Identifying, Assessing, and Treating PTSD at School

by Nickerson, Amanda B.; Reeves, Melissa A.; Brock, Stephen E.; Jimerson, Shane R.

• ISBN13: 9780387799155
• ISBN10: 038779915X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-10-24
• Publisher: Springer Nature

Summary

By age 16, significant ' one might even say "alarming" ' numbers of students are demonstrating signs of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Students with PTSD are more likely to develop a range of problems, from delinquent behavior to eating disorders to substance abuse to dropping out. For the school-based professional, the ability to recognize these symptoms and warning signs is essential.Emphasizing prevention as well as intervention, Identifying, Assessing, and Treating PTSD at School clearly defines PTSD, explains its adverse affects on children's academic and social-emotional skills, and offers expert guidance on how to recognize student needs and provide appropriate services. This volume, designed as a practical, easy-to-use reference for school psychologists and other educational professionals:Makes the case for why school psychologists and their colleagues need to be more prepared, willing, and able to identify and serve students with PTSD.Identifies the causes, prevalence, and associated conditions of PTSD.Provides a review of screening, referral, and diagnostic assessment processes.Reviews appropriate treatments for students with PTSD.Today's youth live in an increasingly uncertain world, and school psychologists, counselors, social workers, and general and special education personnel will find Identifying, Assessing, and Treating PTSD at School an invaluable resource in their practices.

Author Biography

Amanda B. Nickerson, Ph.D., is an assistant professor at the University at Albany - State University of New York. A nationally certified school psychologist and a licensed psychologist, she has conducted more than 50 professional presentations on the topics of preventing and intervening with aggression and bullying, school crisis prevention and intervention, assessing and treating children with emotional and behavioral disorders, and parent and peer relationships. She has published more than 20 journal articles and book chapters and is co-author of the Educators' Handbook on Effective Testing. In addition, she serves on the editorial boards of Psychology in the Schools and The School Psychologist. She is also a recipient of the 2006 National Association of School Psychologists Presidential Award for her work with the crisis prevention and intervention workgroup.Melissa A. Reeves, Ph.D., NCSP is a school psychologist, licensed special education teacher, and adjunct faculty member with a specialty in working with behaviorally and emotionally challenged youth. She has worked in public school and treatment settings for more than 15 years with children ages preschool through high school. She has conducted more than 40 presentations and has consulted with various school districts in the areas of crisis prevention and intervention, psychological safety, risk and suicide assessments, the impact of trauma, establishing safe schools, response to intervention models addressing both academics and behavior, and establishing effective programs for students with behavioral and emotional needs. As an adjunct faculty member she has taught courses in psychosocial aspects of exceptional children, social-emotional assessment, crisis prevention and intervention, and academic and behavioral interventions. She was a founding member of the Colorado Society of School Psychologists State-Wide Crisis Response Team where she responded to various local crises, including student and faculty deaths and Columbine. She is a recipient of the 2006 National Association of School Psychologists Presidential Award for her work with the crisis prevention and intervention workgroup.Stephen E. Brock, Ph.D., is a professor at California State University Sacramento. Previously, he worked for 18 years as a school psychologist with the Lodi Unified School District (the last six of which included assignments as Lead Psychologist and member of an autism specialty team). His professional preparation includes a Ph.D. at the University of California, Davis, where he researched AD/HD, school crisis intervention, and suicide prevention. Dr. Brock currently serves on the editorial boards of both state and national school psychology association newsletters and is an Associate Editor of The California School Psychologist (a peer-reviewed journal with the second largest distribution of a school psychology journal in the United States). He is Past President of the California Association of School Psychologists and a member of the National Association of School Psychologists Delegate Assembly and its National Emergency Assistance Team. Dr. Brock has authored more than 140 publications (including three books) and has made over 65 refereed or invited state/national conference presentations. His other areas of academic interest and research include autism, behavioral interventions, violence prevention, threat assessment, child development, and reading comprehension.Shane R. Jimerson, PhD is an Associate Professor of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology Program and Associate Dean for Research at the University of California, Santa Barbara in the United States. Among over 150 professional publications, he is a co-author of a five-book grief support group curriculum series (The Mourning Child Grief Support Group Curriculum (Taylor and Francis), co-author of Assessing, Identifying, and Treating Autism at School (Springer) and a co-editor of Best Practices in School Crisis Prevention and Intervention (National Association of School Psychologists), the lead editor of The Handbook of School Violence and School Safety (Lawrence Earlbaum, Inc), the lead editor of The Handbook of International School Psychology (Sage) and the lead editor of The Handbook of Response to Intervention: The Science and Practice of Assessment and Intervention (Springer). He serves as the Editor of The California School Psychologist journal, Associate Editor of School Psychology Review, and is on the editorial boards of the Journal of School Psychology and School Psychology Quarterly. Dr. Jimerson has chaired and served on numerous boards and advisory committees at the state, national, and international levels, including co-chair of the international school violence and crisis response network and the research committee of the International School Psychology Association. His scholarly publications and presentations have provided further insights regarding; developmental pathways, the efficacy of early prevention and intervention programs, school psychology internationally, and school crisis prevention and intervention. The quality and contributions of his scholarship are reflected in the numerous awards and recognition that he has received. Dr. Jimerson received the Best Research Article of the year award from the Society for the Study of School Psychology, in 1998 and then again in 2000. He also received the 2001 Outstanding Article of the Year Award from the National Association of School Psychologists', School Psychology Review. Dr. Jimerson's scholarly efforts were also recognized by the American Educational Research Association with the 2002 Early Career Award in Human Development. He and his UCSB research team received the 2003 Outstanding Research Award from the California Association of School Psychologists. Also during 2003, Dr. Jimerson received the Lightner Witmer Early Career Contributions Award from Division 16 (School Psychology) of the American Psychological Association. In 2006, Dr. Jimerson was recognized with the distinction of Fellow from Division 16 (School Psychology) of the American Psychological Association. His scholarship continues to highlight the importance of early experiences on subsequent development and emphasize the importance of research informing professional practice to promote the social and cognitive competence of children.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
Why School Professionals Should Read This Book	p. 2
PTSD is Associated with School Adjustment Difficulties	p. 2
Children with PTSD May be in General Education Classrooms	p. 3
Importance of Early Identification and Intervention	p. 3
PTSD is Often Experienced Concurrently with Other Childhood Problems	p. 3
School-Based Professionals have Daily Opportunities to Support Students	p. 4
Education and Learning are Important for Future Success	p. 4
Effective Interventions are Essential to Offset Long-Term Societal Costs	p. 4
Federal Statutes Obligate Schools to Provide Services to Qualifying Students	p. 5
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Defined	p. 5
PTSD and Educational Support Services	p. 8
Purpose and Plan of This Book	p. 9
Causes	p. 11
Traumatic Event Variables	p. 11
Traumatic Event Type	p. 11
Traumatic Event Severity	p. 13
Traumatic Event Exposure	p. 14
Concluding Comments Regarding Traumatic Event Variables	p. 15
Environmental Factors	p. 15
Parental Reactions	p. 15
Social Supports	p. 16
History of Environmental Adversity/Traumatic Stress	p. 16
Family Mental Health History	p. 17
Poverty	p. 17
Concluding Comments Regarding Environmental Factors	p. 17
Internal Personal Vulnerabilities	p. 18
Psychological Factors	p. 18
Genetic Factors	p. 21
Neurobiological Factors	p. 22
Concluding Comments Regarding Internal Personal Vulnerabilities	p. 24
Concluding Comments	p. 24
Prevalence and Associated Conditions	p. 25
Traumatic Event Exposure	p. 25
Prevalence of PTSD	p. 29
Other Consequences Associated with Traumatic Event Exposure	p. 33
PTSD's Association with Other Conditions	p. 34
Concluding Comments	p. 38
Case Finding, Screening, and Referral	p. 39
Roles, Responsibilities, and Limitations of School-Based Mental Health Professionals	p. 39
Risk Factors	p. 41
Nature of the Traumatic Stressor	p. 42
Traumatic Event Experiences	p. 44
Internal Vulnerability	p. 46
External Vulnerability	p. 47
PTSD Warning Signs	p. 48
Early Emotional, Cognitive, Physical, and Behavioral Warning Signs	p. 48
Acute Stress Disorder (ASD)	p. 49
Developmental Variations in Warning Signs	p. 50
Cultural Considerations	p. 52
Case Finding	p. 52
Staff Development	p. 52
Student Psychoeducation	p. 54
Initial Screening Referral Mechanisms	p. 55
Students with Special Needs	p. 55
Screening for Diagnostic Referral	p. 58
Concluding Comments	p. 61
Diagnostic Assessment	p. 63
Diagnostic Criteria	p. 64
Specifiers	p. 66
Developmental Course	p. 66
Associated Features and Comorbidity	p. 67
Age-Specific Features	p. 67
Gender-Related Features	p. 69
Differential Diagnosis	p. 70
Chronic vs. Acute Trauma	p. 77
Assessment Methods	p. 78
Background Information	p. 78
Interviews	p. 87
Assessment Instruments for PTSD	p. 89
Concluding Comments	p. 94
Psychoeducational Assessment	p. 95
Emotional Disturbance	p. 96
Conducting a Psychoeducational Assessment for PTSD	p. 97
Cognitive, Academic, and Language Assessment	p. 98
Parent, Teacher, and Child Interviews	p. 99
Behavior Rating Scales	p. 100
Observations	p. 102
Coping and Social Support Questionnaires	p. 102
Linking Assessment to Intervention	p. 108
Concluding Comments	p. 109
Treatment	p. 111
Cultural Sensitivity and Trauma Response	p. 111
Prevention of PTSD	p. 112
Initial Crisis Interventions for Traumatic Event Exposure	p. 112
Ensure Physical and Emotional Safety	p. 113
Reestablish Social Support Systems	p. 113
Secondary Crisis Interventions	p. 114
Psychoeducation with Parents and Teachers	p. 114
Psychoeducation with Students	p. 115
Psychological First Aid	p. 115
Psychological Triage	p. 116
Recommendations for Educators Working with Children with PTSD	p. 117
Use Effective Teaching Strategies to Meet the Needs of Traumatized Students	p. 117
Maintain Clear, Appropriate, Academic, and Behavioral Expectations	p. 118
Discourage Avoidance and Encourage the Sharing of Feelings	p. 119
Help Students Cope with Triggers	p. 120
School-based PTSD Treatments	p. 120
Making Referrals for Community-Based PTSD Treatment	p. 121
Psychotherapeutic PTSD Treatments	p. 123
Psychopharmacological PTSD Treatments	p. 127
Recovery and School Reintegration	p. 129
Concluding Comments	p. 130
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Internet Resources: Valuable Information on the Internet	p. 131
Epidemiology and General Information	p. 131
Anxiety Disorders Association of America	p. 131
National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder	p. 131
National Institute of Mental Health	p. 132
International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies	p. 132
The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Alliance	p. 132
Assessment	p. 133
National Center for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder	p. 133
The Child Trauma Institute	p. 133
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry	p. 133
University of Massachusetts Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry	p. 133
Treatment	p. 134
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry	p. 134
The Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies	p. 134
Resources for Teachers and Parents to Help Children Cope with Trauma	p. 134
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry	p. 134
American Psychological Association	p. 135
American Red Cross (Masters of Disaster)	p. 135
Federal Emergency Management Agency	p. 135
National Association of School Psychologists	p. 135
National Child Traumatic Stress Network	p. 136
National Institute for Mental Health	p. 136
Massachussetts Advocates for Children	p. 136
Legal Issues and Advocacy	p. 136
Sidran Traumatic Stress Institute	p. 136
References	p. 137
Index	p. 157
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.