Very limited research exists regarding the beliefs and practices of student support teams (SSTs), sometimes called child study teams or IEP teams, in settings with non-expulsion policies for young children with severely challenging behaviors. Previous research examined teacher and administrator beliefs and practices and found that they engage in…

Educational or school psychologists (EPs/SPs) can offer support with behaviour concerns at the levels of individual, group or organisation. Their practices, whilst being psychologically based, must be responsive to local contexts and needs. To explore behaviour practice in a real-world context, and to consider how development in this domain might…

Children with symptoms of oppositional-defiant and conduct disorders (ODD/CD) pose significant challenges within educational settings. The worldwide prevalence among 6-18 year olds is 3.3% for ODD and 3.2% for CD (Canino, Polanczyk, Bauermeister, Rohde, & Frick, 2010). Students with conduct problems often display aggressive and antisocial…

For decades, research has shown that function-based support is effective in reducing the frequency and severity of problematic student behaviors. One way for schools and districts to implement these supports effectively is by building local capacity to intervene with function-based interventions at the first signs of persistent problem behavior…

This article addressed 3 objectives for assisting the research and teaching communities in developing 3-tiered models of prevention at the high school level. The authors first established the benefit of using systematic behavior screening tools within the context of 3-tiered models to identify and support high school students with academic and…

School psychologists are often in the position of seeing a situation, a system, or a common strategy for working with students that might be approached from a different perspective. Knowing this themselves is rarely good enough, though; they work in teams and as consultants to teachers and parents who generally work most closely with the students.…

Over the past several years, allegations of abuse and death related to seclusion and restraint, media coverage of these events, subsequent federal investigations, and Congressional hearings about this topic have resulted in increased pressure on Congress to pass legislation to address the use of seclusion and restraint in the school setting.…

School-related difficulties are commonly associated with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This article describes effective school-based intervention strategies including behavioral interventions, modifications to academic instruction, and home-school communication programs. One overlooked aspect of treatment of children with ADHD…

This pilot study examined working conditions reported by special education teachers of students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) to identify factors common to teachers likely to leave their positions within the next 2 years and factors common to those likely to stay. Survey responses from an international sample of 776 teachers and…

The purpose of this study was to develop standardization data for the Functional Assessment Intervention Program (FAIP; University of Utah, Utah State University, & Utah State Office of Education, 1999), a computerized, functional behavioral assessment expert system. Reliability, validity, and utility analyses were conducted with students serving…

Information is presented to familiarize school psychologists with (1) behavioral effects and side-effects associated with stimulant medications used for the Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD); (2) factors to consider in recommending medicine trials for individual children; (3) methods to assess treatment response within schools; and…

Questions concerning identifying and treating Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are addressed, including whether ADHD is a handicapping condition, and what guidelines should be used for determining the need for educational services. A psychoeducational paradigm is presented to help school psychologists design effective programs for…

Reviewed information regarding 215 students referred to school psychologists. Results showed 74 percent were males and one-half were referred while in third through sixth grades. Referral reasons presented by classroom teachers corresponded to the four major characteristics of behavior disorders: conduct disorders, personality disorders,…

Determining the most appropriate intervention to address student problem behavior may be a difficult dilemma encountered by school psychologists during consultation activities with special education teachers. IDEA (1997) promotes the least restrictive environment and the least intrusive interventions that can be effective. The intrusiveness of…

An overview is provided of the literature on genetic, biochemical, neurobehavioral, and neuroanatomical correlates of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Accumulating evidence suggests a neurological etiology and a possible genetic basis in most children. The role of the school psychologist in helping children with ADHD is discussed.…