Canadian Journal of School Psychology最新文献

Indigenous students in Canada typically experience lower educational attainment, graduate at lower rates, and are disproportionately represented on Individual Education Plans compared to their non-Indigenous peers, despite consistent efforts to meet the needs of these students in a culturally responsive way. Many school psychologists report that they do not have the necessary skills and training to work effectively with Indigenous students, meaning that these students might not be adequately supported in schools. Forty-nine Nova Scotia school psychologists completed a survey about their perceptions of their graduate preparation, current knowledge, and knowledge needed to practice effectively with Indigenous students across the APA's six areas of cross-cultural competency. Results indicated that school psychologists felt that their graduate training did not adequately prepare them and that their level of current knowledge was not sufficient to practice effectively with Indigenous students and communities. However, the majority of respondents indicated that they believed it was important to be knowledgeable about Indigenous students' backgrounds and culture, suggesting an openness to learning. Suggestions for training and practice are discussed in the context of the TRC Calls to Action and the CPA accreditation standards, with a focus on transformative education and culturally responsive practices.

Social media platforms such as Pinterest are a popular medium for locating and consuming health and mental health information, as well as educational resources to assist struggling learners. Despite parents and educators being frequent consumers of education-related information on Pinterest, no studies to date have explored the accuracy of intervention information for dyslexia on Pinterest-linked web pages, meaning that the extent to which it aligns with evidence-based practice and the science of reading is unclear. This study reviewed online information about interventions for dyslexia from 41 Pinterest-linked web pages to evaluate accountability, presentation, alignment with evidence-based practice, and readability using a set of standardized criteria. The quality of intervention information was generally poor, with websites meeting less than 10% of the standardized criteria. Further, most information was published by unspecified authors or authors without formal experience providing evidence-based interventions for dyslexia. Most sites also neglected to reference their sources or recommend follow-up with a professional. These findings suggest that psychologists should be steering educators away from Pinterest as a resource and towards more reliable websites. Possibilities for future research, and practical implications for school psychologists are discussed.

Conduct problems are among the most common reasons of referral to special education services and placement in special classrooms. Students with conduct problems are at a high risk of school dropout. However, little is known about the association between placement in special classrooms and the risk of school dropout for students with conduct problems. We employed data from a longitudinal study of students with conduct problems who were receiving special education services in special or in inclusive classrooms at study entry (N = 302). Five patterns of placement in special (vs. inclusive) classrooms were identified. Higher academic performance and receptive vocabulary, and lower externalizing problems reduce the odds of persistent placement in special classrooms. Students with a persistent or delayed placement had higher risk of school dropout in comparison to students with no placement history. Students in special classrooms at study entry did not have a greater risk of school dropout if they later transitioned to inclusive classrooms. Strengthening the academic performance and receptive vocabulary of students with conduct problems could prevent placement in special classrooms. Limiting persistent and delayed placement in special classrooms may decrease the risk of school dropout among students with conduct problems.

During previous disasters, youth with existing mental health diagnoses have been especially vulnerable to negative mental health outcomes. Yet, longitudinal outcomes for these youth during the COVID-19 pandemic have not been well-studied. In addition, potential protective factors that may buffer this enhanced risk in the context of the pandemic also need to be explored. Thus, this longitudinal study investigates if having a self-reported learning, cognitive, and/or psychological disorder diagnosis placed adolescents at greater risk for trauma symptomology over the first full academic year (2020-21) of the COVID-19 pandemic, and if this relationship was moderated by peer or family support. To answer this question, we collected four waves of data from youth (M age = 14.63) in one province in Western Canada over the 2020/21 school year (N = 1,227). Trauma symptomology was assessed using the Child Revised Impacts of Events Scale (CRIES-13). We used multivariate linear regression to assess if an existing learning, cognitive, and/or psychological disorder diagnosis was associated with trauma symptomatology in June 2021, controlling for symptoms in September 2021, and to explore potential moderation by peer and family support. We found that youth who had an existing learning, cognitive, and/or psychological disorder diagnosis reported significantly higher trauma symptomatology across the 2020/21 academic year, as compared to youth without a diagnosis, but that there was no moderation by peer or family support. Our results suggest that a small but significant subset of youth who were at risk for poor mental health outcomes prior to the pandemic remain vulnerable and require access to ongoing school psychology supports to promote their mental well-being.