The walk was a success!

This past Saturday at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, the PCOM team joined more than 15,000 people for the Walk Now for Autism Speaks event. It was a beautiful day to walk! The MS in Counseling and Clinical Health Psychology, PsyD in Clinical Psychology, and Ed.S. in School Psychology programs were there to proudly represent PCOM. We reached our goal of $500, raising $620. Overall, the Philadelphia area raised $610,000 in support of Autism Speaks' mission to fund research, increase awareness and family services, and advocate for individuals with autism and their families. Thanks to all who donated and participated in the walk this year! 

2 weeks to go until the Walk Now for Autism Speaks event!

Two weeks from now, people from around the Philadelphia area will meet to support loved ones with autism and to help fund research and raise awareness. Our PCOM team has currently raised $320! It's not too late to help us reach our $500 goal.

The event is at Citizens Bank Park Saturday November 2, 2013. Registration begins at 9am and the 1k walk begins at 11am. Wawa will be there to serve coffee, water, and treats. This is a very family friendly event, so be sure to get your picture taken with the Phillie Phanatic or Star Wars characters before the event and then visit the resource fair and moonbounces after the walk. 

Click the link below to join for free and/or donate to our PCOM team!

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

Internship already?

This week in class, our program director spoke with us about internship year. While it seems like a long way off, next fall will be here before we know it. We discussed the application process and how internship acceptance varies from an informal handshake to a formalized two-part interview in front of various administrators. We also discussed requirements and our anxieties about everything. I plan on applying to at least three sites and have already started the process.

One thing that is important to keep up with this year, is tracking student demographic data on a web-based system. We will use this information for internship and later for job applications to demonstrate the population of students that we have experience working with. For instance, it might be helpful to know exactly how much experience I have working with diverse populations of students by age, grade, disability, etc. I try and track this information as soon as I get back from practicum so I don’t forget how old that kid was that I tested three weeks ago… 

This week, the school district that I work in had an in-service day on Monday, so I went into practicum Monday and Friday. Always expected the unexpected. I attempted to re-evaluate a senior on Monday, but she was absent. So I started writing up her background information for the report and then I found out that the student was transferred to another school psychologist’s caseload. And today, there was a fire drill and an unexpected schedule change. So while my supervisor tested a student in the morning, I caught up on some schoolwork, hung out at the high school autistic support classroom (I learned a nifty dragon card game!), and observed the speech therapist during a session. Before the fire drill, I was able to meet with a teacher and guidance counselor about my consultation case study, which I really think is starting to come together. So after all this schedule changing, it’s important for me to realize that my planned day might not go as expected and I might not be able to check things off my list in an orderly fashion. I’m going to have to learn to be okay with that. I also dropped off my application for internship next year, so I can check that off my list!

Testing on a rainy day

So I completed my first real assessments today!  Practicing the WISC on my boyfriend’s cousins for a grade is one thing.  But testing a girl knowing that my assessment skills might help to determine whether she qualifies for the gifted program or not is another thing.  My supervisor observed, but I primarily assessed by myself.  I have another evaluation scheduled this upcoming Monday, so I’m looking forward to getting more practice.

After administering the WISC-IV (cognitive assessment), selected subtests from the WIAT-III (academic achievement), and a strengths self-report protocol at the middle school, I scored everything and discussed the results with my supervisor.  Then I headed over to the high school to speak with a teacher and guidance counselor about the academic consultation case that I’m still working on.  The guidance counselor and I also discussed a potential behavior consultation case referral and possibility of attending meetings to complete my practicum requirements. 

It has been very helpful to discuss our practicum experiences in practicum class and our consultation and collaboration class.  Last week in consultation and collaboration, we all briefly described our consultation cases and gave each other advice.  We’re also completing a Health Psychology and Behavioral Medicine in Schools course.  This course supplements our knowledge of school goings-on, assessment, interventions, etc. with information regarding pediatric chronic illnesses, child re-entry into school following a chronic illness or transplant, factors that influence adherence to treatment of chronic illness, and understanding the roles and functions of school psychologists as active collaborators in the healthcare of children, adolescents, and families.

Well, that’s all for now.  I’m off to write my first official evaluation report (signed by yours truly, Samantha Cardellicchio, M.S. School Psychology practicum student).

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!