Jonathan Sandoval

PREVALENCE OF HYPERACTIVITY IN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN AS A FUNCTION OF SOCIAL SYSTEM DEFINERS

This study seeks to reconcile the widely varying estimates of prevalence of hyperactivity in children. Parents, teachers, and physicians were asked to identify hyperactive children in a sample of some 5000 elementary school children. Approximately five percent were considered hyperactive by at least one defining system; only one percent were considered hyperactive by all three definers. Prevalence rates were relatively constant from kindergarten through fifth grade.

Concept mapping assessment in medical education: a comparison of two scoring systems

Background  Concept mapping has the potential to measure important aspects of a students evolving knowledge framework in a way that conventional examinations cannot. This is important because development of an elaborate and well‐structured knowledge framework is a critical step toward becoming an expert in a particular field. Little is known about the best way to score concept maps in the setting of medical education. Therefore, as a preliminary step in addressing this question, we compared two different scoring systems for validity: a structural method based on the organization of a maps hierarchical structure and a relational method based, not on structure, but on the quality of each individual map component.

PERSISTENCE OF HYPERACTIVITY SYMPTOMS FROM CHILDHOOD TO ADOLESCENCE AND ASSOCIATED OUTCOMES

Hyperactive boys and matched controls from a large-scale epidemiological study, followed for at least three years to age 12, were compared on parent and teacher reports and assessments of attention, achievement, and intellectual functioning. Three outcome groups, based on presence or absence of hyperactivity symptoms, were derived and compared to the DSM-III description of ADD-H. Problem-free adolescents who were hyperactive in childhood were found to be more mature cognitively and behaviorally than those whose problems persisted.

Behavior assessment system for children

Abstract The Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC) is a well-designed and useful set of measures for the assessment and identification of school-age children with emotional disturbances and behavioral disorders. The BASC consists of five measures designed to gather information about a child or adolescent from a variety of sources (teachers, parents, direct observations, students, and historical records). In combining this information into an integrated system, the BASC uniquely attempts to provide a multidimensional understanding of a child. This review summarizes the technical qualities of the BASC and critiques its usefulness for practicing school psychologists. Although there are shortcomings, the BASC is made up of some of the best measures of their kind and represents an approach of choice for identifying children with emotional and behavioral disorders in schools.

The WISC-R factoral validity for minority groups and Spearman's hypothesis

Abstract The factoral structure of the WISC-R for groups of Anglo, Black, and Mexican-American children was compared and found to be highly similar across groups. The tests appear to be measuring the same abilities in all three groups. The order of subtest difficulty was not significantly correlated with the subtest g loadings for the Black children but was for the Mexican-Americans. These results provide support for Spearmans hypothesis with Mexican-American children.

Consultation from the consultee's perspective

Abstract School-based and other mental health consultants are confronted with consultees who must adjust to the process of consultation by learning the parameters of the interaction. Consultees must learn how to act in this unique setting, must learn to use the consultant and the process for their own ends, and must learn about ways that they, themselves, contribute to problems which assail them. Consultation is successful to the extent that consultees come to a quick understanding of how to proceed. By being aware of what it is that the consultee must learn, the consultant may expedite the necessary insight.

Format effects in two teacher rating scales of hyperactivity.

The object of this study was to investigate the effect of differences in format on the precision of teacher ratings and thus on the reliability and validity of two teacher rating scales of childrens hyperactive behavior. Teachers (N=242) rated a sample of children in their classrooms using rating scales assessing similar attributes with different formats. For a sub-sample the rating scales were readministered after 2 weeks. The results indicated that improvement can be made in the precision of teacher ratings that may be reflected in improved reliability and validity.

Preparation of school psychologists for school-based consultation: A training activity and a service to community schools

Abstract Presents a set of training experiences to develop school-based consultation skills in preservice school psychologists and discusses problems in implementing this model of service. Based on their experience in training school psychologists at the University of California, Berkeley, the authors report on preparing students to deal with teacher and principal expectations. Also discussed are methods for mobilizing teachers to plan more precisely to meet the needs of individual pupils in the classroom. A distinction is made in the paper between school-based and community-based mental health consultation.

School Psychology and Limited-English-Proficient (LEP) Children: New Competencies.

Abstract Children with limited-English-proficiency (LEP) and special education needs will be more numerous in the public schools of certain states. This article presents a set of competencies that are relevant to the practice of school psychology with LEP special pupils. Although the focus is on Hispanic children, the competencies apply to bilingual special education in general. They cover the following areas: second-language proficiency of the psychologist, cross-cultural awareness, assessment, knowledge of language development, skill in working with interpreters, and knowledge of bilingual education curriculum.

Personality and Burnout among School Psychologists.

Personality factors along with organizational factors and interpersonal factors have commonly been thought to contribute to the experience of burnout among human services workers, including school psychologists. This study validates the relationship of personality characteristics as measured by the California Psychological Inventory (CPI) and burnout as measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory. School psychologists with well-integrated personalities (high Factor 3 scores on the CPI) are less prone to burnout than others.