Notes from the School Psychologist Blog

I am going to get a ton of responses to this one...but I say to consult with their medical doctor before trying anything experimental. I also say "if a diet sounds too good to be true, it probably is." I usually quote Bryna Siegel, Autism Guru:

"If a website describes a single treatment or diet that is reported to help some children with autism make better eye contact, others to be less hyperactive, others to speak, and cures diarrhea in others—ask what known medicine can do that? There’s only one answer—a placebo."

I can see the appeal in trying a special diet, especially because it is natural and parents want to try everything they can. I just think a lot of parents get taken for a ride with expensive fancy "treatments" that are not medically proven with controlled studies. ... See More

I'd be interested in what your OT said...

I'll let you know when I hear from him:) As a parent I know that I often go to the internet when I have parenting questions, and it has become an almost too-powerful source for some folks. Thanks for the quote, though, that helps without putting folks on the defensive. I've also read Paul Offit's Autism's False Prophets which is a bit of a hammer ... See Moreover the head on the science side of things, but has some interesting things to say about digestive systems in kids with Autism and some heartbreaking stories about placebo "cures."

Got "liced" in 1982 teaching preschool, happens to the best of us.

Ugggh! I hate lice! I'm scratching my head just thinking about it (yup, I'm a somatasizer).

Andrea--only if you like corndogs for breakfast. I'm serious. The food we serve our kids is awful. Our kids had a food strike last year to try and get a salad bar. We're still waiting.

yea, they serve those here--the breakfast version of a corndog--sausage that's got a blueberry pancake wrapped around it--on a stick! It's like mutant food!!!

Thanks Linda for your APPRECIATION! ;) I have also recently discovered the iPhone application called the Gratitude Journal that lets you log positive things and even post fun pictures and track your day. Check it out. Or if you are iPhoneless, it's basically just writing down 5 appreciations for the day, no matter how small. I have started sharing ... See Morethem with my husband before we go to bed and it is a nice ritual.

Keep up the great work with our little friends--you are teaching them happiness habits!

Hi Jordanna,
Roughly speaking, I'd say 1 in 4 of my meetings have some sort of outside person (e.g. advocate, private psychologist, lawyer), but I'm not sure that's typical. I just happen to be in one school where that is the norm. At my other school, I rarely ever have anyone outside of the parent and school staff there.

As for report writing, it really depends on how old the student is and how complex the situation is, but in general, my reports are between 10 and 20 pgs long and they take about 4-5 hrs to write each. I like to write a lot of qualitative information and recommendations, so I don't know if that is typical. The number of reports varies as well. Some months, I have only 1 or 2, and some months, I have up to 6 or 7. Oh, and I'm part-time (3 days/week).
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Anyone else have some figures for Jordanna? :) Maybe someone full-time?

I think it really depends on your population. I work with High School students ages 17-21, so that age group is not up for re-evaluation as much, and I do not get nearly as many initial referrals from teachers. I write about 1 report per month, and that's a busy month!

Thank you for your comments! ...It's nice to know little things like this (in my opinion) to get a better understanding of the field :)

Thanks! I hope you'll share your experiences when you start your program. :)

I love your blog and I'm always amused by your status updates! Thanks for taking the time to write them!

They are probably best for 5th-12th middle grade students, but can be adapted down as well. If using for younger grades, I do many of them orally or in picture (drawing) form.

I'm not sure, but a good measure is to check edjoin.org, which posts most education related jobs. I know that in large, urban districts, there is usually more demand because sadly, the burnout rate/turnover rate is pretty high. I'm hanging in there though!

Don't be sorry for the essay! If you like to write, you'll love school psych. :) Cal's program is a combined M.A. and Ph.D. program so I don't know if another Masters will boost your application or not. That being said, a few of my classmates had M.A.s coming in, and that gave them both experience and research, which was probably a boost.

I think ... See Moremost Ph.D. programs are looking for a good match in research interests. I wish there was a magic formula! I'm not sure what Cal saw in my application that was the most appealing. I'd like to think it was my shining personality in the interview, but I think it was the research and writing experience. :)

Hi Sarah, I saw your post and I am almost finished with my first semester as a school psych grad student. Like you I was pretty worried about grades and not being a good candidate for a school psych program. I am currently a student at Chapman University in Orange and I will earn my M.A. and Ed.S. degree and they do offer a Ph.D. in school psych ... See Morethat we can apply to and will take some of our credits as master's students and apply them to the doctorate degree. Maybe you can consider that route?? In my experience talking to my classmates many did not have strong research backgrounds, they worked mostly with kids, as teachers or aides or subs. I on the other had had a pretty strong research background and only recently began working with kids. Hope this helps =)