Scope and ethics of psychologists’ use of client testimonials on professional websites.
This article examines how often testimonials appear on the websites of Canadian psychologists and group practices, and discusses ethical guidelines and issues surrounding this practice. We examined the professional websites of practicing registered psychologists (N = 433) selected from the provincial directories of five provinces (Alberta, British Columbia, Ontario, Manitoba, and Quebec). Of sampled websites, 4.2% included client testimonials, 1.2% explicitly solicited testimonials, and 1.4% included links to external provider rating websites. Of the testimonials displayed on psychologists’ websites, 38.9% contained pote...
Source: Canadian Psychology - August 31, 2017 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Furthering the discussion on a physician-assisted dying right for the mentally ill: Commentary on Karesa and McBride (2016).
In June 2016, Canada joined the handful of nations that have legalized physician-assisted dying (PAD). Yet, with legislation restricting PAD to the terminally ill, many have been left contending for the right to PAD in cases of debilitating chronic illness, including, but not limited to, severe mental illness. This commentary serves to evaluate and continue the discussion of Canadian PAD for the mentally ill as introduced by Karesa and McBride (2016), present and compare the results of our own research, and promote ongoing discourse on this subject. Karesa and McBride (2016) surveyed psychologists regarding a prospective r...
Source: Canadian Psychology - July 27, 2017 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Clinical psychology training in Canada and expectations for mobility: Is it time for change?
Discussion of potential obstacles, ways forward, and the need for future research are also reviewed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved) (Source: Canadian Psychology)
Source: Canadian Psychology - July 27, 2017 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
The regulation of achievements emotions: Implications for research and practice.
This article offers a critical review of several influential emotion theories and emotion regulation models in terms of their utility for explaining how, when, and why students regulate their achievement emotions. Based on this review, we propose a novel framework for the regulation of achievement emotions. This framework is based on the premise that student learning and achievement is influenced by both achievement emotions and efforts to regulate these emotions. The framework further proposes that emotion regulation decisions, namely, the identification, selection, and implementation of regulatory strategies, are shaped ...
Source: Canadian Psychology - July 27, 2017 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Universal principles of learning require unique applications for gifted students.
The question of whether gifted students learn differently from other students has long plagued the psychology and education communities. On the one hand, the field of gifted education has promoted special programs that capitalize on gifted children’s individual abilities and needs. At the same time, evidence from rigorous studies has supported the notion that gifted children, like their age peers, learn optimally in classrooms that apply proven psychological principles. Are gifted students unique, or not? In this commentary, we rely on two versions of recent publications on teaching and learning to make the case that gif...
Source: Canadian Psychology - July 27, 2017 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
The roots of critical thinking: Selective learning strategies in childhood and their implications.
Long before formal education begins, young children learn from other people and from written and electronic media. Yet, with any second-hand information source, there is a danger of being misled by inaccurate claims. Far from being universally gullible, toddlers and preschool-age children possess both strengths and weaknesses in source evaluation. This paper summarizes research on children’s selective learning, or propensity to choose whether or not to accept information from different sources. To disseminate knowledge on these early abilities beyond cognitive-developmental researchers and to stimulate further research a...
Source: Canadian Psychology - July 27, 2017 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Bilingualism in children with autism spectrum disorder: Making evidence based recommendations.
Many professionals working with bilingual families of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are concerned that the bilingual language context may lead to further language learning difficulties. As a result, it is often recommended that children with ASD be raised as monolingual speakers. The purpose of this article is to review the research on (a) bilingualism in neurotypical children and in children with development disabilities and language disorders, (b) the language development of bilingual children with ASD, and (c) the implications of recommending that these children be brought up as monolinguals when they liv...
Source: Canadian Psychology - July 27, 2017 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics: Supporting students with learning disabilities.
Despite their intellectual potential, students with learning disabilities (LDs) face enormous challenges in science. Drawing on the literature from special, inclusive, and science education, this paper illuminates the promises and challenges of supporting students with LDs in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education. In light of the insights from research in these diverse fields, this work offers a comprehensive framework to understand and address the unique needs of students with LDs in STEM learning. This multidimensional analysis provides an overview of the contemporary discourses on STEM educa...
Source: Canadian Psychology - July 27, 2017 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Learning disabilities in Canada: Definitions and accommodations.
Prevalence rates of learning disabilities (LD) are inconsistent and poorly measured in Canada. Moreover, the definition of LD varies according to province and territory. A lack of a consistently applied definition of LD in Canada has implications for accurate prevalence rates, delivery of services, and allocation of resources. This review of government policies examines the similarities and differences concerning the definition of LD and the accompanying exam accommodations that are permitted in each province and territory. Results indicate that there exists much variability in provincial attitudes and approaches toward as...
Source: Canadian Psychology - July 27, 2017 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
The messiness of LD identification: Contributions of diagnostic criteria and clinical judgment.
This study investigated the agreement between diagnostic decisions of reading LD (RLD) made by clinicians and those produced from strict adherence to 3 commonly employed diagnostic models (i.e., low achievement, ability-achievement discrepancy, processing strengths and weakness). Using a clinical sample of 313 elementary-aged children, the level of agreement between clinician and models was determined using kappa. The Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (4th ed.: Canadian; WISC-IVCDN; Wechsler, 2003) and the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (3rd ed.: Canadian; WIAT-IIICDN; Wechsler, 2010) were used in the comparis...
Source: Canadian Psychology - July 27, 2017 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Assessing the quality of the OPQ’s Guidelines for the Evaluation of Dyslexia in Children using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II: A brief report.
Dyslexia is a complex neurologically based learning disorder requiring the skillful intervention of a licensed psychologist for assessment, diagnosis, and intervention. As for any complex activity that may involve risks for the patient, there is value in having guidelines to inform practitioners about the best possible procedures when offering services to individuals with this condition. Practice guidelines are indeed a useful resource for mental health professionals but only to the degree that they are developed with the most rigorous standards. The Order of Psychologists of Quebec published the Guidelines for the Evaluat...
Source: Canadian Psychology - July 27, 2017 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Teacher mental health, school climate, inclusive education and student learning: A review.
Teachers are in a profession with high demands as they work to meet the diverse learning needs of their students. Consequently, many teachers experience high levels of stress contributing to burnout, and unfortunately, many leave the profession. Teacher mental health may contribute to the resilience of teachers who choose to stay in the profession. Positive school climate also has the potential to contribute to teacher mental health and to provide an optimal environment to support student learning and growth. Knowledge of school climate and factors relating to teacher well-being are critical to allow for interventions to b...
Source: Canadian Psychology - July 27, 2017 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Strengths use in organizations: A positive approach of occupational health.
In this article, we review theory and research on strengths use in an organizational context. We identify important antecedents of strengths use, including personal initiative, organizational support for strengths use, autonomy, and opportunities for development. In addition, we position strengths use in Job Demands–Resources theory as one of the possible proactive behaviors that may foster the acquisition of personal and job resources, and indirectly promote work engagement and performance. Since strengths use has important ramifications for employee functioning, strengths use interventions seem an important next step i...
Source: Canadian Psychology - July 6, 2017 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
Incorporating balance: Challenges and opportunities for positive psychology.
Positive psychology (PP), the empirical study of optimal human functioning (Linley, Joseph, Harrington, & Wood, 2006), has grown considerably and made important contributions to science and practice since its introduction at the end of the last century. It has also been the subject of a number of persistent criticisms. Addressing these criticisms to move the area forward represents a major challenge and opportunity for PP. However, doing so is hampered by the lack of a framework to guide this effort. The present paper presents a strategic guiding framework explicitly based on balance that allows PP to effectively address t...
Source: Canadian Psychology - June 29, 2017 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
La transformation des saines habitudes de vie liées à l’obésité en contexte d’intégration sociale des immigrants récents.
Tens of thousands of immigrants settle in Quebec each year, an event that produces changes in their lifestyle habits that have a direct impact on the health of those immigrants. As part of a mixed methods study, group interviews were used to isolate variables of behaviour, opinion or values to gain a better understanding of certain characteristics of the migrant’s journey and their effects on lifestyle habits. The analysis of those interviews strongly influenced the construction and validity of a very detailed questionnaire to measure variable on a self-reporting basis. The areas examined were: profiles of acculturation,...
Source: Canadian Psychology - June 26, 2017 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Source Type: research
