This study aimed to determine if a sample of children currently diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) would have shown motor milestone delays before age three as compared to typically developing children. Given delays in motor skills, the study also strived to determine which specific skills might be delayed. Parents of 44 children who…

Working on What Works (WOWW) is a solution-oriented classroom management intervention. Following an outline of Berg and Shilts' WOWW programme in the United States, this paper reviews and evaluates WOWW, which has been implemented as a classroom intervention strategy in a Scottish local authority since 2007. Qualitative analysis of the comments of…

Dyscalculia has been described as a specific learning difficulty affecting the ability to acquire arithmetical skills. In recent years, it has become a topic for discussion in the popular media, yet there has been little research undertaken by educational psychologists. This paper provides a summary of neuroscientific research into the development…

This article discusses the potential benefits of the Massage in Schools Programme (MISP), a programme originating in Scandinavia, which has been introduced into schools in the United Kingdom (UK) since 2001. Meeting four out of five outcomes of the Every Child Matters agenda, the review of the literature aims to separate anecdotal and media…

There are manifold benefits of parental involvement in a child's education, but there is evidence of gender imbalances in parental involvement. This article describes research into fathers' involvement with educational psychologists (EPs) working with children undergoing statutory assessment. A content analysis of children's files from one…

Children with motor difficulties are a very varied group. In order to target interventions more effectively researchers have attempted to identify specific sub-groups; however, attempts to identify sub-groups and provide interventions accordingly have met with limited success. Currently interventions can be classified into two main types, namely,…

In this study, young people, described by teachers as being disaffected, were encouraged to become involved in a public forum to discuss issues regarding participation, learning and training at their school as well as their aspirations about the future. The young people discussed their learning and social experiences, and reflected on existing…

The article welcomes the publication of the Progression Guidance 2009-2010 as an important milestone in the government's attempt to provide data to schools on how well children with special educational needs (SEN) are progressing. The materials hold the potential to enable school improvement partners, inspectors and educational psychologists to…

At the national level there has been a call for more therapeutic interventions and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) has been identified as one approach that can be used. The training of educational psychologists (EPs) has been extended to three years and this provides an opportunity to increase the depth of knowledge of particular therapeutic…

The aim of the study was to examine whether consultation sessions provided by educational psychologists (EPs) offer a useful way of supporting foster and adoptive parents. Feedback was collected from 101 EPs and 78 foster and adoptive parents through the use of a short questionnaire at the end of each session. As might be expected, educational…

The current paper outlines a three-year action research project with 39 schools in one inner city local authority. A local need to improve provision for children with motor skills difficulties resulted in a team of educational psychologists (EPs) and specialist teachers developing the Manchester Motor Skills Intervention (MMSI), which is a…

In preparing children to deal with life in an increasingly complex society, it is important that schools devote attention to well-organised and theoretically sound programmes employing a preventive approach to mental health. Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy (REBT), as indicated in its name, incorporates changes to thought processes and…

This article examines educational psychologists' (EPs') engagement with evidence-based practice (EBP). In particular it considers the limitations of randomised controlled trials and the difficulties of obtaining sufficient evidence about the effectiveness of interventions. This means that there is a possibility that EPs continue to use…

Over the past 40 years, problem-based learning (PBL) and enquiry-based learning (EBL) approaches have been used in a variety of professional training courses. More recently online versions of these pedagogies have been developed. This paper explains how online PBL and EBL activities have been incorporated into the professional training of…

Anecdotal evidence and statistics indicate that transition to secondary school for children who are "Looked After" is likely to present challenges. The present study aimed to find out the key factors that support Looked After children through this transition, as perceived by the main stakeholders. Data were gathered in two stages, using…