Today, social media is gaining particular attention for providing users with multiple applications to connect with friends, family, and businesses. While most social media platforms can be beneficial, there are also risks. Educators, school psychologists and graduate students need to monitor how they present themselves to the public and how they…

Special education laws set clear and stringent deadlines for school psychologists to complete eligibility or reevaluation assessments that are valid and comprehensive. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, these assessments primarily took place face-to-face and aligned with standardized assessment practices. School closures and virtual learning…

The field of school psychology has seen the gradual implementation of technology in day-to-day practice. The earliest computer-based technology adopted by school psychologists consisted of software programs used to score tests, run analyses for multi-tiered systems of support, and aid in tele-consultation. These tasks have one thing in common;…

Problem-solving frameworks have the potential to promote objective data-based decisions that increase the likelihood students are matched to appropriate evidence-based interventions. Unfortunately, cognitive biases, heuristics, and fallacies can lead to erroneous conclusions within problem-solving frameworks. Some of these effects have been…

Many school psychologists will work with a student with a medical condition in their careers, and information on the student's condition is crucial to understanding their individual needs. One type of medical condition that a school psychologist may encounter is childhood-onset autoimmune disease, such as pediatric systemic lupus erythematosus…

The National Association of School Psychologists emphasizes school psychologists' role in facilitating family-school collaboration. This may be particularly important for vulnerable populations, including undocumented students and their families. Considering that there are a significant number of undocumented immigrants in the USA, it is likely…

The current paper describes the process used for developing the Guidelines for Diagnosis and Assessment of Children, Adolescents, and Adults with Learning Disabilities-Consensus Statement and Supporting Documents, and the rationale for some of the decisions. The guidelines were developed by a cross-sectoral working group of psychologists who…

Even though emotions are central in many counselling modalities, how best to work with emotions has not often been clearly articulated or practically presented for counsellors. In this paper I outline a brief history of the science of emotion, highlighting the role of emotional regulation in the counsellor-client attachment and present a five-step…

Studies have shown that sleep is critical to students' functioning at school. School psychologists can effectively assess sleep habits in only a few minutes and can often improve students' sleep with brief interventions. This article reviews the importance of sleep and provides school psychologists with strategies for assessment and intervention.…

This article provides guidelines for an entry-level course that prepares psychology students and practitioners to acquire entry-level skills, abilities, knowledge, and attitudes important to the individual assessment of intellectual abilities of children and youth. The article reviews prominent international, regional, and national policies,…

This article explains a process for improving specific learning disabilities (SLD) eligibility guidelines in a special education cooperative in Nebraska. The Central Nebraska Support Services Program (CNSSP) is a special education cooperative that serves four public school districts and seven parochial schools in central Nebraska. Children birth…

The lack of cultural diversity among practitioners and trainers in the field of school psychology has been recognized as a longstanding problem. In particular, individuals from racial, ethnic, and linguistic minority and international backgrounds often encounter a range of barriers to pursuing graduate study in school psychology. Given the urgent…

In July 2016, the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights (OCR) issued two documents to clarify and provide guidance on Federal obligations of school districts to students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) under Section 504. This action was in response to numerous complaints (approximately 2,000 over 5 years)…

Given the prevalence of school-age children and adolescents who are prescribed with and are taking psychotropic medications, a critical issue that school psychologists may likely encounter in contemporary practice is providing both quality and continuity of care to these students in the context of relevant legal and ethical parameters. With a…

In the past 50 years forensic psychological practice has expanded dramatically. Because the practice of forensic psychology differs in important ways from more traditional practice areas (Monahan, 1980) the "Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychologists" were developed and published in 1991 (Committee on Ethical Guidelines for Forensic…