Amanda B. Nickerson

By age 16, significant – one might even say “alarming” – numbers of students are demonstrating signs of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Students with PTSD are more likely to develop a range of problems, from delinquent behavior to eating disorders to substance abuse to dropping out. For the school-based professional, the ability to recognize these symptoms and warning signs is essential. Emphasizing prevention as well as intervention, Identifying, Assessing, and Treating PTSD at School clearly defines PTSD, explains its adverse affects on children’s academic and social-emotional skills, and offers expert guidance on how to recognize student needs and provide appropriate services. This volume, designed as a practical, easy-to-use reference for school psychologists and other educational professionals: (1) Makes the case for why school psychologists and their colleagues need to be more prepared, willing, and able to identify and serve students with PTSD. (2) Identifies the causes, prevalence, and associated conditions of PTSD. (3) Provides a review of screening, referral, and diagnostic assessment processes. (4) Reviews appropriate treatments for students with PTSD. Today’s youth live in an increasingly uncertain world, and school psychologists, counselors, social workers, and general and special education personnel will find Identifying, Assessing, and Treating PTSD at School an invaluable resource in their practices.

By age 16, significant – one might even say “alarming” – numbers of students are demonstrating signs of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Students with PTSD are more likely to develop a range of problems, from delinquent behavior to eating disorders to substance abuse to dropping out. For the school-based professional, the ability to recognize these symptoms and warning signs is essential. Emphasizing prevention as well as intervention, Identifying, Assessing, and Treating PTSD at School clearly defines PTSD, explains its adverse affects on children’s academic and social-emotional skills, and offers expert guidance on how to recognize student needs and provide appropriate services. This volume, designed as a practical, easy-to-use reference for school psychologists and other educational professionals: (1) Makes the case for why school psychologists and their colleagues need to be more prepared, willing, and able to identify and serve students with PTSD. (2) Identifies the causes, prevalence, and associated conditions of PTSD. (3) Provides a review of screening, referral, and diagnostic assessment processes. (4) Reviews appropriate treatments for students with PTSD. Today’s youth live in an increasingly uncertain world, and school psychologists, counselors, social workers, and general and special education personnel will find Identifying, Assessing, and Treating PTSD at School an invaluable resource in their practices.

A comprehensive resource on what lockdown drills are, why they are necessary, and how best to conduct them. The first book to offer a comprehensive examination of lockdown drills in K-12 schools, Lockdown Drills balances research findings with practical applications and implications. Schildkraut and Nickerson, school safety experts with complementary backgrounds in criminology and school psychology, review the historical precedents for lockdown drills, distinguish school lockdowns from other emergency procedures (such as active shooter drills), explain why they are conducted, present evidence-based research on their effectiveness, and describe how to conduct them according to best practices. Proponents of lockdown drills as a life-saving necessity, the authors help to bring much-needed standardization to how these drills are studied and conducted. The authors present common arguments for and against the inclusion of lockdown drills in emergency preparedness efforts, balancing their discussion of the perceptions and psychological impacts of lockdown drills with scholarly research on the extent to which lockdown drills improve how effectively individuals respond to a potential threat. Placing lockdown drills in the larger context of school safety and preparedness, they examine the broader implications for policymakers. Finally, they emphasize that drills, of which lockdowns are only one type, are just a part of the complex school safety puzzle. Ensuring that schools are safe places for students and educators begins long before a crisis occurs and continues through the days, weeks, and years of recovery following a crisis.