School psychologists familiar with the autism evaluation process have an awareness of the complexity of this school-based process. This paper provides school clinicians with an introduction to a visual framework and descriptive language to think and talk about the complex students they evaluate in positive, nuanced, and accessible terms. This…

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) are a group of disorders directly caused by prenatal alcohol exposure. This spectrum of disorders cause neurodevelopmental, neurobehavioral, and mental health effects. The consequences of prenatal alcohol exposure are permanent, leaving children and adults with behavioral and learning difficulties throughout…

Communication disorders include language disorder, speech sound disorder, social (pragmatic) communication disorder, childhood-onset fluency disorder (stuttering), and other specified and unspecified communication disorders. This group of neurodevelopmental disorders is characterized by deficits in language, speech, and communication.…

Internet gaming has become an increasingly popular activity among youth. Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is currently included in the "DSM-5" as a condition for further study. This article discusses the rationale and implications for the proposed disorder's inclusion to the "DSM-5." While IGD is a proposed disorder, it shares…

Providing both a theoretical framework and practical strategies, this resource will help teachers, counselors, and related service providers develop understanding and empathy to improve outcomes for culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students with disabilities. The text features narrative portraits of six immigrant families and their…

Spina bifida (SB) refers to a subgroup of congenital defects where the neural tube fails to fuse, often resulting in a protruding spinal cord. This is often due to a defect or absence of vertebral arches resulting from a failure of the mesoderm to organize over the region of the defect. SB occurs during gestation between the third and sixth week…

The emotional and behavioral problems of students in the classroom are a major concern for teachers, parents, and administrators. Fifty years of scientific research supports the efficacy of behavioral interventions in the classroom, yet school psychologists and teachers are often unaware of this evidence or of how to apply it. As diagnoses of…

Serious antisocial behavior in children and adolescents poses significant challenges within educational settings and is one of the most important concerns facing educators today. The disorder of particular interest to the development of aggressive and antisocial behaviors in youth is conduct disorder (CD). Conduct disorder is characterized by…

While there are some differences between the construct of specific learning "disability" and "disorder," there are many similarities. Also, due to the number of clinical evaluations school psychologists review in practice, it is necessary to be familiar with the construct of specific learning disorder in order to incorporate…

Schizophrenia is a severe and persistent mental illness that is typically associated with distress and severe functional impairment. Individuals presenting with schizophrenia have symptoms that markedly impair their ability to perceive, think, engage, or express themselves clearly. Because the diagnostic criteria for schizophrenia articulated in…

Central auditory processing disorder (CAPD), as defined by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), refers to difficulties in the perceptual processing of auditory information in the central nervous system and the neurobiological activity that underlies that processing and gives rise to electrophysiologic auditory potentials (ASHA,…

The mood disorder work group has proposed to eliminate the bereavement exclusion criterion from the diagnosis of major depression in the 5th edition of the American Psychiatric Association's (2012) "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders." The proposal would break tradition with the long-held distinction between…

Tic disorders, including Tourette syndrome, can significantly impact student functioning in the school setting. As professionals on the front line, school psychologists are in a unique position to guide students with tics. With proper education about tics and a collaborative approach, they can ensure that students with tics are maximally supported…

It has become increasingly common for school-age children and adolescents to express what is commonly known as gender nonconformity. School officials across the country are being called upon to implement systems and programs that are inclusive of gender nonconforming youth. It is important that children have access to a learning environment that…

Though schools have become the default mental health providers for children and adolescents, they are poorly equipped to meet the mental health needs of their students. "Evidence-Based Practice in School Mental Health" differs from other books that address child and adolescent psychopathology by focusing on how to help students with…