Training School Psychologists in Preschool Service Delivery: An Analysis by Roles

• Main Authors: Paget, Kathleen D, Barnett, David W
• Format: Report
• Language: English
• Published: 01.08.1985
• Subjects: Counseling Services; Counseling Theories; Counselor Role; Counselor Training; Ecology; Preschool Children; Preschool Education; School Counseling; School Psychologists

This paper offers a model for role-based preschool psychological services and addresses training issues within the context of the model. A challenge exists to train for a wide range of roles and to train in the judgmental components necessary for appropriate implementation of these roles. To accomplish these ends, an ecological framework lays the groundwork for implications related to training and practice. School psychologists serving preschool children must play a number of assessment roles, shifting emphasis from child variables based on traditional assessments to environmental variables within the proposed interactive model. Intervention strategies should include responsivity to cues from children, use of language appropriate for the young child, encouragement of active involvement with the environment, and a match between a child's level of functioning and task demands. A need exists for specialists who possess the necessary clinical and liaison skills for effective preschool service delivery. Training in preschool service delivery should address the analysis of roles and the development of judgment relative to young children, their teachers, their families, and the community. (ABL)