School Social Work Now!

Supporting Innovative Practice, Effective

Leadership & Applied Research 

Translating Research to Practice   

  
7 Tips for Effective Listening: Productive Listening Does Not Occur Naturally    

. . . Effective listening is challenging, in part, because people often are more focused on what they're saying than on what they're hearing in return. According to a . . . study by the Harvard Business Review, people think the voice mail they send is more important than the voice mail they receive. Generally, senders think that their message is more helpful and urgent than do the people who receive it.

Additionally, listening is difficult because people don't work as hard at it as they should. Listening seems to occur so naturally that putting a lot of effort into it doesn't seem necessary. However, hard work and effort is exactly what effective listening requires.  Review these tips.

A Selective Review of the Research on Juvenile Bipolar Disorder: Implications for Struggling Clinicians   

Abstract:  The diagnosis of juvenile bipolar disorder (JBD) has been the subject of much controversy and confusion.  There have been well documented increases in the application of this diagnosis, at least in the United States. This has led to concerns about overdiagnosis. At the same time, juvenile bipolar disorder presenting in adolescents can be difficult to detect, with symptoms being perceived as normal, if exaggerated, adolescent behavior. Two cases, one mistakenly diagnosed as JBD and the other in which the diagnosis was missed, illustrate the difficulty in making an accurate diagnosis. Recent refinements in diagnosis have the potential to clarify and improve clinical diagnosis and treatment. The three main diagnostic approaches to JBD (the so-called "narrow phenotype" approach, the "cardinal symptoms" and brief frequent cycles approach, and finally the persistent, impairing irritability approach) are reviewed. The author then reviews the longitudinal data examining continuity between juvenile and adult bipolar disorder. Returning to the cases, the author reviews her treatment decisions, and how they could have been improved with better diagnostic precision. Finally, some thoughts are shared about why the diagnosis of JBD has become both so much more frequent and controversial, and what practicing clinicians should focus on.  Access full article here.

Should Teens with Autism Drive?   

Most teens with high-functioning autism are behind the wheel or are planning to be, according to a first-of-it-kind study. What's more, those who are driving appear to be faring better safety-wise than their typically developing peers. The findings are based on a national survey of nearly 300 parents of teens ages 15 to 18 with a diagnosis of autism, Asperger's syndrome or pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified. Teens who were also diagnosed with intellectual disability were not included in the research, which was published in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics this month... "Over the past decade, the rate of children diagnosed with (ASDs) has increased, meaning that more of those kids are now approaching driving age. Car crashes are the number one cause of death for teenagers, so it is important that we understand how (ASDs) impact driving and how to develop appropriate educational and evaluation tools," said Patty Huang, a developmental pediatrician at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the lead author of the study.
Click here for more. 

Study: Children Respond Better to Parent's Voice, Not Text   

As more and more teenagers get cell phones, parents find themselves communicating through text messages.  But a new study found children respond better to your voice than the words on a phone.

Most parents we spoke with agree it's easier to console your child in a stressful situation when you are face to face.  The challenge comes in finding ways to keep that interaction going when your teen is glued to technology.

"My daughter is constantly on hers," said Melanee Chase.  Fifteen-year-old Jordan Chase is always in arms reach of her cell. So, her mom Melanee texts to stay connected.

"Whenever we have an issue and she is upset with me, she will realize she is wrong eventually and then apologize through a text," Melanie Chase said.

But a recent study conducted at the University of Wisconsin found texting really can't replace the comfort that comes from a mother's voice.  Full article here.

From Education Week - NCLB: Perspectives on the Law

To mark the 10th anniversary of NCLB, Education Week asked 17 contributors to consider the law's impact.

Mary Bell, president of the Wisconsin Education Association Council, writes that NCLB's emphasis on getting highly qualified educators into every classroom was a positive step, but it fell flat in its simplistic approach to measuring a school's success or failure. Linda Darling-Hammond draws several lessons from the law: the federal government should not micromanage educational decisions; we must not only recognize achievement gaps but remedy them; and Title I should better support low-income states and communities through quality preschool, high-quality preparation and professional development for teachers and school leaders, wraparound services and community schools, and summer learning opportunities. Kati Haycock, president of the Education Trust, says the law's insistence on transparency has revealed ugly truths about inequity in our public education system that now must be addressed. D.C. Schools Chancellor Kaya Henderson feels NCLB set the stage for dramatic gains in her district by making data-based decision-making the norm.   Learn more.

Bibliotherapy & School Social Workers

I am a doctoral student at Dominican University's Graduate School of Library and Information Science, River Forest, Illinois. I am seeking school social workers to complete an online survey about bibliotherapy for use towards research for a doctoral dissertation. For the purposes of this research bibliotherapy is defined as the use of books or other reading materials (poetry, magazines, comic books, etc) to assist with the counseling process.  Participation is voluntary, confidential and anonymous.  Even if you do not currently use the bibliotherapy counseling technique, any feedback on this topic will help with this study. Completion of the survey should take approximately 30 minutes and can be done from any computer with internet access.  If you are an interested school social worker, or know of a school social worker who would be interested, the survey link is below.  For more information, contact: Elizabeth Garcia, Doctoral Student, Graduate School of Library and Information Science, Dominican University. Thank you in advance for your participation.  Bibliotherapy Survey Link.  

New this week:  Marlborough, MA                                 

Search Tool Helps Users Find Grants to Fund Youth Programs 

The Interagency Working Group on Youth Programs has created an online Web Tool that allows users to search for federal grant opportunities by youth topic or federal agency. The tool uses a filter to search for grants that are likely to fund youth programs. To learn more and determine if you are eligible, click here.

ING Unsung Heroes Award  

ING Unsung Heroes began in 1995as a way for ING to demonstrate its commitment to the education community. Grants are given to K-12 educators utilizing new teaching methods and techniques that improve learning.  Each year, educators submit applications for an ING Unsung Heroes grant by describing projects they have initiated or would like to pursue. Each project is judged on its:

innovative method, creativity, and ability to positively influence the students.  All K-12 education professionals, whether or not they are clients of ING, are eligible. Specifically, these individuals must be:  (1)  Employed by an accredited K-12 public or private school located in the United States, or (2)  Full-time educators, teachers, principals, paraprofessionals, orclassified staff with effective  projects that improve student learning.  Deadline:  April 30, 2012.  Details here.   

Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Invites Applications for Dissertation Fellowships in Education    

• increasing research projects and their application within the school environment;
• developing a national school social work role paper;
• establishing a National Center for School Social Work Practice, Leadership and Research, a long-term goal,
• hosting the first Louisiana State-wide School Social Work Conference, January 30-31, 2012, in New Orleans, LA, and
• developing the 3rd National School Social Work Research Summit to be held June 24-26, 2012, in Bloomingdale, IL (a Chicago suburb) at the Hilton Chicago/Indian Lakes Resort.

If you have interest in participating in any of these activities, contact Judie Shine.  ACSSW strives to be inclusive and transparent in all of its activities and welcomes, whether lengthy or short, the participation of its members.