Dynamic assessment is increasingly being used by educational psychologists around the world and is largely seen as a valuable approach to assessing children and providing useful classroom suggestions to help teachers working with children who have learning difficulties. However, a common complaint about the approach is the difficulty in moving from theory to practice, and in particular how to feedback the results of a dynamic assessment to teaching staff, parents, and children in order to provide an effective programme of intervention. This article provides some background to a practical resource created by two practising educational psychologists who have developed a framework on how to put dynamic assessment into practice that has the potential to make meaningful gains in children's learning.

Dynamic systems theory (DST) is presented in this article as a suitable approach to research the acquisition of second language (L2) because of its close alignment with the process of second language learning. Through a process of identifying and comparing the characteristics of a dynamic system with the process of L2 learning, this article illustrates that L2 development is indeed a dynamic process. This article argues that DST has not only broadened the theoretical perspective, but also enriched the practical and methodological approaches in the second language developmental research enterprise. DST has the potential to bridge the gap between reductionist and holistic research practice in the Second Language Acquisition (SLA) field and to advance our understanding of L2 acquisition and development. This article argues that incorporating DST into cross-disciplinary inquiries will strengthen its practical application. It concludes by pointing out some directions to apply this framework and to expand beyond its current state.

The development of intralimb and interlimb synergies during spontaneous kicking were examined in a longitudinal study of fullterm and preterm infants who were tested at 4 weekly intervals from 8 weeks to 20 weeks of age. The degree of coupling between the hip, knee, and ankle joints of each leg and between the same joint of both legs was studied using time-series analyses that determined the cross correlations and phase lags between joint angles. The findings of the current study do not support the argument that interlimb coordination followed a similar pattern to intralimb coordination (Thelen, 1985), as different patterns of development emerged for interlimb and intralimb coordination. In addition, developmental differences were evident for the preterm infants despite correcting for age.

The present longitudinal investigation explored the extent to which physical wellbeing predicts psychological wellbeing in a sample transitioning from school to postschool life. The study comprised 213 young people assessed in their final year of high school (T1) and then one year later (T2). Longitudinal structural equation modeling supported hypothesised paths at each time point, with physical health positively predicting psychological health and perceived life quality and satisfaction. At T2, physical health also positively predicted a sense of meaning and purpose in life. Supplementary analysis showed a significant cross-time effect from T1 psychological health to T2 physical health. Findings hold substantive and practical implications highlighting the importance of multidimensional and integrative approaches to understanding and enhancing the wellbeing of young people who are making the transition from late adolescence to early adulthood.

Educational and developmental psychology faces a number of current and future challenges and opportunities in Australia. In this commentary we consider the identity of educational and developmental psychology in terms of the features that distinguish it from other specialisations, and address issues related to training, specialist endorsement, supervision and rebating under the Australian government's Medicare system. The current status of training in Australia is considered through a review of the four university programs in educational and developmental psychology currently offered, and the employment destinations of their graduates. Although the need for traditional services in settings such as schools, hospitals, disability and community organisations will undoubtedly continue, the role of educational and developmental psychologists is being influenced and to some extent redefined by advances in technology, medicine, genetics, and neuroscience. We review some of these advances and conclude with recommendations for training and professional development that will enable Australian educational and developmental psychologists to meet the challenges ahead.

What Australian psychologists currently learn about specific learning disorders (SLDs) through postgraduate-level training is not clear. Accordingly, the current Australia-wide study analysed 800 postgraduate psychology unit handbook entries to identify which courses teach about SLD and what they teach in this area. Only 2.38% of the identified units explicitly indicated SLD-related content, with 0.38% solely dedicated to SLD content. Descriptive analyses revealed differences in labels used for SLD. Thematic analyses identified five areas of knowledge and skills across SLD units including assessment, intervention, theory and empirical evidence, developmental and cultural awareness and sensitivity, and interpersonal communication. The present findings can inform future refinements to university-level psychology programs across Australia by highlighting the gaps and needs in psychology training.

This article analyses current and future issues about the distinctive contribution of professional educational psychologists in a changing English service context. This is about the context of greater inter-professional and multi-agency working, but also the moves towards more quasi-market systems of service delivery. I examine the identity and service focus dilemmas that educational psychologists have to address. This raises questions about the distinction between basic and applied psychology, the nature of applying psychology and whether applying psychology requires professional educational psychologists. One of the main arguments is that how we think about applying psychology is crucial for the future in a changing context. The task is for professional psychologists to be innovative in service terms to ensure a continuing and valued position in the service network. The significance of this analysis of educational psychology in an English context for other countries is also discussed.

The assessment of intellectual ability is a core competency in psychology. The results of intelligence tests have many potential implications and are used frequently as the basis for decisions about educational placements, eligibility for various services, and admission to specific groups. Given the importance of intelligence test scores, accurate test administration and scoring are essential; yet there is evidence of unacceptably high rates of examiner error. This article discusses competency and postgraduate training in intelligence testing and presents a training model for postgraduate psychology students. The model aims to achieve high levels of competency in intelligence testing through a structured method of training, practice and feedback that incorporates peer support, self-reflection and multiple methods for evaluating competency.

This review examines the convergence of recent developments in the fields of language and literacy development and, in particular, developments relating phonological development to both language and reading development. It begins by examining the issue of how children represent spoken words. In particular, it presents recent work arguing that, throughout early and even middle childhood, children’s representations of spoken words are reorganised as sequences of phonemes. The second section examines poor readers’ phonologicol recoding difficulties and, in particular, the contribution of phonological awareness to early reading success. This section includes an overview of phonologicol awareness training studies in “at-risk” preschool and kindergarten children. The final section examines phonologicol processing difficulties as a common underlying cause of reading dificulties.This section provides a theoretical context for practitioners to understand diverse findings relating performance on a wide range of tasks to children’s reading achievement.

This article reports on a qualitative study aimed to map the professional practice of psychologists working in schools in Victoria, Australia. A review of school psychology research literature conceptualised seven domains that were used as a lens for understanding how the professional practice of psychology was enacted in schools. The domains were placed in a hierarchy to illustrate the ecological aspect of professional practice, drawing on the work of Altman (1987) and Brofenbrenner (1977). The influence of each of these domains in shaping professional practice was understood to be mediated by the degree of control (Oakland & Cunningham, 1998) psychologists were able to garner in negotiating how their psychological services were delivered to schools. Snapshots of the practice of psychologists nominated as ‘effective’ practitioners by senior administrators identified a number of contextual barriers and facilitators across the profession that are used to inform directions for reform. The authors argue for the development of alternative models that involve collaborative actions and multiple systems — combining professional efforts to serve students and families with multiple and complex needs.

Childhood fears of objects and events such as spiders, monsters and earthquakes are common, universal and sometimes distressing. At the same time, many children seem to enjoy the thrill of scary ghost stories, ghoulish films, and terrifying theme park rides. It is estimated that around 18% of children are excessively fearful. Although anxiety disorders represent the most common psychopathology in childhood, identification can be difficult because of the diagnostic overlap and co-morbidity of anxiety with other childhood disorders. The present study investigated enjoyment of fear as a potential diagnostic marker of childhood anxiety in a sample of 220 children aged 6-12 years and their parents. Many children reportedly enjoyed scary experiences, with boys and older children displaying greater enjoyment. Children whose parents rated them as excessively anxious experienced significantly less enjoyment of fear. The paper considers possible explanations for this finding and concludes that failure to enjoy scary activities may represent a useful diagnostic marker in the initial identification of childhood anxiety.

Mastery motivation is an important developmental construct that has implications for development across the lifespan. Research to date has focused predominantly on infants and children, with the Dimensions of Mastery Questionnaire (DMQ) being the most widely used measure of mastery motivation. This article reports on the development and initial validation of an adult measure: the Dimensions of Adult Mastery Motivation Questionnaire (DAMMQ). Six hundred and twenty-eight adults (68% female) aged from 18 to 90 years completed the questionnaire. Factor analysis produced 24 items that represented five factors: task persistence, preference for challenge, task-related pleasure, task absorption, and self-efficacy. The DAMMQ was found to have good internal consistency, test-retest reliability and concurrent validity. Within group differences for age, gender and education are reported. The development of the DAMMQ paves the way for future research about mastery motivation in adult populations.

A longitudinal study was designed to investigate the possibility of improving current accuracy in prediction of reading disability, using phonological awareness (PA), oral language, and auditory temporal processing (ATP) as predictors. Preschoolers (n = 106) were tested on PA, and two groups were selected from the upper and lower quartiles of the PA distribution for initial testing as prereaders on ATP and oral language, and later testing on reading and oral language at the end of years 1, 2 , and 3. Oral language markedly improved levels of prediction previously achieved using PA alone. However, although ATP is related to PA and oral language in prereaders, it contributed little to prediction of reading achievement beyond that afforded by measures of PA and oral language. Options for improving the levels of prediction achieved here by increasing the sensitivity of our measure of AJP are discussed.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a multifaceted disorder that is pervasive across sensory, behavioural, emotional, social and motor dysfunction. Research suggests up to 50% of children diagnosed with ASD demonstrate motor difficulties. An inability to perform complex motor movements often leads to preference for simple and sedentary activities. Furthermore, social communication difficulties significantly impair the ability to engage in group activities and form peer relationships. The Sports and Recreation Group is a fee-based athletic program that aims to provide a structured environment to engage children and adolescents with ASD in a small therapeutic group program. Resistance training, plyometric, and balance and coordination are examples of some of the complex motor movements implemented. The group consisted of four participants diagnosed with ASD, aged 9–16 years. Duration involved two blocks of 8 consecutive weeks across three terms. Baseline data was collected from participant self-reports and parent reports using the PedsQL™ and again at 6-months follow-up. Results from this case study highlighted an increase in motor abilities and quality of life by enhancing the individual’s functional movements and psychosocial functioning. This article argues for the inclusion of athletic programs to be integrated as part of the therapeutic planning for children and adolescents with ASD.

Diagnostic issues in ADHD are examined from two perspectives. Firstly the long-term outcome of ADHD is one indicator of predictive validity of the concept and of its importance. At the same time, the role of comorbid conditions is fundamental to the prognosis of children with ADHD and emphasises the need for thorough assessment and careful differential diagnosis. The range of adult sequelae of ADHD is so broad as to have major implications for the delineation of adult ADHD, and suggestions are made as to how it cannot just be seen as a direct translation of the childhood symptoms. Given the high genetic component to ADHD, our work in ATAP (the Australian Twin ADHD Project) is used to examine three issues in the diagnosis of ADHD, namely that it is inherited as a behavioural dimension, not as a discrete category that there is some genetic and behavioural independence of the Hyperactivity-Impulsivity and Inattention symptom clusters, and that ADHD should not be seen as a consequence of learning problems (or the reverse). Because the concept of ADHD has undergone so many revisions since 1980, there remains much scope for input to a more definitive formulation with particular reference to age and gender differences.

Over 2.4 million children in the public school system are diagnosed with a learning disability, including dyslexia and developmental dyscalculia. Previous research has shown that some teachers are unaware of the importance of working memory in a student’s academic and social realm and what working memory deficits may look like in the classroom. The relationship between learning disabilities, working memory, and behaviour problems were examined with tailored recommendations for improvement to provide insight for classroom educators. Three children from the United Kingdom, all of whom were 8 years old and presented with symptoms of learning disorders and low working memory profiles, were selected for case studies. Measures of working memory, behaviour, and academic attainment were included. Results from their standardised assessments indicated that each child had below average working memory, as well as low scores in arithmetic, writing and spelling skills. Each child also exhibited some type of behavioural problem, such as inattention or hyperactivity. Implications of the impact of their working memory profile on their academic outcomes and behaviour are discussed. Recommendations, such as Response to Intervention (RTI), are included for classroom educators to bridge the gap between research and practice.

Despite its importance for furthering social relationships, the development of the emotional lexicon has seldom been studied. Recent research suggests that during childhood, emotion words are acquired less rapidly than concrete words, but more rapidly than abstract words. The present study directly compared the comprehension of emotion words with the comprehension of concrete and abstract words in children aged 4–7 years. Children were shown 48 sets of four pictures and for each set had to point to the picture corresponding to a word that had just been pronounced. Words referred to concrete (16), abstract (16), or emotional (16) concepts. Results showed that concrete words were better understood than either emotion or abstract words, and emotion words were better understood than abstract ones. This finding emphasises the importance of the emotional lexicon in lexical development, and suggests that emotion word comprehension should be enhanced through regular training. This would increase children’s emotional knowledge, improve their communication skills, and promote their socialisation.

The adjustment of Chinese adolescent immigrant girls in Australia was the focus of this study. Specifically, stress level, parent-child conflict, and academic achievement of these girls were examined in the light of factors such as length of residence in Australia, country of origin, and ethnic identification. A questionnaire administered to 99 Chinese immigrant girls attending Melbourne high schools showed that adjustment was related to degree of Chinese identification, length of residence in Australia, and countries of origin. Length of residence in Australia was related to academic achievement. Degree of Chinese identification was related to stress level and parent-child conflict. Auspices of immigration were related to both academic achievement and stress level. The study suggests that Chinese immigrant girls are not a homogeneous group and, therefore, that service providers must be responsive to the needs of diflerent groups.

This study examined the specific impact of remembered childhood and adolescent teasing on different dimensions of body image in young adults. A total of 113 participants (43 men and 70 women) indicated that they had been teased about their weight or appearance. The results revealed that the frequency of being teased about one's appearance was the only significant predictor of appearance satisfaction in women. Overweight preoccupation was not predicted by weight or appearance teasing. For men, the perceived distress of appearance and weight-related teasing predicted appearance satisfaction and overweight preoccupation respectively. The results suggest that different types of teasing can have differential impacts on the body image of young men and women. The results identify the need for prevention and intervention programs to address the problem of teasing in late primary and early high school children.

Interpersonal relationships are the recent focus of research identifying protective factors in adolescent psychological health. Using an attachment theory perspective, this study examines the relationship of normative attachment strength and individual differences in attachment expectancies on self-reports of depression and stress in 511 Australian high school students. Attachment reorganisation was demonstrated, but only father attachment uniquely predicted self-reported stress. Age moderated the relationships between peers and depression and stress among romantically involved adolescents. Individual differences in attachment styles, particularly anxious attachment, were most predictive of adolescent psychological health. These findings highlight the complexity of adolescent attachment relationships and suggest that interventions target both normative and individual factors in adolescent development to enhance adolescent psychological health.