Practicum update!

I’ve been to my practicum site the past three Fridays now and I’m starting to get the hang of it.  Every school has its own culture.  So, just figuring out the way a school operates and how staff members interact with each other is a practicum requirement in itself.  As I am splitting my time between a middle school and high school, I also have to remember my way around each school.  I was all over the place today! 

My supervisor has a lot of approaching deadlines, so I had my own schedule.  While my supervisor completed a gifted evaluation and attended meetings, I started my day at a parochial school.  My supervisor rarely has time for anything other than conducting assessments, writing reports, and attending meetings so I volunteered to observe for her and sharpen my observation skills.  I brought a few different observation systems with me to get more practice (and in case I messed one up) and observed a 6^th grade student in his religion, science, and math classes.  After my observation, I spoke with the principal and math learning support specialist.  The information gleaned from my observations and discussions supported the potential diagnoses and recommendations that my supervisor was considering. 

After spending three hours at the parochial school, I raced on over to meet a high school math teacher before her lunch break was over to pick up some algebra CBMs (curriculum based measurements) that I had created for the student referred for emotional and math concerns.  The previous Friday, the student’s math teacher and I discussed academic concerns.  We decided to get some baseline data through CBMs to see what skills she has mastered and to track progress.  In the afternoon, I interviewed the student to get to know her better and find out more about her attitude toward school.  When the student walked into the office, she looked confused and like she thought she was in trouble.  I told her we were going to hang out and chat and that’s what we did.  The student didn't allude to any trouble in math.  But when I picked up the CBMs today, I noted that the student didn’t complete many of the problems, which leads me to believe that she lacks an understanding of skills related to algebra (as opposed to her just not wanting to do the work).  In addition to speaking with her math and chemistry teachers, I might speak with a few others to more fully understand her academic weaknesses. 

Then I went over to the middle school and found information for an 8^th grade student that I could observe.  This student had been in an alternative school and recently returned to the public middle school.  However, when I got to the science classroom, the teacher informed me that the student was absent!  And so it goes… There are some behavioral concerns so I might begin a behavioral case consultation with his teachers because this is a practicum requirement.  When I got back to my supervisor’s office, she had not returned from her meeting yet so I scored, contemplated, and synthesized all the information I had compiled during my observations.  I had about an hour to organize all of the information from the day.  When my supervisor returned, we reviewed my observational data and discussed potential next steps in the case consultation process.  I enjoy reviewing my day with my supervisor because it allows me to process what I did that day.  It’s also good to bounce ideas off of each other because sometimes, another perspective is needed when you’ve been staring at a report all day.

Next week, I will begin some assessments and hopefully begin that behavior case consultation.  Happy weekend everyone!

First day of practicum

I visited my practicum site for the first time last Friday!  I met my supervisor in her office (bright and early at 7:45) at the middle school and we formulated a game plan for the day.  She had previously scheduled a private school evaluation until the afternoon, so we needed to coordinate our schedules.  She walked me over to the high school (next door), introduced me to the secretaries and principals, and introduced me to the guidance counselor who filled me in about the tenth-grade student referred for my consultation case.  My supervisor informed me that in the high school, teachers do not typically have time to consult about students with behavioral or academic concerns.  Luckily, the student’s chemistry teacher had a free period and was open to the consultation process.  After our productive meeting, we identified a math concern that was affecting the student’s performance in chemistry class.  I reviewed the student’s math grades and noticed that since Algebra I class in 7^th grade, her performance began to drop and she was currently earning grades around 65%.  Naturally, that would lead me to consult with the math teacher so hopefully this Friday we can figure out why the student is struggling and how best to support her in her current math class.  After consulting with the math teacher, the next step is to decide how to assess baseline performance and take data, and then to monitor progress after implementing an academic intervention.  I also informally observed the referred student in chemistry class after speaking with her teacher to add some more information to the case.  This Friday, I also hope to interview the student to get her perspective on school and her math performance.

After I completed my tasks at the high school, I walked back to the middle school to observe a comprehensive evaluation of a 7^th grade student.  I will eventually conduct five comprehensive evaluations this year (including cognitive, academic, behavioral, and social/emotional aspects of functioning), so it was great to observe my supervisor in action.  I took some mental notes (praise effort, not correct answers, allow silence for student to process questions during an interview, etc…) that I hopefully remember when administering the WISC!

Book recommendation: So, You Are a School Psychologist

Okay, I couldn't wait to read this book even though I'm only halfway through my education, but it’s a great book!  In "So, You Are a School Psychologist: A Guide for Interns and First Year Psychologists", Dr. Jerry L. Turner provides information on what to expect during your initial years as a school psychologist as well as practical advice and relevant forms.  The topics covered range from office requirements, to case management tips, to communication with staff and parents, to being professional.  At the end of every chapter, Dr. Turner includes a review of the most important points.  Chapter resources include interview and observation forms, sample reports, sample meeting agendas, and email templates.

kay, I couldn’t wait to read this book even though I’m a year away from internship and only halfway through my education.

As a student not having fully immersed myself in the career yet, some of this information is probably lost on me because I don’t quite understand all of the complex roles that school psychologists fill every day.  But after reading this book, I know more about what to expect and I feel more confident that I can one day, in the words of NASP’s vision statement, help “all children and youth thrive in school, at home, and throughout life”.  I find myself looking forward to utilizing the "delay-sending" option in email, perfecting my listening skills, and wowing people with my ability to manage my time and my knowledge of behavior interventions.

You can buy Dr. Turner’s book in paperback and kindle versions on www.amazon.com and paperback on www.barnesandnoble.com.   You can also find out more information about the author on www.DrJerryTurner.com.

Practicum update: I haven’t visited my practicum site, but I will be sure to update when I do!  My first task (other than establishing excellent rapport with any and all teachers, students, and staff and navigating my way through the school) is to identify a student for a consultation case who presents with an academic concern in the classroom.  The goal?  Consult with the teacher, identify and define the behavior of concern, observe the student, choose an intervention, and monitor progress after the intervention has been implemented.  I am looking forward to getting started!

2 down, 2 to go!

My journey at PCOM started with the MS School Psychology program.  After completing my MS degree and one year of the Ed.S. School Psychology program, here I am at year two of Ed.S.  This is the last year of coursework before the final year, internship year!

So our courses this semester include practicum seminar with a concentration on law and ethics, consultation and collaboration in schools, and health psychology and behavioral medicine.  We meet every Wednesday for consultation and collaboration and either seminar or health psychology afterwards.  I’m excited for the consultation class because this is major part of any school psychologist’s job that we have only briefly reviewed up until this point in the program.  During the consultation process, the school psychologist and teacher work together to develop an intervention plan for struggling students in need of behavioral, emotional, or academic support in order to prevent more serious issues from developing.  Or at least, that's how I understand the process so far...

We also had our seminar class and discussed the practicum requirements and deadlines for this semester as well as educational law.  I start the first week in September and plan on going on Fridays throughout the semester in addition to working as a PCA (Personal Care Assistant) Monday through Thursday in another school district.  In current education news, we discussed No Child Left Behind (NCLB).  On August 20, the U.S. Department of Education approved Pennsylvania’s NCLB waiver request.  Applying to all public schools and local education agencies, this waiver allows the state to implement its own plans for preparing students and improving teachers and come up short on the AYP (Annual Yearly Progress) requirements for 2014 instead of following the strict guidelines set by NCLB.  NCLB’s AYP required all students in schools receiving Title I funds to reach a proficient level on state tests in reading/language arts and math by the 2013-2014 school year.  Expecting 100% of the student population to reach proficiency on state testing is a very ambitious, if not impossible goal, so many states applied for waivers and were granted them provided they created acceptable replacement accountability measures.  The link below is a map of state waiver status.

http://www.edweek.org/ew/section/infographics/nclbwaivers.html

I have also included a link to an article on the Pennsylvania Department of Education’s website that further explains the process and includes a helpful overview pdf about the NCLB waiver in Pennsylvania. 

http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/federal_programs/7374/p/1433522

Psychology Picnic & Autism Walk Update

This past Monday evening, I attended PCOM’s Welcome/Welcome back Psychology Department picnic for new and returning students.  I saw a lot of familiar students and faculty from various programs and also met a lot of new students.  It was a great way to mingle with students in programs other than the school psych ones.  There were yard games and a PCOM-related trivia game that had me trying to remember the actual name of the library (surprisingly enough it’s not just “The Library”).  Liz (fellow cohort member and treasurer of PCOM’s Psi Chi chapter and Psychology Society) and I visited each picnic table and advertised for the Walk Now for Autism Speaks event.  Sponsored by Psi Chi (International Honor Society in Psychology), the Psychology Society, and CAPS (Culturally Aware Psychology Students), the event is open to all PCOM students and is FREE to join, raise money, and walk.  The walk is now scheduled for Saturday November 2 from 11am to 1pm at Citizens Bank Park in South Philadelphia.  As of my last update in March, the Philadelphia walk location had raised just over $18,000.  As I post this today after five months, that total is almost $143,000!  PCOM students will join the Philadelphia area teams as well as teams across the nation in support to fund research and spread awareness about autism.  Below is the link to our PCOM team homepage where you can register to walk and raise funds.  I am looking forward to getting to know other PCOM students as we work together to support a great cause.  Tell your friends and come out and walk!

http://www.walknowforautismspeaks.org/philadelphia/pcom

Meg ponders the start of a new semester.

About to begin our second year as EdS students!

DSM-V and the new autism criteria

It’s time to welcome yet another DSM!  The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders has recently published the fifth edition of its standardized criteria for the classification of mental disorders.  The DSM-V and all of its changes have been in effect since May 2013, so today I will review the new criteria for autism.

PDD to ASD

Previously referred to as PDD (Pervasive developmental disorders), the name of the disorder is now ASD or Autism spectrum disorders. 

5 disorders to 1 disorder

In the previous DSM, the five disorders that fell under PDD were Autistic Disorder, Asperger’s Syndrome, PDD-NOS, Rett Syndrome and Child Disintegrative Disorder.  Now, Autistic Disorder (autism), Asperger’s Syndrome, and PDD-NOS all fall under ASD and are no longer separate diagnoses.  CDD has been taken out and Rett Syndrome is now a specifier (more detail later). 

3 autism dimensions to 2 autism dimensions

The DSM-IV-TR required individuals to express difficulty in the three dimensions of social skills, communication, and restricted and repetitive behaviors.  The DSM-V combines social interaction and social communication into one dimension and maintains restricted and repetitive behaviors as one dimension for a total of two dimensions. 

ASD criteria

For the first dimension (social communication and social interaction), the individual must exhibit all three symptoms, but these symptoms can range from mild to severe.  The former DSM required that an individual exhibit at least six symptoms across three dimensions. 

For the second dimension (restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior), the individual must exhibit at least two of the four symptoms, again ranging from mild to severe.  Important to note: One of the symptoms under this dimension highlights increased or decreased reactivity to sensory input or unusual interests in sensory aspects of the environment.  There was no mention of sensory input before and most professionals who work with individuals with autism can attest that this is an important factor to consider. 

Symptom onset

The DSM-IV-TR required that symptom onset occur prior to the age of three.  The DSM-V does not specify age of onset, only indicating that symptoms present in the early developmental period.  However, these symptoms might not occur until social demands are placed on the individual and those demands exceed the individual’s capacity.

Specifiers and modifiers

Previously, Rett Syndrome was included under PDD.  Now, if a child meets ASD criteria, that child will receive an ASD diagnosis with etiology (the cause) as the specifier.  So, ASD with Rett Syndrome or ASD with Fragile X syndrome (both genetic disorders).  This change allows individuals with other genetic disorders to receive the ASD diagnosis and receive services whereas before, individuals with only genetic disorders would not be considered for the diagnosis.    

Other important factors contributing to the individual's difficulties can be labeled with the ASD diagnosis as modifiers.  For example, an individual who experiences seizures in addition to meeting the ASD criteria will receive a diagnosis of ASD with seizures.  ASD with intellectual disabilities is another option. 

The DSM-V also allows diagnosticians to specify the perceived age of onset and pattern of onset, which gives more information as to the individual’s early history.  ASD with onset before 20 months with loss of words specifies the time of perceived onset as well as a description of the behavior pattern.   

Level of severity

The DSM-V allows for the differentiation of severity levels for ASD along the two dimensions of social interaction and social communication and restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior.  Level 1 denotes that the individual requires support, level 2 that the individual requires substantial support, and level 3 that the individual requires very substantial support.  

New rule out disorder

If an individual experiences marked deficits in social communication, but does not otherwise meet the criteria for ASD, this individual should be evaluated for Social Communication Disorder.  Social Communication Disorder is a new disorder and is a rule out disorder for ASD.  In order to be diagnosed with social communication disorder, the individual cannot also meet criteria for ASD. 

Dual diagnoses

Individuals can now be diagnosed with both ASD and ADHD.  ASD was considered the more pervasive disorder prior to the DSM-V.

It is important to remember that ASD is now a true spectrum, as individuals can exhibit behaviors that range from mild to severe across the two dimensions.  The DSM-V has moved autism criteria from categorical to dimensional.  Each child diagnosed with ASD will present differently and it is important to consider each child’s strengths and weaknesses.  It will be interesting to see how the DSM-V ASD criteria is received in the community and hopefully, individuals will be properly diagnosed and receive the services they need. 

                       

I found much of this information from The Center for Autism and Related Disorders’ segment on the DSM-V and the Autism Speaks webpage on DSM-V criteria.  Check them out for more information!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILiX9gGd0Ik

http://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism/diagnosis/dsm-5-diagnostic-criteria

Book recommendation: Getting Things Done

We all want to maximize the efficiency with which we get things done, while minimizing the energy we put into doing those things.  No one wants to expend the most energy doing or thinking about work-related things, whether they be scheduling appointments, drafting an email, or editing a paper.  I know I would much rather put my energy towards kayaking, swiftly followed by eating ice cream, instead of worrying about everything I have to get done.

We want the fastest, most stress-free route to completing something, but we don’t want to sacrifice the quality of the finished product (I never take the fastest route when I’m driving because I never know where I am.  Ever.  Maps and spatial relations aren’t my thing). 

How does this way of life become reality?  Organization!  I consider organization as one of my strengths.  However, I recently started reading Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-free Productivity written by David Allen.  I definitely have some tuning up to do.  I might as well get this process down now before I start internship or my first job as a school psychologist.  By that time, I will definitely be juggling more meeting scheduling, email corresponding, and report editing. 

Allen maintains that once one’s mind is clear of to-do lists and important information is stored in a reliable organization system, one’s creative potential can then be released.  While I read the chapter on the five stages of mastering workflow, I reassessed my whole organization system and realized that I could get so much more accomplished in less time if I knew where everything was or threw out old, irrelevant documents. 

I definitely recommend this book to anyone looking to revamp organizational strategies and become more productive in a stress-free environment. 

By the way, I am currently reading three books and two of them were not on my original summer reading list… So many books to read!