Behaviour supports in schools and educational psychology practices have been largely influenced by the view of human behaviour as individual action. Individual action-focused practices are associated with identifying, labelling and separating individual young people. This paper argues for a relational process-oriented understanding of human…

Educational psychologists seek to keep abreast of significant theoretical and practical developments within the field of inclusive education. This paper outlines and discusses Universal Design for Learning as a theory of inclusion, highly applicable for use by educational psychologists. The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework is…

Therapeutic working has long been considered a fundamental part of the educational psychologist's (EPs) role. Yet, little attention has been given to the ethical ambiguity which exists between the terms therapeutic practice and therapy, and the implications this has for practice. This paper starts with a definition of therapeutic practice,…

The role of educational psychologists (EPs) in supporting the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people is increasingly being recognised in light of pressures on support services, and the identified importance of school-based provision. At the same time, EP practice has benefitted from psychological practice frameworks which support…

This paper aims to contribute a framework for EPs to draw upon when working with schools and organisations where support is needed to facilitate change at group and organisational levels. A critique is offered of in-service training (INSET) and its use of an approach for facilitating organisational change, which considers supporting factors and…

Dynamic assessment (DA) is appealing to educational psychologists (EPs) due to: its flexibility, allowing EPs to adjust materials and processes to fit the assessment context; its usefulness, revealing ideas about how the next steps for learning might be achieved; and its focus on strengths. In Feuerstein's words, "it is the instances of…

The paper outlines current advancements in dynamic assessment (DA), an approach that has much intuitive appeal for many second language acquisition practitioners, yet that has to date failed to take root in language classrooms. DA distinguishes itself from other approaches to assessment by insisting that "mediated assistance" of the…

This article aims to contribute to an emancipatory conceptual framework for EPs to draw upon when called to work with and/or speak of individuals labelled autistic. First, the widespread adherence to medicalised, inherently deficit-based discourses surrounding autism is critiqued, and considered as not uniformly beneficial for "clients"…

Guidance for schools regarding the promotion and enhancement of psychological wellbeing represents an invitation to intervene to promote effective, evidence-informed, whole-school approaches for school staff, students and parents. With its transdiagnostic approach and evidence from empirical literature, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is…

This article describes a new approach, employing a combination of Positioning Theory and Semantic Polarities, that educational psychologists can use to develop and facilitate change in organisations and groups. Resistance to change can be seen as reflecting a lack of the language that the members of an organisation need to participate effectively…

An organisational change-process in a UK local authority (LA) over two years is examined using transcribed excerpts from three meetings. The change-process is analysed using a Foucauldian analytical tool--Iterative Learning Conversations (ILCS). An Educational Psychology Service was changed from being primarily an education-focussed…

Childhood epilepsy is the most common paediatric neurological disorder. It is a condition with a well-documented association with cognitive, behavioural and emotional difficulties. Children with epilepsy are at increased risk of global and specific cognitive impairments. They are also at increased risk for symptoms associated with attention…

A core component of applied educational and child psychology practice is the skilfulness with which practitioners are able to rigorously structure and conceptualise complex real world human problems. This is done in such a way that when they (with others) jointly work on them, there is an increased likelihood of positive outcomes being achieved…

The Solution Circle (SC) approach is a flexible tool which encourages participants to maintain a positive, creative approach to problem-solving. This project focussed on the introduction of this approach to staff in a primary and a secondary school. The rationale was to implement a problem-solving/discussion tool that would allow staff to utilise…

A critical review of working memory training research during the last 10 years is provided. Particular attention is given to research that has attempted to investigate the efficacy of commercially marketed computerised training programmes such as "Cogmed" and "Jungle Memory". Claimed benefits are questioned on the basis that research methodologies…