Joel Meyers

A consultation model for school psychological services

Abstract This paper proposes a consultative model for school psychology which includes several techniques that have been independently presented in the past. The primary contribution is the integration of these different methods into a model which is specifically designed for school psychologists. The proposed model is adapted from Caplan (1970), and it includes four levels of functioning: I) Direct Service to the Child; II) Indirect Service to the Child; III) Direct Service to the Teacher; and IV) Service to the School System; a distinction is made between the content and process of consultation, and a shift in emphasis from level I to the remaining levels is suggested.

The Effects of Consultee-Centered Consultation on Teacher Behavior.

The purpose of this investigation was to respond to two deficiencies in past consultation research. It described the consultee-centered consultation techniques which were used, and it attempted to demonstrate the effectiveness of consultee-centered consultation in changing observable teacher behavior. Evidence was presented to show how consultation was followed by a reduction in the negative verbal behavior of two out of three teachers who participated in the study. An attempt was made to show how this study related to Caplans (1970) assumptions regarding consultee-centered case-consultation. It was concluded that multiple baseline designs offer a viable approach to experimental research in consultation with small numbers of subjects.

Consultee-centered consultation with a teacher as a technique in behavior management

Client-centered consultation was effective in helping a teacher to decrease one childs disruptive classroom behavior, and consultee-centered consultation helped the teacher improve her control of the class as a whole. Initially, a client-centered reinforcement program effectively decreased the disruptive behavior of one target child. Later, attention to the teachers feelings about being the authority figure in the classroom was used in an attempt to modify the behavior of the entire class. The data describing the behavior of a second child in the classroom suggested that this consultee-centered consultation was followed by less classroom disruption. In addition, anecdotal observations indicated that consultee-centered consultation was effective in modifying the behavior of both the teacher and the rest of the class.

The impact of PL 94-142 on the practice of school psychology: A national survey

This paper presents the results of a national survey of school psychologists to determine the impact of PL 94-142 on the role of the school psychologist. Data were based on responses to 856 surveys by practicing school psychologists who were selected randomly from the NASP membership list during 1979-80. The results suggested that this legislation has had remarkably little impact on the evaluation procedures used or on the school psychologists role. The two clear changes that have occurred may have negative implications for psychological services (e.g., an increased focus on handicapped children and increased paperwork). It was found that many school psychologists are involved in evaluation, but do not have time to be involved in the IEP process, or to provide follow-up consultation, or direct intervention for prevention and/or therapeutic purposes. This problem was exacerbated in districts that had ratios of greater than 1,000 to 1. Despite these problems, many respondents view the legislation in positive terms, and feel it has helped to enlarge the scope of practice.

Training in Consultation

ConclusionsThis paper has pointed out some important goals, techniques, and dilemmas associated with consultation training and it has reviewed some of the relevant literature. A variety of ideas have been presented that should be useful to the trainer devising a workshop, a course, or a series of programmatic training experiences. In addition to describing key goals for training, the training techniques included readings, writing projects, and other didactic exercises, as well as modeling, role-playing with feedback, andin vivo practice with feedback. However, it should be noted that one important issue that has been ignored in the literature on consultation training is theconsultee (Meyers, Note 2). Effective consultation would be more likely if consultees receiving training regarding the knowledge base of consultation and the skills necessary to be an effective consultee.

A research model for consultation with teachers

Abstract This paper criticizes past research in consultee-centered consultation because of the inadequate description of techniques and subjective criteria which are not based on directly observable behavior. A research design based on the use of a small number of subjects is proposed as one way to improve this research. This design is then evaluated in relationship to the internal and external threats to validity discussed by Campbell and Stanley (1963).

Auditory discrimination, intelligence, and reading achievement at grade 1.

To determine the relations of auditory discrimination and intelligence to reading achievement in first grade the California Test of Mental Maturity, the California Achievement Test (reading), and the Buktenica Modification of the Wepman Auditory Discrimination Test were administered to 78 first grade students. Correlations suggested a stronger relation between auditory discrimination and reading than between IQ and reading as measured here; however, range of reading scores was restricted. Results support Wepmans developmental theory. The methodological approach includes simultaneous consideration of effects of auditory discrimination and intelligence.

The Training and Analysis of Consultation Process Using Transactional Analysis.

The present investigation was an attempt to examine the possibility of experimentally manipulating the process of consultation. In this instance, the process of consultation was conceived in terms of the Transactional Analysis paradigm. The study employed a small-N analogue to consultee-centered consultation with the experimental treatment consisting of a training session in Transactional Analysis for the consultants. The treatment effect was assessed against three dependent measures: (a) the subjective evaluations of the consultant-consultee pairs; (b) the percent of behavioral change toward goal; and (c) the number of Adult-Adult transactions characterizing the consultation exchange. The data indicate increases in the number of Adult-Adult transactions, the Average Subjective Evaluation, and the Percent of Goal Attainment for two of the four experimental subject pairs. However, the result for only one subject met the requirements of the multiple baseline design, so that it could be concluded that the observed gains for this subject probably could be attributed to the T.A. training session. In addition to suggesting the influence of Adult-Adult transactions on consultation, this study is felt to offer insight to researchers seeking appropriate experimental designs for manipulating relevant process variables in consultation and detecting the effects of these manipulations.

A workshop model for training the school psychologist in drug education and intervention techniques

Abstract Proposed to: (1) design a model drug training program specifically for graduate student school psychologists, (2) implement the program on a pilot basis, and (3) demonstrate an approach to evaluate the programs effectiveness. A 26-hour drug education workshop was presented to 12 graduate student school psychologists as a model training program including a variety of teaching procedures and extensive evaluation. On prepost questionnaires, improved scores reflected increased understanding of drug-related laws and terminology. While participants ratings of their knowledge about drugs did not increase, they did rate themselves as more competent regarding drug problems. The workshops affective climate and many of the teaching techniques were rated positively. The contributions of this workshop were its focus on training techniques and the development of one approach for evaluating training projects for school psychologists.

Organizational consultation to facilitate communication within a school staff

This article describes in detail an organizational consultation intervention designed to create a more effective learning atmosphere by improving intrastaff communication. Using an informal survey accompanied by feedback sessions, the authors were able to reduce the tense school atmosphere and develop a process for ongoing, cooperative problem solving within the staff of an urban public school. This concrete description with emphasis on practical considerations is offered to stimulate programs of intervention at the organizational level, which, although efficient, are rarely used consultation techniques.