The purpose of this study was to evaluate implementation of a whole school restorative practices model in Saint Paul Public Schools, Minnesota. Their model aims to embed practices to develop equitable relationships, engage students in learning, and respond relationally to behavioral concerns over a three-year period. The evaluation followed three…

Objective: Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of interventions to reduce organizational skills deficits and homework problems, including the clinic-based Organizational Skills Training (OST-C) program (Abikoff et al., 2013). In this study, OST-C was adapted for schools as a small-group (Tier 2) intervention delivered by school partners…

Accurate diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) at an early age is increasingly sought so that the child and family can access early intervention and supports. However, not all children neatly fit into the diagnostic criteria for ASD, and additional assessment and supports are often required as providers continue to evaluate the possibility…

Purpose: This research note presents a secondary data analysis of language impairment (LI) prevalence rates of children in public schools before and after a statewide mandate for response-to-intervention (RTI) implementation. Method: Statewide and district-level LI prevalence rates were compared across 10 school years. Prevalence data from 67…

While schools have the capacity to reach youth at-risk for suicide, there remains a gap between the number of youth with mental health issues and those who receive services. Accordingly, gatekeeper training programs, which teach community members signs of psychological distress and strategies to refer youth to mental health support, are often one…

This study investigated health-related QoL (HRQoL) and care-related quality of life (CarerQol) in clinically referred children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and their primary and secondary caregivers. The EuroQol five-dimensional (EQ-5D) and the CarerQol questionnaires were used to respectively measure health-related QoL and care-related…

With the increasing prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), clinicians and schools are receiving a larger number of assessment referrals for eligibility or diagnostic clarification of ASD in children who are deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH). Meeting this increasing demand is often difficult given not all assessment professionals seek…

This analysis looked at the impact of Student Parent Help Center services on undergraduate student parents' academic outcomes. Results from this analysis suggest that undergraduate student parents who interact with the Student Parent Help Center staff and access its referrals and programs are significantly more likely to graduate, remain enrolled…

High-quality teacher-student relationships are instrumental to the success of social and emotional learning interventions. Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory (1986), is a theoretical framework that focuses on self-efficacy, collective efficacy, vicarious learning, and triadic reciprocal determinism (i.e., behavior, personal factors, and…

Psychological First Aid (PFA) is a concept that can be traced to an article published by the American Psychiatric Association in 1954 recognizing the benefits of early crisis interventions that relieve stress and human suffering. This fact sheet explores the goals of PFA models; outlines when and how schools can implement PFA, including…

While special education programming has evolved in the United States, public school district administrators continue to face issues such as appropriately identifying students for special education. This attempt in part, is to avoid disproportionate representation in special education, and providing the least restrictive environment (Farkas, et…

Data from multiple school sources, including informant ratings, systematic direct observations (SDOs), and school wide data (e.g., office disciplinary referrals [ODRs]) are routinely used to guide decision making in the delivery of evidence based practices for students with externalizing and internalizing behavior problems. Over 50 years of…

Sociodemographic factors have long been associated with disparities in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis. Studies that identified spatial clustering of cases have suggested the importance of information about ASD moving through social networks of parents. Yet there is no direct evidence of this mechanism. This study explores the…

The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of a brief training on the cultural competence and perceived self-efficacy of school psychologists without formal training in working with deaf and hard-of-hearing (d/Dhh) students. Participants were trained on Deaf culture and best practices in the assessment of d/Dhh individuals. In Phase…

Deemed the "broad safety net approach," reformation of statutory law Pennsylvania Act 126 of 2012, increased the education and training requirements for mandated reporters with the intentions to increase the number of children identified as abused and neglected. The purpose of this quantitative correlation study is to examine data from…