The School Psychologist's Role in the Early Childhood Special Education Program

Abstract

As part of a study to determine what role school psychologists might best fill in infant and preschool programs, a survey was conducted of school psychologists currently working with elementary- and high school-age children and of early childhood special educators employed in preschool and infant programs. The survey endeavored to ascertain how each of these groups viewed the school psychologist's role, and what each group thought the school psychologist could best contribute to early childhood and infant programs. Two sets of questionnaires were analyzed representing 50 early childhood special educators and 82 school psychologists. The first examined the possible situations in which early childhood special educators might request assistance from a school psychologist. The second questionnaire asked participants to rank order their preference of consultation models. Results indicated that the two groups hold very different perceptions concerning the role of the school psychologist in early intervention programs. Implications of the survey are discussed in terms of service delivery and of school psychology training.

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