This dissertation is composed of three articles analyzing the use of sensory rooms in schools to support student need as well as its use in other settings. Sensory rooms are rooms equipped with a variety of resources, strategies, and equipment to support an individual in de-escalation. They have been implemented in various settings including…

In a world where children are likely to experience early-life trauma, relationships matter, and trust is a key in forming healthy working relationships. Intentionally teaching adults and teachers how to evoke calmness in ourselves and breathe to handle negative situations, trusted educators can then teach children to do the same. It is important…

The relations of executive functions (EF), effortful control (EC), social skills, and externalizing behaviors were examined based on performance measures and rating scales collected from parents and teachers of kindergarten students. Externalizing problems encompass the most prevalent mental health disorders for children at the kindergarten age.…

The problem addressed in this study was the disruptive behaviors of children with self-regulation difficulties in the classroom environment. The purpose of this study was to understand how elementary public-school teachers in New York City address the needs of students with self-regulation difficulties in their classroom and to explore strategies…

This study is a mixed method case study using a qualitative and quantitative study structure. The intent of this study was to measure the impact of neuroscience or brain based social-emotional (SEL) skills and strategies on students who have been identified with disruptive behavior and/or trauma. The impact is evaluated through the Collaborative…

The consequences of trauma and chronic toxic stress on young children's social and neurobiological developments are numerous and well-documented in the literature (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2020; Jimenez et al., 2016; Sciaraffa et al., 2018; Statman-Weil, 2015; Zeng et al., 2019). Children exposed to trauma during early…

Helping Native American college students find their purpose and develop their holistic identity will help them be successful in college and in their professional careers. In this study the structural framework of the interview questions are based on Chickering and Reisser's (1993) student identity development theory which includes seven vectors.…

An emerging literature base suggests that symptoms of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) persist beyond adolescence and are associated with unique psychosocial impairment for adult populations. The purpose of this study is to examine the clinical characteristics of ODD symptoms in a young adult population. Three-hundred and five young adult…

Substance use disorders are considered externalizing disorders, defined by anti-social and impulsive behavior, as opposed to internalizing disorders, defined by anxious and depressive thinking; however, that strict binary is increasingly untenable. In this dissertation, I evaluate the co-development of internalizing and externalizing symptoms…

Mindfulness-based programs (MBPs) provide a way for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to self-manage challenging behaviors, which may ameliorate the need for more intensive individual interventions in schools. Using a concurrent multiple baseline design, our study examined whether Meditation on the Soles of the Feet (SoF), a brief MBP,…

For children and adolescents, developing key social-emotional skills is beneficial to how they grow and learn in their environment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the overall social-emotional skills of African American students in a general education setting using a social-emotional learning program, Strong Kids. This study…

The COVID-19 pandemic has negative effects on children, adolescents, and adults. Despite these effects, information about the nature of mental health concerns and services provided to address these concerns by elementary school counselors is unknown. The purpose of this generic qualitative study was to examine mental health concerns elementary…

In recent years, schools have begun Social Emotional Learning (SEL) instruction. In 1994, the term Social Emotional Learning was coined by CASEL (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning; originally named the Collaborative to Advance Social and Emotional Learning). SEL instruction is critical in schools because communities and…

The digital revolution of over twenty years has shifted how society communicates and the cellphone has become the most popular communication tool among adolescents. Consequently, cellphone use in the 21st century has extended to the classroom, and many educators are overwhelmed by students' unauthorized cellphone use. Researchers suggested…

Existing research has established that many teachers experience high stress and burnout, which negatively impacts their own well-being and their classroom practices and strategies for managing misbehavior. However, gaps exist in understanding how teachers' internal social-emotional characteristics, such as empathy, compassion for their students'…