A random sample of members of the National Association of School Psychologists was surveyed to examine the assessment activity of practicing school psychologists. Test-usage estimates and importance ratings for well-established standardized instruments, newly revised or released instruments, and informal procedures such as interview and curriculum-based assessment were examined. Estimates of time involved in various service delivery activities also were obtained. Results indicated that assessment activities still account for about 50% of the practice hours of school psychologists, followed by consultation (20%) and treatment (19%). School psychologists reported frequent use of intellectual, behavior-social-emotional, achievement, and perceptual assessment methods, but were less likely to be involved in vocational or preschool assessment. Familiar instruments, such as the Wechsler scales, the Woodcock-Johnson Psycho-educational Battery-Revised, the Wide Range Achievement Test-Revised, the Bender-Visual Motor Gestalt, the Beery Developmental Test of Motor Integration, and the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, were the most used tests. However, in the social-emotional domain, direct assessment methods, such as interview and observation, were more frequently used and rated as more important than standardized measures. These results, and the limitations of the study, are discussed.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) continues to be a common diagnosis of school children, and according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed. [DSM-IV], American Psychiatric Association, 1994), it affects approximately 3%-5% of the population. Teachers are often the primary source of information regarding ADHD diagnoses in school children. A previous study by Glass and Wegar (2000) found that teachers were overidentifying children with ADHD and that medication was preferred as the primary treatment for these students. This study further examined teacher perceptions on the causes, incidence, and appropriate treatment methods of ADHD. In addition, this study also examined the prevalence of ADHD as determined by ADHD Rating Scale-IV (School Version; DuPaul et al., 1998) and examined differential identification rates by gender and ethnicity. Results showed that teachers were likely to identify children as having ADHD at rates higher than the expected prevalence rates specified in DSM-IV. Out of 121 rating scales analyzed, 23.97% of students were identified by teachers as meeting criteria for 1 of the 3 types of ADHD. Males had significantly higher scores than females and Whites had significantly higher scores than Hispanics. Class size was also associated with the likelihood that teachers would identify more than 5% of their students as having ADHD. Results suggest that, despite increasing evidence of a connection between biological factors and ADHD, environmental factors (i.e., class size and culture) may still influence teachers' perceptions about what students have the disorder.

Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) has been used in a variety of healthcare settings and studies to evaluate the potential patient benefits are warranted. This retrospective study measured the impact of AAT on the use of oral pain medications by adults after total joint replacement surgery. One group of patients received care in a hospital with an AAT program and the comparison group was in a hospital without an AAT program. Adult patient cohorts were matched on: age, gender, ethnicity, length of stay, and Diagnosis Related Group code for type of total joint replacement. Pain medication doses, converted into morphine equivalent daily doses (MEDD), were compared. Pain medication use was significantly less in the AAT group: 15.32 mg vs. 21.16 (t (119) = 2.72, p = 0.007). The effectiveness of AAT in decreasing the need for pain medication and its effect on patient well-being in the post-operative period and in other settings deserves further study.

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