Children or young people with Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (SEBD) are at an increased risk of school exclusion (Hayden, 1997). The support provided through educational psychologists’ engagement in preventative and reactive approaches at the individual, group and systems level for children or young people with SEBDs at risk of school exclusion, is presented in existing research (Clarke & Jenner, 2006; Hardman, 2001; O’Brien & Miller, 2005; Thorne & Ivens, 1999). The studies are, however, limited in providing transferable knowledge into educational psychologists’ practice and accounting for individual level support for crisis management situations for children or young people, at immediate risk of school exclusion. The studies are limited in exploring effective strategies and methods employed by a Specialist Educational Psychologist (SEBD) and the distinctive contribution of Specialist Educational Psychologists’ (SEBD) support. In the present study, a Specialist Educational Psychologist (SEBD) from an Independent Educational Psychology Service was identified to take part in the study. The Participant Specialist Educational Psychologist1 identified two casework examples of positive practice, whereby her input led to positive outcomes for the children with SEBD, at risk of permanent school exclusion. An in-depth single case study design was utilised to explore the strategies and methods employed by the Participant Specialist Educational Psychologist and her unique contribution from the Participant Specialist Educational Psychologist’s perspective and from the perspectives of the school professionals and parents involved in the two caseworks. Semi-structured interviews were used as a data gathering method and were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six phased model of thematic analysis. An Integrated Thematic Map was produced made up of Seven Organising Themes. A content analysis was completed on documentary evidence of the Participant Specialist Educational Psychologist’s action plans and was triangulated with aspects of the findings from the thematic analysis. The effective strategies and methods applied by the Participant Specialist Educational Psychologist and the distinctive contribution of her support are described. The study provides ‘new’ and ‘confirmed’ insights into effective practice that aims to contribute to the skill set and knowledge of practitioner educational psychologists and through which, strengthen the support provided to schools for children or young people with SEBD, at risk of permanent school exclusion. The findings also provide insight to the distinctive role of the educational psychologist in effective specialist support and the specialist role within the profession. The insight is considered important in light of the current changes occurring within the profession and the Special Educational Needs (SEN) Review (DfE, 2011a; DfE, 2012a).

archives@tulane.edu / Early social, emotional, and behavioral skills have been shown to be predictive of academic achievement and future success. With early intervention, effects of skill deficits can be mitigated (Albers, Glover & Kratochwill, 2007). However, less than half of the 10% to 20% of students who are thought to be at-risk receive the interventions they need (Bradshaw et al., 2008; Gresham, 2007). Schools are uniquely positioned to identify and provide interventions for students. As a result, administrators have begun to shift toward data-based decision-making models that include universal screeners, as initial steps for identifying and providing interventions for at-risk students. Selection of a screener is determined by the availability of resources, student demographics, and predictive validity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, a social, emotional, and behavioral screener. Specifically, the study investigated the relationship between at-risk scores and behavior problems in schools. Study participants are 433 students in grades K to 4 attending an elementary charter school serving a predominantly low-income African American student body. Beginning-of-the year SDQ total difficulty scores and end-of-the year ODRs were analyzed using both correlational and regression analyses, to establish relationship and predictive ability of the screener. Both correlational and regression analyses confirmed a statistically significant relationship between SDQ total difficulty scores and end-of-the year ODRs. Therefore, universal screening provides schools with valuable baseline information about student social, emotional and behavioral functioning. / 1 / Raquel Gutierrez

Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD) often experience serious educational difficulties and negative outcomes (Gresham, MacMillan, & Bocian, 1996; Landrum, Tankersley, & Kauffman, 2003; Rock, Fessler, & Church, 1997). School-wide screening to identify students with social, emotional, and behavioral concerns (SEB) allows school personnel to identify at-risk students and connect them with needed resources. Some students appear to be identified disproportionally, with male students identified as at-risk more frequently then female students (Young, Sabbah, Young, Reiser, & Richardson, 2009). There are many possible factors that could contribute to this disproportionate identification. Since screening for EBD is often based on teacher nominations, teacher gender is one factor that needs to be considered. This study examined the influence of teacher gender on a screening process to identify students at risk for SEB in a secondary school. Nominations of at risk students from 40 middle school teachers were evaluated to determine if teacher gender influenced the proportion of male and female students identified as at risk for SEB. Teacher gender did not significantly influence which gender of students were nominated. Future research may investigate other factors that may contribute to disproportionate identification.