In 2016, the US Preventive Services Task Force concluded that there was "insufficient" ("I" statement) evidence to support universal primary care screening for autism spectrum disorder. The statement led to controversy among research and clinical communities. Although a number of papers have since been published arguing for the…

Aim: Educational practitioners are increasingly aware of trauma experiences in students as a factor in child disturbance and schooling problems. This discussion paper aims to clarify definitions of trauma and differentiate them from other adverse childhood experiences (ACE), describe trauma impact in terms of clinical outcomes (PTSD, emotional and…

In a collaborative partnership between a public school district in the northeast United States and university faculty, social-emotional/behavioral (SEB) screening was implemented across the district at three elementary schools serving students in kindergarten through second grade. Although both parents and teachers served as informants in SEB…

The authors of this rejoinder write that they understand that there are mixed views on the work they do, the products they publish, and the roles they play in the professions they serve. They also believe that in any healthy professional context, debate and disagreement enhance their work. The authors state that most of the time, their work is…

Response to Intervention (RTI) is a complex initiative which requires the ongoing support and communication of multiple stakeholders (e.g., teachers, administrators, support staff). The purpose of this paper is to examine RTI and direct application of the framework with public school practitioners. The paper is separated into several sections.…

Card and Giuliano's National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) working paper on universal screening is discussed. This commentary provides a brief summary and critique of the article, proposes an explanation of the results in light of the author's research on the role of nominations or screening tests in the gifted identification process, and…

Systematic screening for behavioral and social-emotional concerns at school is one way to ensure that at-risk children are identified and provided services. School psychologists play a critical role in creating multitiered systems of support that consider universal screening, early intervention, and ongoing progress monitoring to help support…

Developing a positive and healthy sexuality is central to being human. Australia is the only country in the world with a funded male health policy, but its publication in 2010 has not filtered through to throw an obvious focus on any health issue, sexual or otherwise, for men with intellectual and developmental disability, who may make…

The commentaries in this special issue as well as the articles they address contribute to the knowledge base about advanced learners, how they are identified, and how they are best served. In our Editors' commentary, we have organized our thoughts following the same order in which the commentaries appear in the remainder of this issue. As the…

The Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) is currently being used in clinical and genetic studies of autism as both a screener and as a quantitative measure of autistic traits. This article assesses the influence of nonspecific factors on SRS scores to aid researchers in their interpretations of these scores. In their commentary, Constantino and…

The number of children estimated to suffer mental health disorders, and therefore, creating the need for special education services for children with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), is between 5% and 25% of children under the age of 18 (Brauner & Stephens, 2006). Admittedly, not all children with EBD have been identified and served,…

Most people have 23 pairs of chromosomes; one set from the mother and one from the father. However, nondisjunction errors during meiosis can lead to a case of trisomy, where there are three rather than two chromosomes. Although such events are not uncommon, they are usually lethal, and account for a high proportion of spontaneous abortions. There…

The Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHCA) was legislated in 1975 in part to provide funding to states, parent centers, and research centers, for supporting access to public education for students with disabilities. In 1975, the intent of EHCA was to find children with disabilities and ensure that children were evaluated, identified,…

The stated mission of the Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders (CCBD) includes ''supporting the professional development and enhancing the expertise of those who work on behalf of children with challenging behavior and their families'' (http:// www.ccbd.net/About/OurMission). The stated goal of CCBD's journal "Behavioral…

A "big idea" is a concept that gives meaning to discrete facts. In this article, the author proposes a small number of big ideas, as well as his own views on where he thinks the field needs to move to achieve its full promise in school-based behavioral and social-emotional assessment. The three big ideas he has selected include: (1) universal…