Relationships Among Relational Communication Processes and Perceptions of Outcomes in Conjoint Behavioral Consultation

Conjoint behavioral consultation (CBC), an extension of behavioral consultation, considers home and school settings when conceptualizing a student's difficulty (Sheridan, Kratochwill, & Bergan, 1996). A relational communication perspective was adopted to examine interpersonal control (i.e., attempts to influence and successfully influence) and its relationship to CBC outcomes. Consultant, teacher, and parent influence was measured in 20 CBC initial interviews using the Family Relational Communication Control Coding System (Heatherington & Friedlander, 1987), and outcomes were assessed regarding the acceptability/effectiveness of CBC, consultant effectiveness, and attainment of consultation goals. Results indicated that parental influence is associated with less favorable teacher ratings regarding model acceptability/effectiveness and less favorable parent ratings of goal attainment. Results further suggest that greater importance should be placed on parent behavior with respect to outcomes of CBC.     

Toward a Grounded Theory of the Conceptual Change Process in Consultee-Centered Consultation

This article argues that a grounded-theory research methodology is a useful and fruitful tool to explore important questions in consultation and to generate new conceptualizations and theory (Glaser & Strauss, 1967). The grounded-theory approach is described and illustrated with examples from Hylander's research on consultee-centered consultation as practiced in Sweden. The result is a substantive theory about change processes. The theoretical research approach presented in this article makes it possible to further explore processes of consultation that have not been previously examined.     

Promising Directions in School-Based Systems Level Consultation: A Commentary on “Has Consultation Achieved Its Primary Prevention Potential?,” an article by Joseph E. Zins

From his review of research on consultation, Zins (1995) Zins, J. E. 1995. Has consultation achieved its primary prevention potential?. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 15: 285–301. [Crossref] , [Google Scholar] concluded (a) that a paradigm shift to a more prevention-oriented approach was necessary; (b) that systems-level consultation held significant potential; and (c) that systems-level consultation had the most data to support its use in preventive efforts. This commentary reviews promising directions in using school-based systems level consultation to promote primary prevention.     

莫高窟《维摩诘经变》对《维摩诘经》的“误读”现象

敦煌莫高窟壁画《维摩诘经变》是根据《维摩诘经》绘制的,但在画师将佛经文本“具象化”的过程中,由于文化差异、时代审美等方面的原因,制作出来的经变与佛经存在着不少的出入。这种对佛经的有意识或无意识的“误读”现象,为我们研究莫高窟《维摩诘经变》不同时代的审美趣味和审美心理提供了宝贵的资料。     

The Dilemma of Pragmatics: Why Schools Don't Use Quality Team Consultation Practices

Research supports that school districts' prereferral consultation teams adhere less closely to quality consultation procedures and are less effective than those conducted through university research projects (e.g., Bahr, Whitten, Dieker, Kocarek, & Manson, 1999). This study investigated whether this finding might be due to incompatibilities between school settings and recommended team consultation practices. First, self-assessment surveys and case evaluation activities verified that teams in this school district-led project were not fully implementing research-recommended team consultation procedures. Then, focus group discussions verified through follow-up ratings were used to describe why the research-recommended procedures were not followed. Results suggest that school teams consider the recommended team consultation procedures to be unfamiliar, discrepant from existing staff roles, unnecessarily complex, and often inefficient. In too many cases, administrative support for team activities is inconsistent and the teams lack sufficient intervention resources to have an impact on student success. Team recommendations for improving the consultation procedures are discussed.     

Communication: One key to mainstreaming success

Mainstreaming the exceptional child necessitates that regular and special teachers work much more closely today than in the past. The most important element for successful mainstreaming is effective communication (Schubert & Glick, 1981). This article describes the collaborative consultation model as one approach to attaining good, effective communication.     

In-house consultation to support professionals’ responses to child abuse and neglect: Determinants of professionals’ use and the association with guideline adherence

This study examined the presence and strengths of determinants associated with consultation of an in-house expert on child abuse and neglect (CAN) by preventive child health care professionals who suspect CAN. This study also assessed the relationship between in-house CAN expert consultation and professionals’ performance of six recommended activities described in a national guideline on preventing CAN for preventive child health care professionals. A total of 154 professionals met the study’s inclusion criteria. They filled in a questionnaire that measured in-house consultation practices and twelve determinants associated with the professional, the in-house expert, and the organizational context. Bivariate and multivariate regression analyses were performed. Almost half of the participants (46.8%) reported to consult the in-house expert in (almost) all of their suspected CAN cases. Professionals who reported better recollection of consulting the in-house expert (i.e. not forgetting to consult the expert) (p = .001), who were more familiar with consultation (p = .002), who had more positive attitudes and beliefs about consultation (p = .011) and who reported being more susceptible to the behavior (p = .001) and expectations/opinions (p = .025) of colleagues regarding in-house expert consultation were more likely to consult the in-house expert. Furthermore, in-house expert consultation was positively associated with two of six key guideline activities: consulting the regional child protection service and monitoring whether support was provided to families. The implications of these results for improving professionals’ responses to CAN are discussed.     

An Initial Comparison Of Collaborative And Expert-Driven Consultation On Treatment Integrity

Although over 15 years have passed since Witt (1990) Witt, J. C. 1990. Collaboration in school based consultation: Myth in need of data. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 1(3): 367–370. [Taylor & Francis Online] , [Google Scholar] noted that no empirical evidence exists to support the contention that a collaborative approach to consultation leads to more positive outcomes than a hierarchical or expert driven approach, this issue generally remains unaddressed (Schulte & Osborne, 2003 Schulte, A. S. and Osborne, S. S. 2003. When assumptive worlds collide: A review of definitions of collaboration in consultation. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 14(2): 109–138. [Taylor & Francis Online], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). While the literature documenting the benefits of consultation has continued to grow, a true head-to-head comparison has not been conducted. The purpose of the present study was to directly address Witt's call by empirically examining the impact of two consultation styles on a critical variable, practitioner treatment integrity. It was hypothesized that the involvement of practitioners in all aspects of intervention design would increase their level of treatment integrity. Two single-subject experiments using multiple baseline across subjects designs were used to examine the difference in level of treatment integrity for an imported, expert-driven intervention and a partnership-designed intervention. The first experiment was divided into three phases: (a) Phase I, Expert-driven Model; (b) Phase II, Treatment Integrity Intervention; and (c) Phase III, Partnership Model. The second experiment presented the three phases in reverse order to address the possibility of presentation effects: (a) Phase I, Partnership Model; (b) Phase II, Expert-driven Model; and (c) Phase III, Treatment Integrity Intervention. In general, the five participants who completed the three phases of the experiments demonstrated higher levels of treatment integrity during the partnership phase. Overall, the results suggest that engaging with consultees in a collaborative approach may increase the level of integrity with which the intervention is applied.     

Promoting Psychological Well-Being in an Urban School Using the Participatory Culture-Specific Intervention Model

School psychology has recently reconceptualized its service provision model to include multitiered systems of academic and psychosocial promotion, prevention, and intervention. The availability of evidence-based programs and advances in school consultation theory accompany the paradigm shift of the field. Despite these advances, implementing multitiered systems of support into school settings is teeming with challenges and often results in program abandonment. One often cited reason for such failures is the inattention to local priorities and culture. This article discusses the use of the participatory culture-specific intervention model (Nastasi, Moore, & Varjas, 2004 Nastasi, B. K., Moore, R. B., & Varjas, K. M. (2004). School-based mental health services: Creating comprehensive and culturally specific programs. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.[Crossref] , [Google Scholar]) to build comprehensive systems of support in an elementary school in New Orleans. Co-authored by both researcher-consultants and school administrators, the article highlights the research, consultation, intervention, and collaborative decision-making activities over a 4-year period in a continuing university–school partnership. The discussion focuses on the process, challenges, and successes in consulting to build multitiered systems of support.     

How the Discovery Channel Television Show Mythbusters Accurately Depicts Science and Engineering Culture

High school science teachers, of course, want to motivate their students to consider studying science and engineering (S&E) in college. However, many high school students are not familiar with what science and engineering actually entail. They may know science as little more than “systematic discovery” and engineering as nothing but “math-intensive design.” Without appreciation for the rich culture of science and engineering, students will be unlikely to choose such a field of study. The Discovery Channel television show Mythbusters helps remedy the lack of understanding many people, especially young people, have about S&E. Mythbusters presents a highly accurate vignette of the culture of science and engineering. Episodes of the show were analyzed for instances in which the culture of science and engineering was accurately depicted. Many resources, including several publications of the National Research Council, informed the media analysis. To encourage more high school students to pursue S&E in college, they need to be exposed to the culture of S&E. Mythbusters provides a window into the often unseen realm of science and engineering, allowing its viewers, who are disproportionately represented among the young adult age bracket, to see what it means to conduct science and engineering on a routine basis. High school science instructors should look to Mythbusters to provide insight into the culture of S&E that textbooks often have difficulty conveying to students.     

Parent Consultation and Transitional Care for Military Families of Children with Autism: A Teleconsultation Implementation Project

ABSTRACT

Military families face challenges when a dependent child is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and local treatment expertise for children with an ASD is unavailable. eHealth models are considered promising delivery methods for assisting families who need information and support. The adaptation of existing face-to-face models of care for remote delivery may help support the provision of quality care (Hall & Bierman, 2015). To support the needs of military families of children with ASDs, the Remote Check-up (RCU), an adaptation of the Family Check-Up (FCU) model (Shaw, Dishion, Supplee, Gardner, & Arnds, 2006) provides a family-centered intervention for transitional care. This article describes the development of an eHealth delivery model and a menu of service options including online learning materials, care coordination services, and behavioral consultation for military families of children with ASD.     

Analysis of Parent,Teacher, and Consultant Speech Exchanges and Educational Outcomes of Students With Autism During COMPASS Consultation

The significant increase in the numbers of students with autism combined with the need for better trained teachers (National Research Council, 2001) call for research on the effectiveness of alternative methods, such as consultation, that have the potential to improve service delivery. Data from 2 randomized controlled single-blind trials indicate that an autism-specific consultation planning framework known as the collaborative model for promoting competence and success (COMPASS) is effective in increasing child Individual Education Programs (IEP) outcomes (Ruble, Dalrymple, & McGrew, 2010 Ruble, L. A., Dalrymple, N. J. and McGrew, J. H. 2010. The effects of consultation on Individualized Education Program outcomes for young children with autism: The collaborative model for promoting competence and success. Journal of Early Intervention, 32: 286–301. doi:10.1177/1053815110382973[Crossref], [PubMed] , [Google Scholar]; Ruble, McGrew, & Toland, 2011 Ruble, L., McGrew, J. and Toland, M. Randomized controlled study of teacher training in autism. Poster session presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association. Washington, DC. August.  [Google Scholar]). In this study, we describe the verbal interactions, defined as speech acts and speech act exchanges that take place during COMPASS consultation, and examine the associations between speech exchanges and child outcomes. We applied the Psychosocial Processes Coding Scheme (Leaper, 1991 Leaper, C. 1991. Influence and involvement in children's discourse: Age, gender, and partner effects. Child Development, 62: 797–811. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8624.1991.tb01570.x[Crossref], [PubMed], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]) to code speech acts. Speech act exchanges were overwhelmingly affiliative, failed to show statistically significant relationships with child IEP outcomes and teacher adherence, but did correlate positively with IEP quality.     

Implementation of the Mason,DeMers & Middleton consultation and program evaluation model in an Israeli school integration project

A project designed to foster integration between middle and upper-middle socioeconomic status students on the one hand and lower SES students in need of special educational attention and enrichment on the other was initiated at the Gush Etzion Regional Elementary School in Israel. Two school counsellors were invited to serve as consultants to and evaluators of the project. The counsellors decided to adopt the consultation and program evaluation model suggested by Mason, DeMers & Middleton (1984) as a basis for their work. A qualitative analysis of the consultation and program evaluation indicates that the model employed facilitated an effective and efficient contribution by the counsellors to the success of the integration project, especially regarding the advancement of the lower SES population both educationally and socially.     

Constructivism

Constructivism is a concept that in recent years has garnered considerable attention among science education researchers. Essentially, constructivism is a model of how learning takes place. Yager (1991, p. 53) called it a "most promising model" of learning. Yeany (1991, p. 1) alluded to a Kuhnian paradigm shift and suggested that constructivism may lead to a gelling of existing thought as well as the stimulation of new ideas. We do not believe this is hyperbole. In fact, we would add that the potential extends far beyond the bounds of science education (see e.g., Aderman & Russell, 1990). It seems to us that constructivist thought is applicable in any learning situation, including educational and psychological consultation. In this column, we first briefly describe constructivist thought as it has developed in the field of science education. Second, we suggest that constructivism can provide a promising conceptual framework for organizing research and practice in the various fields in which consultation is practiced.     

Reflecting on the Role of Competence and Culture in Consultation at the International Level

International educational consultation is challenging work that requires not only attention to best practices in consultation but also additional focus on cultural norms and regularities. In the three articles of this special issue, the consultation competencies of consultants play a critical role, as exemplified by entry issues, problem-solving practices, and relationship development. In addition, the overriding issue of culture and how it impacts consultation requires special attention for the international consultant as consultants attempt to use their expertise in new contexts.     

Innovation and Enterprise in Singapore Schools

Schools in Singapore are now tasked to develop the spirit of innovation and enterprise in their students. This is in line with the national vision of ‘Thinking Schools, Learning Nation’. This policy initiative, which began in 2004, is set to change the fundamental nature of education in Singapore. This article discusses the innovation and enterprise (I&E) initiative, its major implications for schools in Singapore and the areas still to be addressed in the implementation of the policy. In particular, the article discusses the issues of teachers and school leaders as role models of I&E, I&E as an organic part of school business, the influence of the wider societal culture and values system, and the measurement of success of I&E. The challenge for schools is to go beyond the form of the initiative to bring real substantial and sustainable change through this movement.     

Socioeconomic risk factors for gynecologic diseases of married rural women in Zhejiang province

The authors investigated socioeconomic factors associated with prevalent gynecologic diseases in data provided by participants in Women’s Health and Health Education Study Program. In 1997, 1515 Zhejiang married rural women aged 15–49 years completed health questionnaires given them by trained medical students who interviewed them at their homes. Single factor and multiple factors analysis were used to determine the relationship between socioeconomic factors and gynecologic morbidity. The data obtained in this study showed that the gynecologic morbidity of the studied married rural women had certain relationship to age, abortion times postnatal consultation visits and other socioeconomic factors. The finding would be helpful for understanding the current reproductive health of married rural women and preventing gynecologic diseases by controlling the risk factors. Project supported by Dreyfus Health Foundation, USA & Bristol-Myeres Squibb Company, USA (Shanghai)     

Exploring the Collaborative Ethic in an Urban School: A Case Study

A case study is presented of a project designed to establish a collaborative consultation ethic in an inner-city elementary school serving a culturally diverse student population. The story that is told describes the collaborative culture of the school as well as the evolution of a school-based university course in collaborative consultation. Lessons learned from this project include the realities of schools in need of change; the ability to promote a collaborative ethic in schools lacking administrative and collegial support; the usefulness of a qualitative case study approach in understanding and providing information to adjust an ongoing collaborative endeavor and the value of conducting a university course on collaborative consultation using authentic content-that is, content identified by participants to which collaborative problem-solving processes are applied.