In this dissertation, I sought to understand foster parents’ perceptions of giftedness, how foster children’s strengths, gifts, and talents affect their experiences and those of their foster parents, and what resources and information foster parents have for supporting their foster children’s education and gifts. To understand these beliefs, I analyzed quantitative and qualitative survey data from 53 foster parents throughout the United States and analyzed interviews from 14 of those foster parents. Most foster parents surveyed perceived their foster children as a little or very different academically and in other ways than their peers not in foster care, and perceived they had different educational experiences than their peers, largely attributed to their lived experiences prior to entering and during foster care. Most participants felt their foster children’s abilities, strengths, and talents affected foster parents a little or very much. Interviewed and surveyed foster parents defined giftedness as including the following attributes: academic achievement, natural ability or innate talent, intelligence, domain-specific capabilities, performance or skills above average for their age or above their peers, unique approaches to learning, and motivation for learning. Interviewees also addressed non-academic forms of giftedness, socioemotional characteristics of children with gifts and talents, and noted that these students may have some difficulties in school. Foster parents explained the adaptations they have made to their parenting because of their foster children’s strengths, talents, and abilities, and highlighted the unique life experiences of foster children, which were not only hinderances but also could help them succeed academically and in life. Participants also expressed why they think foster children are not identified for gifted education programming. Foster parents had many needs related to their foster children’s education and strengths, talents, and abilities. They made recommendations to those who train new foster parents and provide ongoing training to current foster parents; to schools and teachers of foster children; and to new foster parents about how to best meet the needs of foster children and encourage their gifts and talents.

[pt] Estudos sobre as primeiras interações das crianças com seu ambiente apontam para possíveis efeitos do estresse tóxico na infância, como facilitador de comportamentos de risco na adolescência, além de prejuízos para o desenvolvimento de habilidades cognitivas e socio emocionais (Van der Kolk, 2003). Pela necessidade de as escolas estarem preparadas para atenderem crianças que experimentam altas e frequentes taxas de estresse no início de suas vidas e precisam lidar com seus efeitos, a escola como um todo precisa ser um espaço de segurança e resiliência para que as crianças possam experimentar um processo de aprendizagem. A partir de uma perspectiva ecológica da Psicologia do desenvolvimento, o objetivo do presente trabalho foi realizar uma revisão narrativa de literatura para identificar práticas e modelos da educação sensível ao trauma, voltados para proteção contra os efeitos do estresse tóxico sobre o desenvolvimento cognitivo na educação infantil e primeiros anos do ensino fundamental. Foram selecionados 50 artigos sobre diferentes modelos de educação sensível ao trauma nos primeiros anos de escolarização e com abordagens voltadas para a escola como um todo. A partir da análise desses artigos, foram identificados nove aspectos principais dentre os diferentes modelos apresentados: autorregulação emocional, treinamento dos(as) profissionais de educação, engajamento comunitário, preparação de ambientes psicologicamente seguros, apoio emocional para os(as) educadores(as), rotinas e rituais na prática pedagógica, vínculo seguro, atendimento individual ou em grupo e contato regular com as famílias. Acredita-se que esses elementos podem orientar intervenções voltadas para primeira infância em contextos de vulnerabilidade, no âmbito da educação. / [en] Studies on children s first interactions with their environment point to possible effects of toxic stress in childhood, as a facilitator of risky behavior in adolescence, in addition to impairments for the development of cognitive and socioemotional skills (Van der Kolk, 2003). Due to the need for schools to be prepared to serve children who experience high and frequent stress rates early in their lives and need to deal with its effects, the school as a whole needs to be a space of safety and resilience so that children can experience a learning process. From an ecological perspective of developmental psychology, the objective of the present study was to carry out an integrative literature review to identify practices and models of trauma informed education, aimed at protecting against the effects of toxic stress on cognitive development in preschool and early years of elementary school. Fifty articles were selected on different models of trauma informed education in the first years of schooling and with approaches aimed at the school as a whole. From the analysis of these articles, nine main aspects were identified among the different models presented: self-regulation, professional training of trauma and toxic stress, community engagement, psychologically safe environments, emotional support for teachers, routines and rituals in pedagogical practice, secure attachment, individual or group therapy and regular contact with families. It is believed that these elements can guide interventions aimed at early childhood, in the context of education.

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No description available.

The purpose of this study was to address gaps in the trauma treatment literature related to the expense and inaccessibility of evidence-based interventions for children with disabilities who have experienced trauma. Another aim of this study was to provide additional support for a newly piloted intervention for children with disabilities who have experienced trauma. This intervention is known as Smart Start: Parenting Tools for Children with Developmental Delay, Social-Emotional Concerns, and Trauma. A non-concurrent multiple baseline method was used to determine whether there was a functional relationship between the intervention and children’s challenging behaviors for five caregiver-child dyads. In addition, three of five caregiver-child dyads were assessed for improvements in child PTSD symptomatology, positive parenting practices, parenting stress, and treatment acceptability. Results from visual analysis, masked visual analysis, and hierarchical linear modeling were mixed, but generally supported a statistically and clinically significant relationship between participation in Smart Start and improved caregiver ratings of children’s challenging behaviors. Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test did not show statistically significant changes in interventionists’ ratings of challenging behavior, but descriptively, four of five children were rated as improved. Reliable change index scores revealed statistically significant changes in trauma symptoms and parenting stress for two participants. Positive parenting practices improved significantly for all participants according to the reliable change index. The intervention was implemented with good fidelity. All caregivers found Smart Start highly acceptable. Future research with larger samples is warranted based on the extremely promising results of the present study.

This cross-disciplinary essay explores the use of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars (2012) and its pedagogical implications for learners in middle school. It demonstrates that the novel expresses preparatory grief by implementing internal focalisation through the main character Hazel Grace. The essay also argues that the pedagogical implications related to the novel can yield fruitful results in the EFL classroom. The analysis is conducted by, firstly, exploring the novel’s depiction of preparatory grief and, secondly, examining the pedagogical implications from a trauma-informed teaching perspective. The main findings are that preparatory grief is present throughout the novel and that a trauma-informed teaching approach is apt for the inclusion of the novel in the EFL classroom, which ultimately can improve learners’ awareness of a young adult’s perspective on the process of dying.

No description available.

No description available.

Structural racism has been identified as a major source of medical vulnerability for urban populations. Police brutality is a consequence of structural racism and a critical social determinant of urban health that is associated with both physical and psychological injury. However, the presence of law enforcement agents is common in the healthcare setting, especially in the emergency department. The emergency department occupies a critical social role as a major source of healthcare for vulnerable urban populations, yet very little is known about patients’ opinions regarding police activity in the ED. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on the pathogenic effects of structural racism by designing trauma informed methodology to investigate patient perceptions of police presence in the emergency room. / Urban Bioethics

Black school psychologists are significantly underrepresented in American schools, and this must be addressed to effectively meet the needs of marginalized groups in this field. Through the lenses of critical race theory, intersectionality and the trauma-informed approach, this phenomenological study explored the experiences of eight Black graduate students studying school psychology at both predominantly White institutions (PWIs) and historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Convergent data yielded themes of (1) Awareness of Intersectionality, (2) Black Representation Matters, (3) Black Mentor/Faculty as Support, (4) Black Sociocultural Safe Spaces, (5) Cultural Incompetence at PWI, and (6) Unsupported Traumatic Experiences at PWI. Divergent data revealed that students from HBCUs experienced a sense of belonging, whereas students from PWIs experienced feelings of isolation. Lastly, divergent data revealed that accreditation was the main concern for students who attended HBCUs. Implications, recommendations, limitations, and future research directions are provided. / School Psychology