Jon Lasser

The Effects of War on Children: School Psychologists’ Role and Function

War may be the most profound psychosocial stressor on child and adolescent development, for it has the potential to inflict loss, disruption of stability, deleterious health effects and family/community system disorganization. This article reviews the literature regarding the effects of war on children and explores the role and function of the school psychologist with respect to the profession’s responsibilities regarding war and peace. Recommendations are made for local, national and international efforts.

Constructing Normalcy: A Qualitative Study of Parenting Children with Asperger's Disorder.

Children with Aspergers Disorder present unique challenges due to their impairments in social functioning. In order to better understand the experiences of parents of children with Aspergers Disorder, interviews were conducted with 20 parents. The interviews were taped, transcribed, and coded using the systematic methods of Grounded Theory. The central phenomenon of “constructing normalcy” emerged from the data as a salient construct for participants. Parents interviewed described a process of meaning‐making with respect to standards of “normalcy” and an effort to create adaptive environments for their children.

Development of a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual Visibility Management Scale

Many lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals manage the degree to which their sexual orientation is known to others. Visibility management, the process of regulating the exposure of ones orientation, is an important part of the lesbian/gay/bisexual experience in community, family, and virtually all other social settings. The degree to which one allows his or her sexual orientation to be visible can have a profound impact on stress, health, self-esteem, interpersonal relationships, and quality of life. The purpose of the present study was to develop a valid and reliable measure of visibility management. The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual-Visibility Management Scale was constructed and piloted with a small sample of LGB adults. Results support the potential utility of the LGB scale based on satisfactory evidence of construct validity, item-level discrimination, and subscale reliability.

Competing Values: A Respectful Critique of Narrative Research

Smythe and Murray (2000) presented the basic ethical issues in narrative research (NR) in a comprehensive, well-reasoned, and direct manner. In this critique, we highlight 3 issues. Two matters appear to challenge the internal inconsistency of the assumptions of NR: privileging some voices over others and a potential inherent conflict of interest for some researchers. We also examine some issues regarding the protection of research participants and conclude with modest recommendations.

Fatherhood in Kenyan ethnic communities: Implication for child development

This article reviews the traditional and evolving constructions of fatherhood in Kenyan society, with an emphasis on fatherhood’s impact on child development outcomes. Western influence and increased access to technology have changed the role of the Kenyan father, and in turn affected his role in the family. Special attention is given to implications for child development and for educators working with children and families in Kenya.

Exploring Sandplay Therapy: Application to Individuals With Traumatic Brain Injury

Estimates of the incidence of childhood traumatic brain injury (TBI) indicate that it is a major cause of physical, emotional, social, and learning problems among children. In any one year, an estimated 250 in 100,000 children in the United States experience traumatic brain injury (Anderson, Northam, Hendy, & Wrennall, 2001). As many as 15% of individuals with mild TBI continue to have significant problems after the injury, even though physicians, parents, and teachers may not anticipate complications from mild head injuries (Hibbard, Gordon, Martin, Raskin, & Brown, 2001). Of particular concern is the dynamic nature of brain development during childhood and adolescence. The impact of TBI on social and emotional adjustment varies greatly, in part as a function of age at injury, nature and severity of injury, premorbid functioning, and the psychosocial

Visibility Management and the School Psychologist.

Visibility management (VM) refers to a process by which individuals regulate the degree to which they disclose traits or characteristics that would otherwise be inconspicuous. This article defines VM, discusses the importance of VM for the school psychologist, reviews applications of VM in school settings, provides two case studies, considers ethical/legal issues and makes recommendations for future research. As child advocates, school psychologists are encouraged to consider how VM interfaces with the role of promoting the psychological well being of children.

Global Migration: The Need for Culturally Competent School Psychologists.

Never before have more children lived away from their home countries. Given the unique social, emotional, and academic needs of children who have migrated, school psychologists must be well prepared to meet these growing demands. Consequently, school psychology training programs must invest in the preparation of culturally competent future school psychologists. In this article, we review relevant literature regarding children, migration, and school psychology and then describe a model training program that was developed to prepare school psychologists in Texas, where there are a significant number of migrant children from Mexico and South America. Broader implications for training school psychologist in the areas of cultural and linguistic diversity are discussed.

Latino immigration: preparing school psychologists to meet students' needs

As the population of immigrant Latino students continues to rise, school psychologists serving Latino children and families must develop the knowledge and skills necessary to provide high-quality psychological services to culturally and linguistically diverse students from immigrant families. Following a review of the relevant literature on the educational, social, and emotional needs of immigrant Latino children, we describe Project SUPERB (Scholars Using Psychology and Education to Reach Bilinguals), a grant-funded initiative to address the shortage of bilingual (Spanish-English) school psychologists. We discuss important issues regarding training and preparation to develop the competencies necessary for effective assessment, intervention, and collaboration in the context of school settings to help immigrant children achieve success. Finally, we identify ways in which school psychologists may adopt a leadership role in working with schools and families to promote positive outcomes. (PsycINFO Database Record

School Psychological Practice with Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, and Questioning (GLBTIQ) Students

This chapter discusses how gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, intersex, and questioning (GLBTIQ) youth have been understood in psychology over time, providing key definitions and explaining how early understandings have developed into more recent conceptualizations and practice. Contemporary research data on GLBTIQ students in the primary and secondary years will then be presented, including statistics on experiences of bullying and mental health issues. Finally, the chapter describes the role of the school psychologist in supporting psychological health and well-being for different student groups within the GLBTIQ umbrella, and how this can be mediated against the different expectations in different Australian school contexts. A review of cultural issues for different cultural communities and parents will be provided as well as a case study, some information on training and legal issues, resources, and a quiz.