Identifying, Assessing, and Treating Conduct Disorder at School

Concern continues to ripple throughout society over the escalating incidents of youth violence and aggression. School professionals confront daily the challenges resulting from conduct disorders, which threaten to disrupt the learning process and compromise the well-being, security, and safety of students and faculty. With the ongoing emphasis on high-stakes academic testing, schools are struggling to pinpoint effective strategies and secure the resources needed to identify, assess, and treat students with conduct problems so that all children can succeed at school.

Identifying, Assessing, and Treating Conduct Disorder at School bridges the gap between science and practice, providing school professionals with the information they need to coordinate efforts and enhance communication between parents, other educators, administrators, and social services providers. In addition, it offers guidance on the interventions that are likely to be most effective in meeting the unique needs of youths with conduct disorder. This volume: Emphasizes why school psychologists and their colleagues need to be prepared and able to identify and serve students with conduct disorder; Identifies the prevalence, influences, and associated conditions; Provides a review of screening, referral, and diagnostic assessment processes; Offers guidance on conducting psychoeducational assessments; Reviews evidence-based treatments; Provides practical guidance on setting up programs that address individual, classroom, and schoolwide issues.

School psychologists and other education and mental health professionals will find this volume an invaluable resource in working to enhance the mental health and educational development of students.

Tammy L. Hughes, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of School Psychology at Duquesne University. She is the author and co-author of numerous journal articles and chapters. She has instructed graduate level seminars in development, assessment, and treatment of children who evidence social and emotional difficulties. Her related publications include lead guest editor of a special issue ("Differentiation of Emotional Disturbance and Social Maladjustment") in Psychology in the Schools, book chapters addressing the topics of child violence, and understanding the relationship between emotional dysregulation and conduct problems in children. In addition to her scholarly writing, Dr. Hughes has provided scholarly presentations at national and international conferences and professional sessions for local and state constituents. Dr. Hughes is currently the Vice President of Publication, Communications and Convention Affairs for Division 16 (School Psychology) of the American Psychological Association (APA). She is past president of Trainers of School Psychologists and continues to serve on many national boards. She is the Associate Editor for Psychology in the Schools, and serves on the Editorial Board of School Psychology Quarterly. She also provides professional reviews of manuscripts for International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology and Current Issues in Education.
Laura M. Crothers, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in the school psychology program in the Department of Counseling, Psychology, and Special Education at Duquesne University. Dr. Crothers, who is a New Jersey-, Pennsylvania-, and nationally certified school psychologist, has been recognized as a national expert in childhood bullying by the National Association of School Psychologists. She teaches the graduate-level consultation seminars in school psychology at Duquesne University, and has taught courses in counseling, development, and educational psychology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Slippery Rock University. Dr. Crothers has contributed to the source literature by studying bullying in children and adolescents, and is currently investigating the effects of job stress and locus of control upon teachers’ behavior management styles, assisting teachers in managing student behavior problems in the classroom, using guidance curricular techniques to manage female adolescent peer aggression, and bullying of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth. In addition to her scholarly writing, Dr. Crothers has delivered lectures and conducted presentations regionally, nationally, and internationally. Dr. Crothers provides professional reviews of manuscripts for the Communiqué, School Psychology Review, the Trainers’ Forum, and the Journal of Research in Rural Education.
Shane R. Jimerson, Ph.D., 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.