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This article addresses key factors concerning immigrant and refugee school-aged children. Those include issues related to multicultural adaptation, second language learning, assessment trends and interventions. The article concludes with implications for ecological mental health services and recommendations for pre-service and in-service training.

Fifty-six fifth-and sixth-grade children, manifesting depressive symptoms as judged by teachers and in response to a self-report Depression Battery were assigned to one of the following 10-week intervention conditions: Role Play (treatment), Cognitive Restructuring (treatment), Attention Placebo, or Control. Both quantitative and qualitative improvements were observed for several children in the Role Play and Cognitive Restructuring treatments, though the gain was more dramatic in Role Play.This study evolved from the concerns of teachers, social workers, and school psychologists who requested guidance in dealing with an increasing number of withdrawn, self-deprecating, under-achieving boys and girls (Miezitis, Friedman, Butler, & Blanchard, Note 1). Though these children were not sufficiently disturbed to be withdrawn from school, their depressive affect, ideation, and behavior were interfering with social-emotional and intellectual development.Two methods of intervention were assessed in the study: Role Play and Cognitive Restructuring. In each case, the program consisted of 10 1-hour sessions held weekly with groups of seven children. The children were taken from class to meet with the group leader in a separate room in the school.

This study is a qualitative examination of the perceptions of school psychologists and regular classroom teachers on various issues regarding the implementation of recommendations from psychoeducational assessments. Fifteen school psychologists and 25 teachers were interviewed for the study. Findings indicated that recommendations can be categorized into four main types that vary in terms of their implementability as perceived by psychologists, and their helpfulness and ease of implementation to teachers. Findings also revealed that participants found it difficult to provide a valid estimate of the proportion of recommendations actually implemented. Both teachers and psychologists identified the following factors that affect recommendation implementation: practical considerations, consultation practices, teacher personality, knowledge and attitudes, format for presenting recommendations, and type of referral problem. Psychologists also identified psychologist variables, quality of relationships and rapport, and teacher theoretical orientation as factors. Teachers stated that child variables, specificity of recommendations, and support from colleagues, parents, and the psychologist are key factors influencing implementation.

A total of 274 multidisciplinary staff members in 54 elementary and secondary schools participated in a study that identified the characteristics of students referred to school teams. The results suggested that meetings addressed academic and learning needs more often than emotional or psychological concerns. Implications for the practice of school psychology and the development of team-facilitated prevention programs are discussed.