Perspectives on Early Childhood Psychology and Education
Submission Type
Article
Abstract
There is high demand for future school psychologists to address the need for continuous evidence-based consultation that moves beyond K-12 settings, and includes evidence-based consultation to promote school readiness for infants and toddlers with and at risk for developmental disabilities. While there exists a demand for school psychologists in infant and toddler settings, the primary focus of training programs is preparing graduates to work in school-based settings. Currently, a gap exists in graduate training opportunities in evidence-based consultation practices that support school readiness for infants and toddlers with and at risk for disabilities served through Part C services. While school psychologists typically are trained on evidence-based consultation mechanisms that have largely been utilized in K-12 contexts, they rarely receive consultation training with families of infants and toddlers. Therefore, expansion of training is necessary to support infants and toddlers through evidence-based consultation models. To underscore the importance of continuity in application of evidence-based consultation models, the current manuscript compares an evidence-based consultation model validated in K-12 settings and a consultation model for promoting infant and toddler developmental competencies. An illustration of the application of evidence-based consultation frameworks within multi-tiered systems of support and recommendations for graduate training, to better prepare school psychologists for work in birth-to-three settings, is provided.
Impact Statement
Although there exists an opportunity for school psychologists to engage in evidence-based consultation practices in infant and toddler settings, school psychology graduate training often focuses exclusively on consultation in kindergarten through 12th grade contexts. To provide exemplars for expanding graduate training to include a focus on consultation in infant and toddler settings, this manuscript highlights the commonalties between an evidence-based consultation model validated in K-12 settings and a consultation model for promoting infant and toddler developmental competencies. Further, the manuscript outlines consultation practices within multitiered systems of support that future school psychologists can implement to facilitate infant and toddler development.
Recommended Citation
Beacham, Chloe; Perkins, Catherine; Roach, Andrew T.; Barger, Brian; Donehower, Claire; and Baggett, Kathleen M.
(2023)
"Building Future Capacity of School Psychologists to Address the Demand for Inclusive Evidence-Based Consultation: Moving Beyond K-12 to Include School Readiness Frameworks,"
Perspectives on Early Childhood Psychology and Education: Vol. 7:
Iss.
2, Article 8.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.58948/2834-8257.1027
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.pace.edu/perspectives/vol7/iss2/8
Special Issue
This manuscript was accepted to the Promoting Behavioral Outcomes in Early Childhood special issue. This is a final copy-edited (by Dr. Jacqueline Sue DeGroat on 12/5/2022) version of the manuscript.