The Relationship between Professional Training Experiences and School Psychologists’ Work with Parents of Children with ADHD

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships between several school psychologist variables and overall engagement in parent training/education activities with the parents of children with ADHD. Specifically, school psychologists were surveyed regarding their general attitude toward parent-focused activities, role profiles, intensity of training, perception of barriers/facilitators, and frequency of engagement in parent training/education activities. Participants included 163 school-based school psychologists in Florida who were members of FASP. Data were collected through the use of an Internet survey. Hypotheses were analyzed using correlations and a backward multiple regression analysis. Results indicated that school psychologists in Florida were engaging in parent training/education activities on average approximately 1-2 times per semester. The data suggested that a school psychologist’s intensity of training in formal parent training, parent involvement, and behavior theory/management was most significantly related to his or her engagement in parent training/education activities. Demographic variables including degree level, experience level, recency of training, number of schools served, primary employment setting, and caseload were not significantly related to engagement. Additionally, a school psychologist’s role profile was not significantly related to engagement in parent training/education activities. Data analysis revealed a moderate, positive, statistically significant correlation between general attitude and extent of engagement in parent training/education activities. Thus, the more positive a school psychologist’s general attitude was regarding parent-focused activities, the more likely he or she was to engage in parent training/education activities with the parents of children with ADHD. Perceived expertise in parent training/education activities was the only potential barrier that resulted in a statistically significant difference between those participants who perceived it as a barrier and those who did not. This indicates that those who perceived their level of training/expertise in parent training/education activities as a barrier to engagement were in fact less likely to engage in parent training/education activities