This article discusses some of the problems and possibilities facing educational psychologists (EPs) as they strive to take a proactive role in promoting inclusion in their daily work. It begins by commenting on recent evidence which suggests that, despite exhortations to the contrary, many EPs continue to promote non-inclusive ways of working. …

A two-stage protocol for screening for autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) was evaluated in a random population of 31,724 children aged 14-15 months. Children were first pre-screened by physicians at well-baby clinics using a 4-item screening instrument. Infants that screened positive were then evaluated during a 1.5-h home visit by a trained…

The first, and most prominent, section of this publication consists of eight digest papers which offer several perspectives on new models for psychological practice in schools. The topics addressed in the digest series reflect key issues confronting psychologists as they struggle to increase their responsiveness to educational challenges in…

There is a great deal of rhetoric concerning the prevention of violence and related problems faced by youth. A conference speech, this document advocates that rhetoric must be replaced by an examination of available data and experience with school-based prevention programs. This is especially important in light of a growing emphasis on "Safe…

The mental health care delivery system is undergoing a metamorphosis of unprecedented proportion as a result of managed care. Few empirical assessments of practitioner response exist. Utilizing managed care provider and telephone directories, agency lists, and the Internet, 200 managed mental health care providers were anonymously surveyed.…

A growing body of creative curricular materials, intended to guide and support the multicultural training of psychologists, has been developed. To enhance these materials, a preliminary evaluation of a multicultural program was conducted in an attempt to understand how students develop into culturally competent clinicians, particularly in terms of…

Both educational attainment and mental health are part of the whole development of the child. School psychologists are indispensable in the schools because they alone bridge the gap between learning and mental health. They become even more in demand when they demonstrate that they can leverage mental health through educational interventions, and…

Psychologists learn early that the first place it is necessary to establish consistency of values is within the self. This foundation is a necessary condition to becoming an indispensable psychologist. Three ingredients to professional indispensability in psychology are excellence, relevance, and passion. Combine these with motive power (the drive…

Despite the field's growth, development, and maturity, in many ways the typical psychologist in the schools in little better off than a quarter century ago. Presently school psychology positions rest primarily on the shaky bedrock of financial and legislative considerations rather than perceived need. Following marketing strategies can enhance the…

One of the first steps psychologists can take toward making themselves indispensable in the schools is to actively participate in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of crisis intervention teams. Unless effective crisis intervention strategies are instituted, the educational process comes to a standstill. School psychologists need to play…

A study examined the effectiveness of the Preventing Early Reading Failure Project in the Griffin-Spalding County School System (Griffin, Georgia) during the 1994-95 school year. The approach was based on research on phonemic awareness and phonological recoding. The treatment group of 39 first-grade students received classroom reading instruction…

Traditional and revised models of psychological training fail to prepare graduate students to be teachers or effective faculty members. This paper addresses the mentoring needed by graduate psychology students who aspire to academic positions. The mentoring of future academicians requires different processes than the mentoring of future clinical…

Alcoholism, a major health problem currently being addressed by other professions, has unique features, manifestations, and ramifications for psychologists. Salient aspects of alcoholism in psychology include etiological and motivational factors, characteristic behaviors, and specific risk factors in the work environment of psychologists.…

A problem exists in the lack of assessment coordination between monolingual psychologists and bilingual psychologists when working with language minority children referred for evaluation of special needs. This practicum was designed to improve the psychological assessment coordination between monolingual English psychologists and the bilingual…

Professional competency in psychologists wishing to treat children and families is an area of considerable concern and disagreement. Three types of practitioners comprise the bulk of the problem: clinical psychologists, who lack specific child-oriented training; developmental psychologists, who wish to serve children but lack traditional clinical…