methods of school and home cooperation, and a proposal for a horizontal administrative structure of programs for emotionally disturbed and for autistic children. The concept that is advocated is a team of professionals (teacher and psychologist) planning for the holistic development of the child.