Feeding difficulties occur at a high rate in children with normal development and at a disproportionally high rate in children with developmental disabilities. Prolonged problematic eating, categorized as Pediatric Feeding Disorder (PFD), can result in poor physical growth and jeopardize overall health. Extant research on applied behavior analysis…

The problem identified in this research was that the most-to-least (MTL) prompting strategies used for individuals with intellectual disability (ID) had not been consistently demonstrated in research for personal hygiene, specifically tooth brushing. It has been well known that people with ID acquire skills differently than typically developing…

The purpose of this study is to examine the readiness of school districts in Suffolk County, New York, to implement a trauma-informed system to address the growing needs of mental health interventions in student populations. A review of the literature will show a historical prevalence of mental health providers and individual student interventions…

It is estimated that less than 20% of young people worldwide are receiving the recommended 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) per day (Riley, Lubans, Holmes, & Morgan, 2014). Delaware and many other states around the country use FITNESSGRAM to assess students' overall physical fitness. The FITNESSGRAM® is a physical…

Mental health issues among school-aged children are a growing concern and subject of intervention and prevention studies nationwide. While several implementation and service delivery models exist for school-based mental health services (SBMHS) they are often localized, population or program specific, and do not adequately address the issues…

This study sought to evaluate the school-based counseling services that were provided to 95 students as part of the Children First counseling program. The primary evaluation question focused on the effectiveness of the program in positively impacting traditionally underserved populations in the following domains: increasing social skills,…

The purpose of this study was to determine Pennsylvania principals' perceptions and understanding of the physical and psychosocial impact of childhood obesity, whether they believe schools should be addressing the issue, who they feel should be leading efforts within schools, what actions they believe are taking place to address the issue within…

Childhood obesity has become a national concern in the U.S. over the past decades. Offering quality physical education programs is one of the effective approaches of a variety of school-based physical interventions. To gain children's attention and their lack of interest in physical movement, physical education teachers have recently employed…

The rising prevalence of mental health concerns among school aged children highlights the need for increased support for students with mental, emotional, and behavioral (MEB) disorders. Because the mental health treatment systems for children are historically underfunded, much of the responsibility for dealing with MEB concerns is being shouldered…

With the rapid increase in the rate of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), there has been a surge in treatment interventions and outcome measures. Treatment interventions consist of evidence-based practices and programs that lack scientific validation. Parents' selection of a treatment or multiple treatments is often based on…

This paper presents findings from a quantitative, correlational study that examined selected school nursing services, student academic outcomes, and school demographics. Ex post facto data from the 2011-2012 school year of Delaware public schools were used in the research. The selected variables were school nurse interventions provided to students…

Background. High overweight and obesity prevalence has instigated many programs to improve children's health. Farm to School (F2S) is a grassroots-organized program that seeks to improve children's dietary habits, especially fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption, through various educational activities. Long-term goals include reducing obesity…

The purpose of this quantitative quasi-experimental study is to examine the effectiveness of the "Healthy Kids, Smart Kids" intervention program on academics. Extant data will be used to determine if a statistically significant difference in academics exist between experimental schools implementing the "Healthy Kids, Smart…

African-American youth experience disproportionate rates of childhood obesity compared to their White counterparts. Culturally tailored electronic media solutions hold the potential to overcome health literacy and health communication barriers. This study aimed to identify the impact of exposure to a new website portal…

The majority of youth in need of mental health services do not receive intervention as many are not identified as having a problem or their families experience practical or attitudinal barriers that interfere with service utilization. The school environment provides a unique point of access to reach all children, yet this setting has been…