Students with persistent and significant challenging behaviors can sometimes be grouped into specific special education classrooms or even specialized schools based on specific disability categories. This practice presents both opportunities and challenges from a school psychologist's perspective. While this approach can allow for more focused…

If students at your school are not attending classes or coming to school at all, they may be engaging in school refusal. Understanding what school refusal is, as well as the functions behind it, is key to evaluation and a collaborative school-home approach to intervention.

Culturally responsive adaptations of commonly used interventions are key to supporting the diverse needs of all students. For check-in/check-out (CICO), a particular focus on adult--student mentoring relationships can improve effectiveness. Research suggests that CICO can be modified to support students from a variety of cultural backgrounds.…

School neuropsychology focuses on brain--behavior relationships and how these connections influence the learning process. This specialized field considers the individual and sociocultural factors that influence cognitive development, using targeted neuropsychological assessments to guide effective intervention. While grounded in pediatric clinical…

Traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), including concussions, occur with relative frequency among youth (National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, 2016). TBI symptoms vary by severity but are generally categorized as emotional, cognitive, sleep, or physical difficulties. Common emotional symptoms reported by students include feelings of…

Phenylketonuria (PKU) is a rare, but serious, metabolic disease that can cause a variety of neurological, psychological, and academic complications. Fortunately, many individuals with PKU who are identified and treated early can go on to live a relatively normal life. However, PKU does continue to present with a variety of complex underlying…

In considering classroom management strategies, understanding the environmental factors related to available reinforcement and their effect on student behavior is crucial. When teachers or school staff have access to information related to student behavior function, it can be used to design and implement more effective behavioral intervention…

Each year, the NASP Assistance to States (ATS) committee hosts regional leadership meetings (RLM) as part of the annual convention. In November 2021, state leaders across the country joined forces to learn about the process of implementation science and how to facilitate sustainable change. At the core, implementation science examines critical…

Treacher Collins syndrome (TCS) is a rare genetic disorder that affects the development of bones and tissues of the face and is characterized by deformities of the ears, eyes, cheekbones, and chin. The signs and symptoms of TCS vary greatly, ranging from unnoticeable to very severe manifestations and malformations. This article provides a history…

The suicide of a student has a rippling effect in the school environment as well as in the greater community, as a single adolescent death by suicide increases the risk of additional suicides. The process by which a completed suicide (or at times, suicidal behavior) increases the suicidal behavior of others is called contagion. When multiple…

Leukemia is the most common type of cancer in children and adolescents under the age of 19 (Mullin, 2018); but, due to scientific research and treatment advancements, there is an approximately 80% chance of survival from leukemia (Castillo, 2008). Most children receive a diagnosis of leukemia between the ages of 2 and 7 years old. The peak age of…

Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) has been an effective, evidence-based intervention in treating externalizing behaviors in children ages 2-7. PCIT can be adapted in a classroom setting to become Teacher-Child Interaction Training (TCIT), wherein the principles of PCIT are applied to the teacher-student relationship. This article describes…

Epilepsy represents a common neuropsychological disorder in children, which presents a myriad of cognitive, neuropsychological, social, emotional, behavioral, and learning problems. School psychologists are in a unique position to provide psychoeducation, assessment, intervention, and general supports for students with epilepsy and their families.…

Given the negative outcomes associated with current disciplinary practices, school-based mental health experts have an ethical obligation to, rather than promote punitive approaches to discipline, promote the development of prosocial behaviors, particularly in students at risk of being disproportionately affected by such policies. In recent years,…

In the early months of 2020, it became apparent that this year would bring unprecedented challenges as the COVID-19 pandemic swiftly compelled the impromptu transition to remote instruction that required a level of triage, flexibility, and problem-solving few were prepared for. Inequities in distance education and broader structural inequities…