School neuropsychology: Mind, brain, and education – Lecture notes
Lecture 1 – introduction
The clinical field of school neuropsychology
Clinical discipline in educational settings
o Subdiscipline of school psychology
Integrated neuropsychological and educational principles into the assessment of,
and development of interventions for children
Provides and optimal learning environment for every child, including children with
special needs and facilitates learning and behaviour within the school and family
system
Embedded in the transdisciplinary science of mind, brain and education
Essentials of the field
(1) An emerging discipline (60 years)
History of school neuropsychology
o 1960s – first test battery for children
o 1980s – explosive interest in biological explanations of learning and
behaviour
o 1990s – ‘decade of the brain’
o 2000s more valid assessment methods in children and formalization
of inclusive education
o Present – emerging specialty area and a lot of unclarities/ neuromyths
Changes in education
o 19th century
Abacus
Frontal teaching
Behaviourist approach: listen and behave
Punishment
One size fits all
th
o 20 century
Tablets
Differentiated teaching/ group work
Constructivist approach: learning is regulated by
developmental stages (cognitive, social, physical)
Reward, social safety
Inclusive education
(2) 1 in 4 children have special needs (red most common)
26% of Dutch mainstream students have special needs
o Externalising problem behaviour
o Internalising problem behaviour
o Problematic attitudes to work
o Physical disabilities
o Speech, language, and numeracy disorders
o Being gifted
o Intellectual impairment
o Autism spectrum disorder
, o Being behind in literacy/reading and/or numeracy
(3) The role of cognitive differences
Strong focus on executive functions
“constellations of higher order cognitive processes that enable reasoning,
problem-solving, planning, and cognitive organisation”
Well researched functions include:
o Working memory
o Response inhibition
o Cognitive flexibility
o Planning/ problem-solving
EFs relate to:
o Childhood disorders (ADHD, ASD, Tourette, dyslexia/ dyscalculia, etc)
o Every aspect of life (school readiness, school successfulness, academic
achievement)
Development of EF in childhood
o Inhibition develops first, levels off around age 8
o Working memory becomes more complex (being able to store 3 items
to 6-8 items at a time) – levels off around age 15
o Shifting also becomes more complex as age goes up (better around
age 7, even better around age 9) – levels off around age 15
o Planning development develops on the previous three EFs, also
become more complex around age 8-9
Frontal cortex is the last to develop, which can affect EF development
(4) Tools of a school neuropsychologist
Test batteries
Educational interventions
Neuropsychological interventions
Training of parents and teachers
Tasks include:
o Assessment and interpretation with known/suspected disorders
o Assist interpretation from outside consultants
o Integrate research into educational practice
o Provide interventions that have a basis in literature
o Act as a liaison school and the medical community for transitional
planning for TBI and other
o Consult curriculum specialists in designing approaches to instruction
that more adequately reflects what is known about brain-behavior
relationships.
o Conduct in-service training for educators and parents about the
neuropsychological factors that relate to common childhood
disorders.
o Engage in evidenced-based research to test for the efficacy of
neuropsychologically-based interventions
(5) Theoretical model
Integrated CHC/SNP model
o CHC – Cattel-Horn-Carroll
, o SNP – school neuropsychology
o Developed my Miller and later by Maricle
Uses CHC as a basis: “a periodic system of
human cognitive abilities”
Integrates CHC functions into a practical
model
Uses four major classifications of CHC
functions
o Basic sensorimotor functions
o Facilitators and inhibitors
o Basic cognitive processes
o Acquired knowledge
Summary
Young and promising discipline
Specialization within School Psychology
Supporting children with special needs
Cognitive differences
Practical model available: integrated CHC-SNP model
School neuropsychologist works at the intersection of disciplines
School neuropsychologist knows how to interpret, use and translate brain research
Flashlight metaphor of attention
The movement = shifting attention
The battery = sustained attention
The spotlight/zoom lens = selective/focused attention
N-back task
Measures attention
Requires the working memory model to
complete
This is the model of creating long-term
memories
Atkinson and Shiffrin
Lecture 1 – introduction
The clinical field of school neuropsychology
Clinical discipline in educational settings
o Subdiscipline of school psychology
Integrated neuropsychological and educational principles into the assessment of,
and development of interventions for children
Provides and optimal learning environment for every child, including children with
special needs and facilitates learning and behaviour within the school and family
system
Embedded in the transdisciplinary science of mind, brain and education
Essentials of the field
(1) An emerging discipline (60 years)
History of school neuropsychology
o 1960s – first test battery for children
o 1980s – explosive interest in biological explanations of learning and
behaviour
o 1990s – ‘decade of the brain’
o 2000s more valid assessment methods in children and formalization
of inclusive education
o Present – emerging specialty area and a lot of unclarities/ neuromyths
Changes in education
o 19th century
Abacus
Frontal teaching
Behaviourist approach: listen and behave
Punishment
One size fits all
th
o 20 century
Tablets
Differentiated teaching/ group work
Constructivist approach: learning is regulated by
developmental stages (cognitive, social, physical)
Reward, social safety
Inclusive education
(2) 1 in 4 children have special needs (red most common)
26% of Dutch mainstream students have special needs
o Externalising problem behaviour
o Internalising problem behaviour
o Problematic attitudes to work
o Physical disabilities
o Speech, language, and numeracy disorders
o Being gifted
o Intellectual impairment
o Autism spectrum disorder
, o Being behind in literacy/reading and/or numeracy
(3) The role of cognitive differences
Strong focus on executive functions
“constellations of higher order cognitive processes that enable reasoning,
problem-solving, planning, and cognitive organisation”
Well researched functions include:
o Working memory
o Response inhibition
o Cognitive flexibility
o Planning/ problem-solving
EFs relate to:
o Childhood disorders (ADHD, ASD, Tourette, dyslexia/ dyscalculia, etc)
o Every aspect of life (school readiness, school successfulness, academic
achievement)
Development of EF in childhood
o Inhibition develops first, levels off around age 8
o Working memory becomes more complex (being able to store 3 items
to 6-8 items at a time) – levels off around age 15
o Shifting also becomes more complex as age goes up (better around
age 7, even better around age 9) – levels off around age 15
o Planning development develops on the previous three EFs, also
become more complex around age 8-9
Frontal cortex is the last to develop, which can affect EF development
(4) Tools of a school neuropsychologist
Test batteries
Educational interventions
Neuropsychological interventions
Training of parents and teachers
Tasks include:
o Assessment and interpretation with known/suspected disorders
o Assist interpretation from outside consultants
o Integrate research into educational practice
o Provide interventions that have a basis in literature
o Act as a liaison school and the medical community for transitional
planning for TBI and other
o Consult curriculum specialists in designing approaches to instruction
that more adequately reflects what is known about brain-behavior
relationships.
o Conduct in-service training for educators and parents about the
neuropsychological factors that relate to common childhood
disorders.
o Engage in evidenced-based research to test for the efficacy of
neuropsychologically-based interventions
(5) Theoretical model
Integrated CHC/SNP model
o CHC – Cattel-Horn-Carroll
, o SNP – school neuropsychology
o Developed my Miller and later by Maricle
Uses CHC as a basis: “a periodic system of
human cognitive abilities”
Integrates CHC functions into a practical
model
Uses four major classifications of CHC
functions
o Basic sensorimotor functions
o Facilitators and inhibitors
o Basic cognitive processes
o Acquired knowledge
Summary
Young and promising discipline
Specialization within School Psychology
Supporting children with special needs
Cognitive differences
Practical model available: integrated CHC-SNP model
School neuropsychologist works at the intersection of disciplines
School neuropsychologist knows how to interpret, use and translate brain research
Flashlight metaphor of attention
The movement = shifting attention
The battery = sustained attention
The spotlight/zoom lens = selective/focused attention
N-back task
Measures attention
Requires the working memory model to
complete
This is the model of creating long-term
memories
Atkinson and Shiffrin
