Wayne C. Piersel

Resistance to School-Based Consultation: A Behavioral Analysis of the Problem.

When attempting to consult with school personnel, psychologists frequently encounter various forms of resistance. This paper conceptualizes resistance to consultation services within a behavioral/cognitive behavioral framework, and discusses how resistance can result from contingencies operating at both the system and the building levels.

Concurrent Validity of the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS) for Adolescents

The Childrens Manifest Anxiety Scale (CMAS) originally created in 1956, has been revised by Reynolds and Richmond (1978). New validity data on the scale were needed, and Reynolds (1980, 1982) has provided promising validity data on the Revised Childrens Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS) for elementary school aged children. Since little validity data are available for the RCMAS with adolescents, this study was designed to examine the concurrent validity of the RCMAS for adolescents. The expected relationships between the RCMAS and similar measures from the MMPI were found, indicating that the RCMAS may indeed be a valid measure of anxiety for adolescents. Aspects of discriminant validity (Campbell and Fiske, 1959) were evaluated and directions for future validity studies presented.

School phobia: A critical analysis of the separation anxiety theory and an alternative conceptualization

A review of the literature on school phobia reveals that the predominant view concerning its etiology is the separation anxiety theory. This theory is critically anlayzed on three major grounds: (a) methodological problems of the research; (b) its lack of generalizability concerning pathological mother-child relationships; and (c) its lack of emphasis on possible external, etiological variables. A case is made for reexamination of school phobia, in light of recent research highlighting the potential role of environmental variables, thereby taking it out of the realm of neurotic behaviors. An alternative conceptualization is offered that views school refusal as a normal avoidance reaction to an unpleasant, unsatisfying, or even hostile environment. It is suggested that we shift our research attention to the school environment and personnel in terms of their contribution to the etiology and maintenance of school refusal behaviors.

The long-term treatment of life-threatening pica: A case study of a woman with profound mental retardation living in an applied setting

The effect of a long-term intensive treatment program on the occurrence of pica in a woman with profound mental retardation and epilepsy was investigated. The study utilized four treatment strategies: (1) edible/inedible discrimination training with hand held restraint; (2) edible/inedible discrimination training with facial screening, hand held restraint and a baiting procedure; (3) disposal training with facial screening, hand held restraint, and a baiting procedure; and (4) disposal training with hand held restraint and a baiting procedure. The strategies were implemented in phases to: (a) eliminate life-threatening pica; (b) determine the impact of facial screening on pica, and (c) determine which components were effective at eliminating pica. Pica was successfully reduced after 5 years of intensive program implementation. Facial screening played a substantial role in the reduction of pica. The most effective treatment package: (a) taught the client to dispose of inedibles, (b) used baiting sessions, and (c) consequated pica with 15 sec of hand held restraint. At follow-up, the clients pica behavior was responsive to staff monitoring and verbal reprimands. Interpretation of the results were limited given the research design employed.

Concept Acquisition and School Progress: An Examination of the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts

The relation of performance on the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts to kindergarten readiness skills and first grade achievement was investigated (70 females and 53 males). The correlations indicated strong positive relationships between kindergarten entry level skills, skill acquisition, and achievement in first grade.

WISC-R Factor Scores and Student Self-Ratings of Behavior as Predictors of Academic Achievement.

The capability of WISC-R Verbal Comprehension (VC), Perceptual Organization (PO), and Freedom from Distractibility (FD) factor scores and student self-ratings of behavior from the Behavior Rating Profile Student Rating Scales (BRP-SRS) to predict academic achievement was investigated. Previous research found that intellectual ability accounted for about 50% of the variance in achievement. Other noncognitive variables are expected to account for a portion of the remaining variance and add significantly to the prediction of achievement. Subjects were public school students referred for psychological evaluations due to learning and behavior problems in the classroom. The results of a multivariate multiple regression analysis indicated that VC and FD factors significantly predicted Woodcock-Johnson Reading, Mathematics, and Written Language cluster scores. The VC and FD factors accounted for a major portion of the variance in achievement. Behavioral self-ratings did not contribute significantly to the prediction of achievement scores.

Components of Variance in Behavior Ratings from Parents and Teachers

The behavior ratings of parents and teachers using the Burks Behavior Rating Scales (BBRS) were examined by means of a paradigm derived from generalizability theory. Internal consistency indices and interrater reliabilities were manipulated to determine and apportion variance into error components. The analysis suggested that large amounts of error variance were present for most of the 19 scales on the BBRS. The large amount of error or situational variance indicated that comparing scores obtained from different raters in different settings is not advisable when one is making judgments with respect to stable child characteristics. Further implications for the development and use of behavior rating scales were discussed.

The Long-Term Effects of Intrauterine Drug Exposure Review of Recent Research and Implications for Early Childhood Special Education

This article reviews current research on the long-term outcomes of children exposed to drugs in utero. Areas reviewed include alcohol, cocaine, heroin, marijuana, and multiple drug use. Literature on the outcomes of children diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) was found to be the most extensive. There was a paucity of research on the long-term outcomes of children exposed to cocaine, marijuana, heroin, and multiple drugs. Methodological issues related to the analysis and interpretation of longitudinal studies are discussed. Differential intervention efforts based primarily on knowledge of a childs intrauterine exposure to drugs was unsupported by available evidence. It is recommended that early childhood special educators continue to utilize an ecological model to assess and intervene with the children exposed to drugs in utero who need special education services and with their families.

Computer‐adapted PPVT‐R: A comparison between standard and modified versions within an elementary school population

The PPVT-R was administered to 112 elementary school children in both computerautomated and standard formats. The comparability of test results was investigated. The automated format consisted of transparent plates placed in front of a computer screen with an Apple IIE computer and keyboard as the response medium. The correlations found between the standard and modified versions were positive, substantial, and acceptable for clinical use. The usefulness of adapted psychological testing with normal and response-limited individuals is discussed.

Home language as a predictor of first-grade achievement for Anglo- and Mexican-American children☆

The utility of kindergarten screening measures in predicting first grade achievement was examined for 246 children classified as Anglo-American-English as home language (AA-E), Mexican-American-English as home language (MA-E), and Mexican-American-Spanish as home language (MA-S). All children were administered the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts, Draw-A-Design and Draw-A-Child subtests of the McCarthy Scales of Childrens Abilities, and a Criterion Referenced Test at the beginning of kindergarten and at the end of kindergarten. The SRA Achievement Series was then administered during first grade. Stepwise multiple regression analyses were conducted for each group of children employing each set of kindergarten measures as predictors. All resulting equations were significant (p < .001) and revealed differential predictive power of the kindergarten measures as a function of ethnicity and home language, content of the criterion measures, and time of assessment. The Criterion Referenced Test was found to be a significant predictor of first-grade reading scores and the Draw-A-Design subtest emerged as a significant predictor of first-grade math achievement for the MA-S children, whereas the Boehm consistently emerged as a significant predictor and accounted for substantially more variance in first-grade reading and math scores for the AA-E and MA-E children. For all three groups, beginning kindergarten measures accounted for more variance in first-grade achievement than end of kindergarten measures. The importance of utilizing language measures, as well as predictive validity techniques, was discussed in relation to future cross-cultural research.