Objective: Latina/o adolescents have been described as less likely to participate in volunteer and civic activities relative to other youth. The present study elicited Latina/o youths' own views of how they can make a difference in their communities. Method: Latina/o high school students (N ϭ 686; one third males; M age ϭ 16.3, SD ϭ 1.2) responded in writing to the open-ended question, "How do you think that Latina and Latino young people can make a difference in our communities?" Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Four categories (community, education, advocacy, and culture) emerged from the data, with 2 to 7 themes within each category, reflecting diverse and robust pathways by which Latina/o youth believe they can make a difference. We explore these results with respect to types of civic engagement, sociopolitical development, and manifestations of the components of critical consciousness: critical reflection, critical agency, and critical action. Conclusions: Assessment of Latina/o youth civic engagement should be expanded to better reflect Latina/o youth agency, contributions, and assets. In particular, educational persistence and cultural pride may be seen as forms of resistance reflective of sociopolitical civic engagement (Checkoway & Aldana, 2013). Responses manifest components of the developmental asset of critical consciousness. Schools and communities should recognize, affirm, and support the pathways by which Latina/o youth contribute and build their efficacy for such engagement.

BACKGROUND: For children, the post-concussion return to school process is a critical step towards achieving positive health outcomes. The process requires integration between healthcare professionals, parents, and school personnel. OBJECTIVE: This research team conducted focus groups with stakeholders including parents, education personnel, school nurses, external healthcare providers (nurses) and athletic trainers to identify communication patterns between healthcare providers outside of the school setting and school personnel. METHODS: Data from focus groups were analyzed using a Thematic Analysis approach. Researchers used an inductive (bottom-up) coding process to describe semantic themes and utilized a critical realist epistemology. RESULTS: We identified four key themes within focus group data: (1) lack of effective communication between hospital and outpatient healthcare providers to school personnel; (2) parents who were strong advocates had improved communication with healthcare professionals and garnered more accommodations for their children; (3) non-school professionals and families were often confused about who the point of contact was at a given school; and (4) differing experiences for athletes vs. non-athletes. CONCLUSION: This study suggests gaps in communication between healthcare and school professionals when children return to school following a concussion. Improving communication between healthcare providers and school staff will require a multi-faceted approach.

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The clinical interview is one of the most important processes in psychotherapy (Aklin & Turner, 2006) and assessment. The reason for this is simple: Without viable information about a client, it is impossible to understand reliably and validly the presenting symptomatology and directions for future treatment. Clinicians are taught many different ways to perform a clinical interview, but ultimately, the goal of the various methodologies is the acquisition of information to better understand the client within cultural and contextual frameworks. On its own, the clinical interview seems simple enough, but on closer examination, there are a multitude of factors that must be taken into consideration, ultimately leading to a more complex and delicate initial task. Central to this task when working with all clients, but with Latina/o clients in particular, is culture. Without a cultural and contextual framework at the outset, presenting problems, medical and legal histories, educational history, family history, and myriad other issues may lead

Hispanic/Latinx parents of children with developmental delays/disabilities (DD) face disparities in service access and research participation. In the present study, 60 Spanish-speaking caregivers of young children with DD participated in randomly assigned stress reduction interventions (psychoeducation/support groups or Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction [MBSR]), followed by behavioral parent training (BPT). Caregiver attendance and satisfaction ratings were measured, and focus groups gathered additional information on caregivers' takeaways from the interventions. Caregivers demonstrated high satisfaction across interventions, with slightly greater preference for psychoeducation/support groups, and qualitative data indicated that the relevance of the information and style of delivery may be responsible. Researchers and clinicians may attain greater engagement with this population by focusing on intervention services that include psychoeducation and peer support elements.

High-stress events (e.g., natural disasters, political unrest, disease) significantly impact the lives of children and families. The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is one event that has brought numerous hardships to families and children with developmental disabilities (DD), likely exacerbating already heightened levels of stress. For this study, we interviewed mothers living in the U.S. (N = 14) of 2- to 8-year-old children with DD about how COVID-19 has affected their family life. The interviews examined how the pandemic impacted (a) their child’s educational, therapeutic, and medical services, (b) their stress and resiliency, and (c) their parenting role as an advocate, educator, and interventionist. The results of our thematic analysis of the qualitative data highlight four domains with themes that describe families’ experiences as indicated by the mothers interviewed. Voices of families are essential in the delivery of effective and ethical early intervention for young children with disabilities. Based on the data from these interviews with mothers, suggestions for family-focused intervention to support families during high-stress events are discussed. As the long-term effects of the pandemic remain unknown, suggestions for future research to continue to examine the impact of high-stress experiences on young children with DD and their families are also presented.

BACKGROUND: This longitudinal qualitative study tracked students with traumatic brain injury (TBI) from hospital discharge through their return to school and then for an average of four years of school. OBJECTIVE: To better understand the experiences of students and parents in the education system following TBI. METHODS: Participants were parents and educators of 21 students with TBI. Interviews were conducted using open-ended questions and students were observed in the classroom. RESULTS: From these data, three themes were identified: lack of student tracking year to year, lack of educator training, and conflicting views between educators and parents about students’ needs. These factors ultimately led to parent frustration and eventually conflict and deteriorating relationships between parents and educators. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that improving educator training could positively affect the factors identified and possibly mitigate parent frustration.

Early childhood special education (ECSE) professionals were forced to drastically change their methods of providing services as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this qualitative study, we conducted interviews to understand how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted ECSE professionals both personally and professionally. ECSE professionals described challenges as well as unexpected positive outcomes associated with continuing to work in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Professionals also explained the importance of increasing parent interaction through coaching interventions while engaging in remote service delivery. The findings conclude with professionals’ discussions of how the field may be impacted by the pandemic in the future. Results were discussed in the context of service provision and implications for supporting professionals who work with young children with disabilities.