Referral, placement, and retention decisions were analyzed using item response theory (IRT) to study whether classification decisions could be placed on the latent continuum of ability normally associated with test items and to study the existence of classification differential item functioning. Results with 352 kindergarten children demonstrate…

Reports on the results of a study of 119 youth at the Hillsborough County, Florida, Juvenile Assessment Center involving community-based intervention. Results indicate that males were more involved in delinquent activities, whereas females came from troubled family backgrounds. Presents conclusions regarding the health service implications of…

Using data from a study of elementary Ontario teachers and principals, the paper examines difficulties in persuading teachers to report child abuse. Results suggest that teachers do not intentionally avoid reporting, but almost half of their suspicions never get beyond the principal's desk. Teachers' perceptions of the procedural process…

This article discusses how clinicians can work with parents of young children with disabilities who may themselves have mental health disorders. Recommendations are provided for an initial approach to parents with mental health challenges, referral to psychiatric personnel, establishing trust and rapport, and sustaining a relationship with parents…

This study evaluated 150 elementary students previously referred to school study teams for possible learning disability (LD) as defined by a discrepancy between IQ and performance on a standardized achievement test. Comparison with actual school-based decisions found fewer than half of students certified as LD by local schools evidenced the…

Provides guidance to faculty and staff about how to recognize warning signs of depression and suicide in students, and how to communicate with these students. Warning signs include excessive absences, withdrawing from friends, and changes in dress or hygiene. Communication should be done in private, should be nonjudgmental, and should demonstrate…

This article describes the gifted identification process of the Westport, Connecticut, school system. The process uses information obtained through six components: a referral form, student rating questionnaire, examples of classroom performance, parent assessment questionnaire, Otis-Lenon School Ability Tests, and performance-based assessment. (CR)

This article provides an overview of programs based in post-secondary settings in Maryland that serve students ages 18-21 with significant disabilities who are still receiving public school special education services. Student and setting characteristics, staffing, funding patterns, referral and admission practices, and program components are…

The purpose of this study was to examine the special education referral and decision-making process for English language learners (ELLs), with a focus on Child Study Team (CST) meetings and placement conferences/multidisciplinary team meetings. We wished to learn how school personnel determined if ELLs who were struggling had disabilities, to what…

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the trajectory of cases through four systems: child protection, law enforcement, the dependency courts, and the criminal courts. Method: This study focused on a county selected from a 41-county telephone survey conducted for the National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect (NIS-3). For this…

Background: Although gender differences in psychopathology among the general psychiatric population appear to be well documented, such differences have been either ignored or inconsistently investigated among people with intellectual disability (ID). Methods: The study examined psychiatric co-morbidity in 295 men and 295 women with ID and…

This paper presents the findings of a qualitative research project carried out in a UK Pupil Referral Unit during the 2000/01 academic year. It describes and analyses the strategies adopted by a small group of Behaviour Support Service teachers in order to achieve their everyday occupational goals. It is argued that despite their commitment to the…

In an effort to understand the reasons that young children might be referred for psychological services, ratings provided by mothers who had contacted a psychology clinic were compared to those provided by mothers who were college students. Results of this study suggested that children who were referred for psychological services were rated as…

We studied the relationship between caregivers' personal and social resources and facilitation of adherence by elderly care recipients to a prescribed health regimen. Adherence facilitation was measured among 240 caregivers on a 45-item instrument constructed for this research. The facilitation score was regressed on caregivers' role-specific…

Appropriate assessment of English language learners with academic struggles remains problematic (Alvarez, 1991). The purpose of this study was to examine the diagnostic practices of a large culturally diverse district in the Southwest. The researchers collected information from the school records of 146 English language learner (ELL) students who…