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Despite an increasing number of autistic children entering and graduating from high school, there remains limited research in this area. This study surveyed 162 autistic and nonautistic high school students. Participants were asked about their perceptions regarding their compensatory strategies, everyday hindrances, and areas of perceived strength. In controlling for background characteristics of gender, minority status, and age, results revealed that autistic and nonautistic students identified similar compensatory strategies, experienced similar obstacles, and drew on similar sources of strength to remain academically successful. Differences between autistic and nonautistic students are discussed along with differences between male and female respondents.

COVID-19 presented a range of challenges to the delivery of school psychology services in countries around the world. The current study aimed to investigate the practices of school psychologists from the United States of America, Australia, Germany, Canada, and the United Kingdom, including changes to practice and exploration of the factors that supported the delivery of school psychology services during the pandemic. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 1,030 school psychologists and analyzed using a mixed methods, multiple case study design. Differing impacts of the pandemic on the working hours of school psychologists were reported across countries. Participants in all countries reported a shift to online working, with an increased focus on consultation and intervention and a reduction in psychoeducational assessments. School psychologists from all nations emphazised the importance of self-care strategies, social connections and physical activity and the role of support via supervision or professional networks. Access to appropriate technology and responsive workplace policies and procedures were also identified as important. Results have implications for the internationalization of the school psychology profession and can inform international school psychology planning in response to future crises.

This exploratory study aimed to identify the ways psychologists working in schools supported students' mental health during school closures related to the COVID-19 pandemic. An online survey was developed to determine (a) how psychologists working in schools across the United States, Canada, Germany, and Australia supported students' mental health during COVID-19, (b) how their services changed during COVID-19, and (c) potential differences between countries concerning difficulties supporting students' mental health during this time. The survey was based on previous research and was subsequently piloted. Using convenience and snowball sampling, 938 participants (U.S. n = 665; Canada n = 48; Germany n = 140; Australia n = 85) completed the online survey. Overall, school psychology services across these four countries pivoted from psychoeducational assessments to virtual counseling, consultation, and the development/posting of online support directly to children or parents to use with their children. There was some variation between countries; during the pandemic, significantly more psychologists in Germany and Australia provided telehealth/telecounseling than those in the United States and Canada, and psychologists in Germany provided significantly more hardcopy material to support children than psychologists in other countries. There is a need to ensure psychologists have the appropriate technological skills to support school communities during periods of school closure, including, but not limited to, virtual counseling and the administration of psychoeducational assessments.

Youth suicide is an urgent public health problem. However, schools often lack standardized protocols for suicide intervention, and many school-based mental health professionals are not prepared adequately to assess and respond to students at risk for suicide. This paper describes a professional development workshop, Helping Students At-Risk for Suicide, developed collaboratively by a state school psychology association, a state Office of Mental Health Suicide Prevention Center, and a university center. The workshop includes an integrated theoretical model of risk that serves as a foundation, introduces standardized procedures and evidence-based tools, and provides support for a collaborative process that guides school personnel from risk assessment through the student's safe return to school. Results of preliminary evaluations of the workshop, including pilot testing (N = 71) and satisfaction data from workshop participants (N = 251) are presented, in addition to other evidence of impact and future directions.

The emergence of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in early 2020 led to the sudden temporary closure of K-12 schools across the United States. Schools were tasked with providing remote instruction to students, and many of these children continued to require mental and behavioral health services provided by school psychologists. In this study, 675 school psychologists were surveyed across the United States to examine how their roles and responsibilities changed as a result of COVID-19. Participants reported the perceived impact of COVID-19 on students' mental health and difficulty serving students and families, as well as their concerns and recommendations pertaining to school reentry. Overall, respondents in this study reported that their roles and responsibilities notably changed because of COVID-19. Participants noted their belief that children and educators will need increased mental health support upon returning to school. Implications for future practice and research are discussed.

Despite a growing number of autistic children completing high school and venturing into college and vocational settings, their rates of postsecondary attendance, graduation, and vocational success still lag behind those of their nonautistic counterparts. This study surveyed 162 autistic and nonautistic high school students about internal and external factors that may increase or decrease their motivation to succeed academically. Results of this study suggest that autistic students rated neither internal nor external factors as significantly contributing to their academic success when compared to their nonautistic peers. Moreover, when compared to their nonautistic peers, autistic high school students were less likely to endorse motivators to their academic success that were future-oriented toward college and career success and more likely to favor factors related to seeking approval from others and validating their own capability for success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite school psychologists working in non-school settings since 1896, no studies have investigated the practices that these professionals engage in outside the schools. The purpose of this study was to explore the practices of school psychologists in school and non-school settings, such as state agencies and hospitals. Additionally, the researchers sought to uncover why school psychologists chose non-school settings to work in over schools. Insight is provided as to whether the NASP (2020) Practice Model domains were being applied in non-school settings. Findings suggest that the practices of school psychologists in school and non-school settings were aligned with the domains of the NASP Practice Model. Implications for practice, training, and future research regarding school psychologists in non-school settings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) has been used in schools, its success has prompted recommendations for its adoption in group home and day habilitation settings. This scoping review examines the literature on implementing MTSS in group home and day habilitation settings for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Of the 15 studies reviewed, most focused on Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) rather than a comprehensive MTSS framework, raising questions about the alignment of interventions with the three-tiered structure of MTSS. Additionally, PBIS in these settings appears restricted to an individualized approach to minimizing behavior instead of the comprehensive framework used in schools. Benefits of implementing PBIS include a reduction in challenging behavior, decreased use of restrictive interventions, and staff-related advantages such as improved organization and reduced turnover. Challenges are noted in time and resource constraints. Suggestions for implementing MTSS in residential and day habilitation settings are provided., Competing Interests: Declaration of conflicting interestsThe author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.