Health disparities in American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) youth are well documented in the literature, as AI/AN youth appear to be more likely to experience trauma and engage in high‐risk behavior, such as substance misuse and risky sexual behavior. These youth also appear disproportionally affected by the criminal justice system. Scholars contend that much of these disparities can be traced back to the history of colonization of Indigenous peoples and the transgenerational effects of forced suppression of cultural ideology. This paper reviews the relevant literature on AI/AN youth mental and behavioral health, and this author highlights studies which examine the plausible relation between historical trauma and contemporary AI/AN youth mental health and delinquency. This author proposes that future research should target the high number of AI/AN youths in juvenile justice settings given that these youths appear neglected in current research.

Background: Previous research has examined the relation between mental illness (MI) and perceptions of dangerousness, but less research has focused on its relation to perceived risk of criminality. Individuals with MI are perceived to be more dangerous than those without, and individuals with schizophrenia or substance abuse diagnoses are viewed as being more dangerous. Research also supports that race of individuals with MI plays an important role in the conceptualization and experience of stigma. Aims: The current study investigated the relation between MI, perceived criminality and race of diagnosed individuals. Method: Two hundred ninety participants were randomly assigned to read one of the four vignettes and answer a series of questions. The first three vignettes depicted someone with MI (schizophrenia, depression or alcohol dependency), while the fourth vignette served as a control. Participants were asked to indicate likelihood of committing a future crime, severity of the future crime and the person’s potential for rehabilitation. Levels of sympathy and trust, as well as perceived race of the person, were also measured. Results: Presence of MI was a significant predictor where MI elicited higher levels of perceived risk of criminality. The remaining predictor variables (type of MI, familiarity with MI and criminality and perceived race) were not significant predictors. Exploratory analyses revealed the schizophrenia and alcohol dependency conditions elicited higher levels of perceived severity of future crimes. Perceived MI severity and likelihood of rehabilitation were all significantly correlated with perceived risk of criminality. Conclusion: Presence of MI appears to be the most important in influencing participant attitudes about perceived risk of criminality, though type of MI may influence beliefs about severity of future crimes. The impact of race could not be examined but should be examined in future studies.

Twice-exceptionality (2e), broadly defined as the co-occurrence of a gift or talent and a disability, has been a part of the educational lexicon since the 1990s, although its empirical backing is limited. We conducted a comprehensive review of the empirical literature on 2e and created a simulation study of 2e. For the latter, we constructed population distribution functions that represent indicators of ability using a range of correlations and identification criteria guided by the reviewed literature. We observed the theoretical occurrence of 2e, even at its most relaxed definitions, to be much rarer than prevailing literature implies (probability = 0.148). As correlations and factor loadings increase, the prevalence estimates of 2e drop considerably. Our results demonstrated the need for a more informed, standardized, and quantifiable approach to the identification of individuals with 2e.

Digital media is becoming increasingly prevalent in households and classroom settings lowering the age of fi rst exposure to technology; however, little is known about how children experience digital media and how their experiences relate to learning and social engagement. In this case study, we followed a 28-month-old boy in a naturalistic setting for 5 weeks, videotaping the process of his interactions with the iPad. Using a combination of video coding, screen recordings, and a formal academic assessment we evaluated the effects of digital media on specifi c learning outcomes, child affective states associated with gains in digital literacy, and the role of social interaction in the process of digital media exposure. We found that the number of errors predicted a signifi cant amount of the variance in the child’s levels of frustration, attentiveness, help-seeking behaviors, and persistence. Two main types of affect, confusion and attentiveness, predicted gains in his iPad profi ciency, providing important insights into the role of emotions in digital learning. With increased levels of iPad profi ciency, we observed an inconsistent pattern of child social engagement. This study is the fi rst, to our knowledge, to use a combination of qualitative observation data, standardized assessment, and quantitative analysis of a child’s behavior in the process of digital literacy learning.

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