Physical educators can expect to work with students experiencing a mental health concern. Mental health concerns are prevalent among children and adolescents in the United States. An estimated 13 to 20% of U.S. children meet the diagnostic criteria for an emotional or behavioral disorder. The purpose of this article is to provide physical…

The emotional and behavioral problems of students in the classroom are a major concern for teachers, parents, and administrators. Fifty years of scientific research supports the efficacy of behavioral interventions in the classroom, yet school psychologists and teachers are often unaware of this evidence or of how to apply it. As diagnoses of…

The purpose of this article is to first provide PE teachers with an understanding of the different types of trauma students face, including traumatic events, historical trauma experienced by members of racial, ethnic, sexual, and religious minorities, as well as how trauma exposure interferes with student learning. Second, it will encourage…

Adolescence can be a particularly difficult time for youth as they experience the physical, social, and academic changes that accompany maturation. One of the most critical challenges for schools is teaching adolescent students positive social and emotional skills, which are crucial for them to succeed academically and emotionally. "Strong…

The aim of the present study was to examine and describe educational leaders' mindset types related to schooling of students with ADHD in five municipalities with ADHD special education classes and in five pair-matched municipalities without such classes. Selection of the ten municipalities was based on the results from a nationwide survey…

This book clearly explains what Specific Learning Difficulties (SpLD) are, and describes the symptoms of conditions most commonly encountered in the mainstream classroom: dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, dysgraphia, Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, and OCD. The author provides an overview of the strengths and weaknesses commonly associated with…

In this article, Nicholas Covino states that mental illness is a problem many people do not want to discuss, yet it affects everyone. Today, one in four adults and one in five children have a diagnosable mental illness, and one of two Americans will suffer from mental illness at some point in their lives. Suicide will claim one American every 13…

This handbook was created to provide National Education Association (NEA) member educators with a research-based description of the impact of poverty on teaching and learning. It is important to understand poverty's impact on children's educational success, along with strategies for overcoming the impact of poverty on the brain and learning. The…

Understanding how labels and prior training affect teachers of students with a disability is a step toward creating effective educational environments. Two goals of the present study were to examine how teacher training (special education vs. general education training) and labeling of students (either as having attention deficit hyperactivity…

Background: A number of genetic conditions with associated intellectual disability and/or special educational needs have increasingly well-defined behavioural phenotypes. Thus, the concept of "behavioural phenotype" and aetiology of intellectual disability may be important with regard to school-based interventions. Method: The evidence for…

Tourette Syndrome (TS) is a neurobiological disorder characterized by various involuntary motor movements and vocal tics. Symptoms of TS emerge between the ages of 3 to 8 years old, are most severe when an individual reaches puberty, and decrease by the time a person is 20 years old. Additionally, persons with TS may have secondary disabilities of…

In this conceptual article, we integrate existing literature on early school transitions, ecological systems theory, and student-teacher relationships to propose a framework for investigating the transition to school for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). A review of the literature suggests that the quality of early student-teacher…

The number of students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has risen significantly in recent years (CDC, 2012), and students with ASD present unique challenges to schools and school counselors. This article presents a synthesis of recent research literature related to ASD for the purpose of providing school counselors with assistance in…

Within a short time span, response to intervention (RTI) has altered how educators serve students with reading difficulties. Its impact is most evident at the primary level, where the focus is on limiting referrals to special education by preventing reading difficulties. Educators have paid less attention to exploring how to use RTI with older…

This article describes the journey that a family and community took to prepare Leon, a young man with autism, for his Bar Mitzvah. A positive behavior support (PBS) intervention was used to prepare Leon for this symbolic rite of passage into the Jewish culture. He had specific problem behaviors that needed to be addressed for him to participate in…