Roles and Functions: School Psychology Within a Pediatric Setting

Pediatric School Psychology -&#;With an increasing number of children with chronic health conditions, the concept of pediatric care has expanded from a primarily medical emphasis to one that is more comprehensive and includes the disciplines of psychology and education (Perrin, 1999). -&#;Children with developmental disabilities experience symptoms that affect their physical, academic, behavioral, developmental, and social functioning; therefore, collaboration among interdisciplinary professionals is essential. -&#;Pediatric school psychology represents an “emergence of a subspecialty” within school psychology and includes the competencies of both school psychology and health psychology (Power, DuPaul, Shapiro, & Parrish, 1995). -&#;Pediatric school psychologists serve as a liaison among families, educational professionals, and health care providers. &#;&#;Training in pediatric school psychology has been recommended to promote interdisciplinary collaboration and communication among families, schools, and health care providers (Power, DuPaul, Shapiro, & Kazak, 2003; Shaw, 2003). -&#;With expertise in learning and development as well as consultation and intervention, school psychologists are uniquely qualified to facilitate collaborative efforts across home, school, and medical settings (Shapiro & Manz, 2004)