Get School Psych'd

Hello LSSPs,

As Thanksgiving approaches, it is often a time to reflect on our lives and think about what we are thankful for and to have gratitude. I've always thought this was a good project, but recent events have made that very salient.

With the recent tornado incident that impacted Dallas, my family was impacted. My in-laws, who were babysitting my daughter at the time, were in an area that was directly in the path of the weather. It was a scary and tense time for my wife and I. By the end of the storm, their house was devastated and uninhabitable. It took significant effort to get to them following the storm aftermath.

While this incident was clearly awful, I cannot help but focus on my gratitude in this situation. I'm so grateful that my in-laws were not harmed and were able to keep my daughter safe during the tornado. I'm grateful that the worst injury we had was a small cut on my father in laws hand as they left the house. I'm grateful that our house was not impacted so that we could host my wife's parents in this time of need. I'm grateful that we have such a great relationships with them that having them in our house is quite pleasant. :)

Even in the face of pain and loss, my in-laws have kept such great spirits. I'm grateful for the amazing network of friends and family who have come together to help. I'm grateful that I have cultivated such an amazing tribe that I can call friends and family.

I'm also grateful to know that as everyone has not been as lucky in the aftermath of this weather, that I have the ability to help. There are lots of great efforts going on from many wonderful organizations to assist people and families in this time. We have some schools that are closed, either temporarily or permanently, and children who are displaced from their homes. I urge you to use your attitude of gratitude and looks for ways to help out in whatever ways that you can and that you feel called to.

Lastly, I'm grateful to all of amazing, hard-working LSSPs out in Region 10 who make my job possible.

Keep Being School Psych'd,

Keya Saleh, LSSP, NCSP

Region 10 Educational Service Center

What is Sensory Processing Disorder?

New York Times Parent article about sensory processing disorder including excerpts from interviews with psychologists, OTs, and developmental pediatricians.

12 Myths of the Science of ACEs

A blog post from the ACEs Connection some of the common misunderstandings related to the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) studies.

Taraji P. Henson Shines A Light on Mental Health Crisis Among African American Teens

A wonderful Today Show video story about acctress Taraji P. Henson's foundation that helps provide resources and education around mental health to African American students in schools across the country.

Why Teens Should Understand Their Own Brains (And Why Their Teachers Should, Too!)
NPR article/interview with author Sarah-Jayne Blakemore about the teenage brain.

So I have been thinking about the links that I post in this newsletter and it dawned on me that 'Hey, wouldn't it be nice if all of these links that show up every month could be pulled together into one easy to find place?" Well, that idea is now a reality. Presenting:

The Get School Psych'd Good Reading and Research Collection

This is a permanent resource that will house all of the links that I share every month in the newsletter. I will do my best to catalog them alphabetically by content area. Enjoy!

I have always gotten a lot of questions about the books I am reading (mostly because approximately 84% of my sentences start with "you know I just read this book..."), so I decided to start sharing some of my personal favorites that I have recently read (or in some cases, reread).

This month: The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. I read a lot of books that get me to think about things differently. I sometimes read books that help me to act differently. This book by Dr. Duhigg accomplishes both. Looking at the neuroscience of human behavior and habit formation, Dr. Duhigg offers interesting ideas and strategies for improving the habits of individuals, organizations, and even nations. Big recommendation for this one.

News update from NASP about getting psych undergrads interested in the field of school psychology. Pass it along:

The APA Division 16 (School Psychology) Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs and the National Association of School Psychologists are partnering to invite undergraduate students from underrepresented groups to the NASP convention on 2/19/2020. If you are a student from an underrepresented group interested in school psychology or NASP, please apply to join us at the NASP convention this year! The day of the convention, mentors will be available to assist, answer questions, and provide information. Please see the attached flyer and submit your application by 11/15/2019.

Link to Application HERE

I had the chance to meet Dr. David Shriberg at TASP this year. He did a wonderful session on social justice and talked about a study that he is currently conducting out of Indiana University on school psychologists and their work in social justice. I asked him if I could include his recruitment letter in this newsletter and he happily agreed. If you are an LSSP who is involved in or interested in social justice, please consider taking part in this research. I'll let Dave tell you the rest:

Hello!

This message is for school psychologists who value bringing a social justice perspective to their work. I represent a group from the school psychology program at Indiana University that is studying ways in which school psychologists define social justice and seek to bring social justice principles into action.

If you are a school psychologist who is both working half-time or more in a school setting AND identifies with a social justice orientation, we ask you to consider participating in our study. The format is an individual interview that we estimate will take approximately 30 minutes. The focus of the interview would be your perspective on social justice and school psychology practice. Participation is completely voluntary and confidential.

If you are interested in participating, please contact David Shriberg at dashri@iu.edu or via phone at (812) 856-8049. Thank you in advance for considering participating in this study.

Sincerely,

David Shriberg

Professor of School Psychology

Indiana University

Kognito is offering a free webinar on November 7th from 2-3 EST (that's 1:00pm start time for us in the central time zone). Here is the description:

With over 70% of educators reporting that they’ve witnessed bullying in their schools, teachers and staff are in an ideal position to directly respond to incidents and talk with students who may be experiencing bullying. How can district leaders ensure that their educators are equipped with the skills to respond in a manner that supports a safe and inclusive environment?

Information for how to sign up can be found here.

In an attempt to get information more organized, I am moving toward a Google Sheet for listing out upcoming training sessions here at Region 10 that would be of interest to LSSPs.

This link will take you to the live spreadsheet. Check out the list every month to see what new offerings are coming up at Region 10.

HIGHLIGHTED TRAINING OF THE MONTH:

Meeting the Needs of English Learners in Special Education

11/7/2019 - 1:00-2:30PM, Spring Valley Building (Bowie Room)

Get guidance to make legally sound decisions for serving EL students — so you can avoid compliance missteps that lead to litigation. Attorney Brandon Wright will take you through recent cases and agency guidance affecting how you program for English learners and detail best practices so you can:

• Ensure evaluation and referral processes are not discriminatory
• Consider all relevant factors when determining whether an EL student has a disability
• Write IEPs that provide FAPE for EL students under the Endrew F. standard
• Make sure the prior written notice meaningfully conveys the IEP team’s decision to EL parents.

One of my biggest goals of GSP is to get information about our LSSPs. I know your time is valuable and I don't want to ask you to spend half a day filling out tons of information, so I have settled on what I am calling the Two-ish Question Quiz. Every so often, I humbly ask for you to answer two questions about yourself to help us get a better picture of the LSSPs in Region 10.

If you have any questions or need support in your campus/district, give me a shout!

Email: keya.saleh@region10.org
Website: www.region10.org/programs/evaluation-special-education/overview/
Location: 904 Abrams Road, Richardson, TX, USA
Phone: 972-348-1598
Twitter: @getschoolpsychd