Praxis Flashcards
Informal measures for social and emotional problems
use multiple data sources (e.g., number of office referrals, suspensions, and classroom-based disciplinary procedures)
these outcomes represent indirect measures of social skills as these outcomes are presumed to reflect corresponding levels of prosocial behavior
Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA)
identifies purpose or function of behavior
used to develop a plan to modify factors that maintain the problem behaviors using positive interventions
Key aspects: A-B-C
Steps to complete an FBA
- operationally define problem
- perform assessment (review records; observations; interview student, teacher, parents etc.)
- evaluate assessment results (examine beh. patterns and determine function of target beh.)
- develop hypothesis
- formulate an intervention plan
- start/implement intervention
- evaluate intervention effectiveness
Common standardized measures to evaluate social and emotional development or problematic areas
BEST PRACTICE is to have multiple raters and results should be largely congruent; typically includes parent form and teacher form
Social/behavioral/emotional measures
BASC-2, Conner’s Rating Scale-Revised, Beck Depression Inventory-II
Devereux Scales of Mental Disorders, Revised Behavior Problem, Revised Behavior Problem Checklist (RBPC)
Curriculum-based assessment (CBA)
term used to describe a broad assessment program or process, which may include CBMs or structured observations
Curriculum-based measures (CBM)
refers to the specific forms of criterion-referenced assessments in which curriculum goals and objectives serve as the “criteria” for assessment items
Top characteristics of effective CBMs
- must be based on systematic procedures for the frequent collection and analysis of performance data
- examine student data across time to determine intervention effectiveness
- is a system to identify at risk students
- provides normative and statistically sound information
Authentic (ecological) assessments
helps determine the goodness of fit between student and the learning environment
includes observational data during instruction and other environments
ICEL(instruction, curriculum, environment, learner)/RIOT (review, interview, observation, test)
RIOT
Review (records: report cards, work samples)
Interview (parents, teachers)
Observation (direct in environment)
Test (CBM, can’t do/won’t do)
Assessing intellectual disability (ID)
requires both cognitive and adaptive measures
criterion of SS = 70 or below (2 SD below the mean)
origins of disability prior to age 18
must demonstrate deficits in present adaptive functioning in at least 2 areas (communication, self-care, social skills, use of community resources, self-direction, functional academic skills, employment, leisure, physcial health issues)
ABAS and Vineland
Assessment of non-English speaking, special population ELL, or ESL
consider developmental history and all languages spoken/heard, language dominance, language preference,
language proficiency in both languages must be assessed and dominant language determined
Guidelines for distinguishing language differences from language disorders
- **the disorder must be present in the child’s native language (L1) and English (L2)
- testing must be conducted in native or strongest language
- use both formal (normed on appropriate group when possible) and informal measures
- assess in variety of speaking contexts
- language usage and error patterns determined
- compare to other bilingual speakers
Factors that may contribute to the interruption of language development
SES, poor instruction, lack of experience or exposure to language, school attendance
Standardized tests for second language learners (SLL)
using an interpreter is NOT BEST PRACTICE and is psychometrically weak if the test is not normed on the cultural group being assessed
Best practice
use multiple sources of information to identify children with disabilities or problems, cognitive tests cannot be used alone, formal and informal measures should be used
Primary referral reason for RtI
reading; primary interventions include phonological processing training
Narrative
provides broad and narrow information from running records
interval recording
uses time-sampling techniques
event recording
documents target behavior as it occurs
confounding variables/
sources of error associated with behavioral assessments
observer or rater bias
halo effect
fatigue
personal bias
preventing error with behavioral assessments
IOA
multiple data points
projective measures
used as a supplemental part of a battery
low reliability
data collection
use frequency, duration, or intensity
must have significant negative impact on the student’s classroom performance and/or social development in order to qualify for spec ed
2 main functions of behavior
- gain something positive
- escape something negative
(also included in chapter: attention, power-control, affiliation, and revenge)
writing an intervention plan
use positive strategies and include replacement behavior
normal curve/bell curve
normative info about traits; 68% of population fall within center (bell) of normal curve
fluid intelligence
ability to solve problems through reasoning
not primarily based on previously learned facts, techniques or language
nonverbal reasoning, immediate problem solving, or simultaneous processing
Cattell Horn
fluid thinking
ability to summarize and comprehend information to solve a task
crystallized intelligence
ability to solve problems by applying learned facts and language
verbal sections of IQ tests
Cattell Horn
emotional intelligence
ability to be aware of one’s emotional state, regulate one’s emotions, and accurately read emotions of others
authentic (ecological) assessments
take place in actual environment
include observations, interviews, and performing task
interpreting major cognitive tests
BEST PRACTICE start at the broadest level and then narrow interpretation to the subtest level
scores: most valid is full-scale, then major domain or cluster, last is item analysis
Data-based decision making
- Involves the collection of formal and informal information
- information gathered on a struggling student is linked to RtI
- If struggle continues after RtI, full eval is conducted
Data-based decision making steps
- Background data collection and problem identification level:
- Screening level:
- Progress monitoring and RtI level: used to determine effectiveness of interventions, once student is identified
- Formal Assessment level (Spec Ed. eval): social, cognitive, and emotional data collected, most often from formal standardized measures
Data-based decision making (used for)
- identify problem and plan interventions
- increase or decrease levels of intervention
- help determine whether interventions are implemented with fidelity
- determine effectiveness (related to positive student outcomes)
- plan individualized instruction and strategic long-term education planning
Background data collection, techniques, and problem identification
- collection and analysis of vital background information (informal data)
- includes students files and records, staff interviews and comments about student, medical records and reports, review of previous interventions, and developmental history
structured interview
- standardized and formal; same questions given to each student
- advantages- high validity and reliability; structured diagnostic interviews indicate the presence or absence of a problem, not level of functioning
- limitations-interviewer unable to modify questions to needs of interviewee, interview must follow a strict format and administration
unstructured interview
- Least useful
- less you put structure on the child, the more the child will share
- advantage- can be adapted to needs of interviewee
- limitations- responses can be difficult to interpret, responses cannot be compared to norms as seen within the more structured interview measures
semi-structured interview
- most useful
- combines the best features of both structured and unstructured interviews, allows for flexibility and follow-up questions
Types of interviews
- Semi-structured (most useful)
- Structured
- Unstructured (least useful)
Observational techniques
used to observe and record behavior in the natural setting
- whole-interval recording
- frequency or event recording
- duration recording
- latency recording
- time sampling interval recording
- partial-interval recording
- momentary time sampling
whole-interval recording
- behavior is only recorded when it occurs during the entire time interval
- good for continuous behaviors or behaviors occurring during a short duration
frequency or event recording
record the number of behaviors that occurred during a specific period
duration recording
refers to the length of time the specific behavior lasts
latency recording
time between onset of stimulus or signal that initiates a specific behavior
time sampling recording
- select a time period for observation, divide period into a number of equal intervals, and record whether or not behavior occurs.
- Is effective when the beginning and end of a behavior are difficult to determine or when only a brief period of time is available for observation
partial-interval recording
- behavior is scored if it occurs during any part of the time interval
- multiple occurrences of behavior in a single time interval are counted as one score or mark
- is effective when behavior occurs at relatively low rates or for inconsistent durations
momentary time sampling
- behavior is scored as present or absent only during the moment that a time interval ends
- this is the least biased estimate of behavior as it actually occurs
Universal screening
- can be done within a given class, grade, school, or district on academic, behavioral, social, or emotional indicators
- broad purpose: used to help determine whether modifications are needed in the core curriculum, instructions, or general education environment
- narrow purpose: used to guide decisions about additional or intensive instruction for those specific students who may require instructional support beyond what is already provided at a broad level
Benefits and liabilities of screeners
- cost effective, time efficient, and easy to administer
* is a chance of classifying some students incorrectly, better to err on the side of false positives
least dangerous assumption
when using screening tools, better to err on the side of false positives so as to provide additional support to a student who may not need it rather than to deny additional support in need as a result of a false negative
universal screening measures
- curriculum-based measures- typically reliable, but must only be used if they align with local norms, benchmarks, and standards.
- fluency-based indicators of skill- common universal screeners such as initial-sound fluency, letter-naming fluency, phoneme segmentation, nonsense word fluency, and oral-reading fluency
- cognitive assessment test (CogAT)- group administered and qualifies as a screener
- formal group-administered tests given yearly (e.g. Iowa Test of Basic Skills)
- System to Enhance Educational Performance (STEEP)- conduct cbms several times a year to identify students in need of additional support
Response to Intervention (RtI)
- student is identified with academic or behavioral concern by parent or teacher
- school psychologist uses data collection and screening to confirm
- baseline data of problem area is collected, once problem definition is confirmed
- research-based interventions are employed and systematic tests are provided to measure progress
- if growth does not occur in reasonable amount of time, then a spec ed eval should be considered
progress-monitoring data
- Subskill mastery measurement (SMM)- progress information is collected to determine with the specific intervention is effective
* should be collected frequently, even daily - General outcome measurement (GOM)- data are collected to determine whether the student is making progress towards long-range goals
* used less frequently, such as once a week
Best practices in deciding how to assess and present data
- progress-monitoring data should be based on the systematic and repeated measurement of behavior over a specific amount of time
- frequency data, percentage correct, or number of opportunities to respond are typically recorded and displayed
- horizontal axis on a graph typically represents time interval (e.g. days or weeks)
best practices in analyzing variability of progress-monitoring data
- variability and sources of error- each data point has important considerations and sources of variability
1. first consideration- effectiveness of intervention, defined by its ability to change behavior
2. second consideration- confounding variable, including uncontrolled subject and environmental variables
3. third consideration- measurement error, can occur if observer was not looking when target behavior occurred or if a CBM probe was not administered properly
consideration of mitigating factors
if extraneous variables are not considered, then student performance may be attributed to the intervention when the changes might be due to the effects of uncontrolled personal or environmental variables
RtI analysis of level
level refers to the average performance within a trend
ex: a condition occurs when a student’s performance changes suddenly following a change in conditions. A student’s level of performance is often compared to the average level of performance of peers or to a benchmark level
RtI analysis of trend
describes the pattern of change in a student’s behavior across time
- use when performance systematically increases or decreases across time
- multiple measurements are required to estimate trend. Slope can be calculated with software and plotted on a graph
- visual analysis can be used to estimate the general pattern of change across time. Caution: it is important to determine whether the overall pattern in the data is consistent and linear across time or whether another pattern (e.g., nonlinear, curvilinear) better explains the data
Describing and analyzing baseline RtI data
*progress monitoring data are first collected during baseline
General RtI evaluation points
1. should be no new highs (spikes) or lows for three consecutive data points
- 80% of the data points should fall within 15% of the mean, or in the case of decreasing or increasing data points, within 15% of the trend line
- minimum number of baseline data points is approximately 3-5 points
- practical considerations often affect the amount of data that can be collected
Best practices for making decisions based on RtI data
- three characteristics used to describe behavior (level, trend, and variability) may change because of the introduction of an intervention
- obtain a sufficient number of data points in each condition to get an accurate picture
- determine if the change in behavior closely coincides with the change in conditions. An immediate change in the level, trend, or variability of the behavior is likely the result of the intervention
RtI decision rules
you must first have a goal that is based on local norms benchmarks, or classroom comparison norms
Changing RtI intervention
- If two or three data points fall below the aim line, the intervention needs to be changed
- no correct responses for 3-4 sessions, change the intervention
- consider extraneous factors (probe difficulty, noncompliance, distractions…)when data is too variable
- include modifications (better prompts, additional modeling, better corrective feedback) when correct responding falls below 85%
- If growth is slow, focus efforts on increasing student’s rate of correct responding through repeated practice and systematic contingencies to address motivation
Formal evaluation level (special education evaluation)
use both qualitative and quantitative data to determine special ed eligibility
Why should a school psychologist not use the DAS-I
the Differential Abilities Scale norms are older than 10 years
Special education evaluation
will include formal and informal data from the following domains:
cognitive, achievement, communication, motor skills, adaptive skills, social/emotional/behavioral functioning, and sensory processing
Tier 3 interventions
academic: at-risk students, ind. or small groups
behavioral: at-risk, ind. counseling, FBA, BIP, contract monitoring, intense durable procedures
Tier 2 interventions
academic: some-risk students, students who don’t respond to core curriculum
behavioral: some-risk students, small group counseling, bullying prevention program, FBA, BIP, classroom management techniques, prof. dev., data, monday meetings
Tier 1 interventions
academic: all students; low-risk,
behavioral: all settings/students, low-risk, committee, preventative strategies, school-wide rules and expectations, positive reinforcement system, data, classroom management, prof. dev.
Tier 1 (Broadcast Area) primary interventions
involves application of universal interventions
school discipline policy aligned with positive behavior support (PBS)
Positive Behavior Support (PBS)
- establish & define clear consistent school-wide expectations (3-5 exp)
- teach expectations to all students
- acknowledge students for demonstrating desired beh
- develop clear and consistent consequences to respond to violations (include teaching and psycho ed component)
- use objective data to evaluate school-wide efforts
Tier 2 (strategic interventions)
more targeted in scope than universal level, less so than the intensive level
ex: bullying prevention programs
Elements of effective bullying prevention program
Tier 2
key: increase adult monitoring on the playground, lunch areas, hallways, and other open unstructured areas
zero tolerance policies are discouraged
develop a system-wide structure where culture does not support harrassment
Tier 3 Intensive (Targeted) Level
involves direct contact with the student who is having emotional or behavioral difficulties
ex: individual counseling with CBT and role playing, FBA
Counseling
one of the most common forms of student intervention
parental consent if ongoing
student informed of confidentiality and exceptions (harm to self or others, safety concerns, student request)
explicit goals should be stated and progress observable
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
based on thoughts influence feelings and ultimately control behavior
practitioners typically intervene with a student’s faulty beliefs (cognition)
Cognitive Therapy
related to reality therapy; created by Glasser
emphasis on cognition and beliefs; gets student to think about the connection between behaviors and consequences
solution-focused counseling
uses CBT principles, but typically very brief and focused on stated outcomes
Behaviorism
Skinner; direct behavioral interventions
forms basis of FBA
humanistic approach
Maslow and Rogers; behavior change cannot occur without a strong positive rapport built upon unconditional positive regard and empathy
people want to be understood before they can move to change their lives
Bibliography
cognitive intervention; uses student’s own problem solving skills and attempts to have the student relate to a character in a story to learn a lesson or skill
Group counseling
can employ many techniques of individual counseling
time efficient, often found within Tier 2, promotes social learning and skill generalization
Service Learning
teaches social-emotional competency and empathy
effective learning because students are engaged, real and relevant lessons are better remembered, promotes prosocial
ABA and intervention
may include: incidental teaching, structured teaching, pivotal response training, functional communication training, and PECS
DTT, Task analysis, prompts
Time out
effective if not used as punishment
Best practice
include FBA and modify environment as much as possible, decrease triggers, and focus on goodness of fit
response cost
earn tokens and lose them for inappropriate behavior
self-management strategies
effective with older students
cognitive model vs. behaviorist
theories on human thinking vs. learning by reinforcement and punishment
Class-wide peer tutoring (CWPT)
proactive intervention to help all students, similar to Vygotsky’s theory on collaborative learning
General Crisis considerations
most effective approach is prevention; promoting school safety is a vital component
practice drills and review processes annually
crisis teams: administration and other leaders
general crisis considerations cont’d
adult supervision and visibility
formal review of all school safety policies & procedures
plan a communication system
target bullying
anonymous reporting systems
human reactions to crisis
0-5 years: thumb sucking, bed-wetting, separation anxiety, regression
elementary age: aggressiveness, irritability, withdrawal, poor concentration, clingy
adolescents: sleeping and eating disturbances, extreme emotions, somatic complaints, poor attention or focus
PTSD
high anxiety and reaction to stress is extreme, obsessive thoughts about event, sleep problems, hyper-arousal, and externalizing behavior
normal response to extreme stress
Best practice: crisis response immediately following event
indemnify high risk and provide support, inventions may include individual counseling, small-group counseling, or family therapy
support adults, provide staff member’s with information on symptoms
therapeutic activities that facilitate healing
Suicide
3rd leading cause of death among age 10-19
suicide risk factors
individual: mental illness, depression, conduct disorders, substance abuse, low coping skills
environmental: family stress or dysfunction, interpersonal conflict, access to weapons
suicide prevention/intervention- Best Practice for high-risk
get help and collaborate with colleague
cal parents/guardians and notify administration
supervise student- under no circumstances allowed to be alone (even in bathroom) or leave school
no-suicide contracts have little effectiveness and are typically not recommended
call police and get consultation
document and provide copies
Suicide assessment
has thoughts about suicide, previous attempts, has a plan, what is support system
parents must be notified
provide referrals
suicide postvention
- reduce chances of anyone else committing suicide by avoiding glamorization of deceased
- assist staff and students with grief
be aware of cultural considerations
avoid contagion (no assemblies, sensationalism, glorification or vilification, do not use photos or announce on intercom, plaques or yearbook dedications, memorial/funeral service at school)
Loss, Death, and Grief
- processing
- coping
encourage children to talk about death or loss
person-centered humanistic counseling
strives for congruence between the real and ideal self
aim to actualize a person’s full potential and increase trust in oneself
people naturally seek growth toward personal and universal goals if they feel unconditional positive regard and relationships
existential counseling
people find their unique meaning and purpose in the world; increases self-awareness and stresses the importance of “choice” in tough situations
Adlerian therapy
people are motivated by social interests and by striving toward goals; life goals drive behavior
Freud
unconscious motives and conflicts drive behavior; early life experiences are important in development
Id- pleasure principle, Ego- rational, appropriate gratification of needs, Superego- morals, conscience
systems therapy (ecological therapy)
individuals are part of a larger living system; treatment of the entire family and other various systems is important in therapeutic change
NASP endorsed approach
CBT
BEST PRACTICE combined with FBA
places emphasis on a person’s belief systems as they cause of many problems. Internal dialogue plays a key role in behavior. Faulty assumptions and misconceptions must be addressed through talk therapy and then modified through role play
Rational-emotive counseling
founded by Ellis; emphasizes confrontational techniques regarding irrational beliefs. Not used with children in school.
Gestalt therapy
focuses on wholeness and integration of thoughts, feelings, and actions; moves a person from an external locus of control to internal
external locus of control
believe forces outside of self control success
internal locus of control
believe personally responsible for outcomes
reality therapy
centers on choices people make and how those choices are working for them; take charge of own life by examining choices
social skills training
four processes: instruction, rehearsing, providing feedback or reinforcement, and reducing negative behaviors; modeling and technique are important
response cost
removal of an earned reward that usually reduces or modifies negative behaviors
ex: kid throwing food in cafeteria misses recess to clean mess
overcorrection
used in restorative justice
ex: kid misses recess to clean thrown food in cafeteria and must help clean entire area
restorative justice
effective in anti-bullying interventions
self-dialogue (self-talk)
cognitive approach to behavior change; vial to understand what student is saying to self before, during, and after undesirable act
FBA
A-B-C
current practice focuses on removing environmental triggers
general counseling format
- define the problem
- brainstorm ideas to address problems
- implement plan or modification
- evaluate intervention’s effectiveness
key elements for effective behavioral interventions
feedback
giving choices (for alternate behavior and rewards)
positive reinforcement
crisis management
preparation and practice; transparency of facts is important
debriefing is useful to those who may need more support
primary intervention
prevention
Tier 1
secondary intervention
intervention, some groups
Tier 2
tertiary intervention
individualized intervention
Tier 3
crisis-school shootings
no specific profile of a school shooter, although some general traits may exist
Piaget’s Cognitive Developmental Stage Theory
learning is active and children construct knowledge as they explore environment and world; progressive through adaptation and assimiliation
- Sensorimotor (0-2 years)- motor and action; realize objects exist separately from them and can manipulate them
- Preoperational (2-7 years)- symbolic function emerges; ability to make something stand for something else emerges
- Concrete operational (7-11 years)- begin to think about more than just one dimension of a problem or situation; gain understanding of conservation; able to think deeply and logically
- Formal operational (11+ years)- complex abstract thought, hypothetical and deductive reasoning develops, able to perform mental operations on ideas or imagined situations
Erik Erikson’s Stages of Development
based on the notion that humans will confront a specific challenge at a given age range, success of challenge at a dev. stage directly impacts positive or negative outcome
- Trust vs. mistrust (0-18 months)
- Autonomy vs. shame & doubt (18 mo- 3 years)
- initiative vs. guilt (3-5 years)
- Industry vs. Inferiority (6-12 years)- success of failure in school has lasting effects on self-efficacy and sense of adequacy; children learn a sense of industry if they are recognized for various activities (e.g., painting, reading)
- Identity vs. role confusion (13-18 years)- dev. a sense of identity, sense of self, and strong ego during this time. Peers, role models, and social pressures are factors associated with this stage.
- Intimacy vs. isolation
- generativity vs. stagnation
- integrity vs. despair
Bandura’s Social Learning Theory
based on children’s ability to observe and learn vicariously; imitating; select behaviors to imitate based on how information is processed
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
humanist approach; if lower level needs are supported, then higher levels in this hierarchy may be realized
Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development
based on level of a child’s cognitive capabilities, which influences moral reasoning and behavior
- Preconventional- desire to avoid punishment and gain rewards
- Conventional- approval of others to maintain social relations
- Postconventional- judgments on right or wrong are logical and controlled by internalized ethical code
IEP consideration
must have educational or severe social impact, not just a diagnosis of a clinical disorder
schools: lesser level of impeding functioning is required to qualify for IEP, uses term level instead of disorder
ADHD
most prevalent in schools; usually co-occurs with Learning Disabilities
dopamine and neuroepinephrine deficiency causing prefrontal lobe brain dysfunction is implicated
3 types: inattentive, hyperactive, combined
Anxiety
more likely in females; may have genetic links
generalized or specific (phobias)
PTSD
subset of anxiety disorder
common and persistent extreme reaction to very stressful or traumatic events; recurrent nightmares, hypersensitivity to environmental triggers, avoidance behaviors, and constant recounting of the stressful situation.
Depression
high prevalence rates
treatment using a combined approach of therapy and meds is most effective
Bipolar Disorder
fluctuations from depression to mania
responsive to meds and counseling
Conduct Disorder (CD) and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
schools generally regard CD as a behavioral disorder that is mostly the result of interactions between environment and individual, inadequate parents, peer rejection, academic failure, poverty, or low cognitive abilities
Autism
impacts more males than females
shaping, hands-on teaching with pictures, imitation, ABA, DTT, social skills
Down Syndrome (Trisomy 21)
caused by extra chromosome; most with DS have MR
interventions: hands-on learning, tight classroom structure, visual communication systems, social skills training
Tourette Syndrome
tic disorder with a possible genetic component that can be evidenced by extremely stressful events or a virus in the brain
Mental Retardation (MR)
diagnosed by standardized IQ scores that are given in SDs of 15; children with MR have very low cognitive abilities and life skills
must perform significantly low on measures like Vineland and ABAS to receive this diagnosis
SS = 55-69 mild, SS = 40-54 is moderate, SS = below 40 severe
Significant Identifiable Emotional Disability (SIED)
*changing to SED
used as an umbrella term that captures anxiety, depression, and psychoses
child must be impacted in various settings and one must be school; emotional disturbances cannot be due to situational factors and interventions must have been attempted
Speech and Language Disabilities
difficulty with expressive and/or receptive language
oral motor dysfunctions result in speech difficulties
language disorders broadly situated to the left hemisphere
common speech-lang. assessments are CELF and Peabody