Testing an Organizational Implementation Process Model Related to Teachers' Implementation-Related Attitudes and Behaviors: a Multilevel Mediation Analysis.

The effectiveness of school-based universal prevention programs is frequently diminished due to low-quality implementation. Organizational factors support high-quality implementation because of their broad influence across implementers. Conceptually, implementation leadership (i.e., behaviors that prioritize, reward, and support evidence-based practice [EBP] implementation) works to embed a favorable implementation climate (i.e., implementers' collective perceptions that their organization prioritizes, rewards, and support EBP implementation) leading to improved implementation citizenship behavior and attitudes toward EBP. This organizational implementation process model has some empirical support but has not been tested in a multilevel framework or related to hypothesized attitudinal and behavioral outcomes. The sample included 319 teachers across 39 US public elementary schools; all were implementing Schoolwide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports. Multilevel mediation (level 1 = teacher, level 2 = school) was used to test the indirect association of implementation leadership on implementation-related attitudes and behaviors via implementation climate across two time points (fall and spring). At the school level, the organizational implementation process model was validated related to implementation citizenship behavior, but not attitudes toward EBP. At the teacher level, the process model was validated related to both outcomes, and there was a significant direct effect of implementation leadership on attitudes toward EBP. Developing strong leaders for implementation seems key to achieving high-quality EBP implementation. Implications for schools, principal training, and research are discussed.

The Interaction Between General and Strategic Leadership and Climate on Their Multilevel Associations with Implementer Attitudes Toward Universal Prevention Programs for Youth Mental Health: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Emerging literature has highlighted the importance of discerning general and strategic organizational context (OC) factors (e.g., leadership and climate) and their interaction effect on individual implementation behaviors (e.g., attitudes toward evidence-based practices; EBPs) in youth mental healthcare. This study aimed to examine how leadership and climate (general and strategic) are associated with implementer attitudes toward EBPs across the individual and organizational levels and their interaction effect in schools. A series of multilevel models (MLMs) were fitted on a diverse sample of schools actively implementing universal prevention programs for youth mental health (441 implementers from 52 schools). The organization-level aggregates and individual educators' perceptions of general and strategic leadership and climate, and their interaction terms, were entered as level-2 and level-1 predictors of four attitudinal dimensions (Requirement, Openness, Appeal, and Divergence) based on their level of measurement. At the organizational level, higher levels of strategic leadership and climate, but not their general counterparts, were consistently associated with more favorable attitudes in all four dimensions. At the individual/within-school level, higher levels of perceived general and strategic leadership and climate were associated with more favorable attitudes of Requirement and Openness. At the organizational/between-school level, general climate moderated the positive effect of strategic climate on implementers' perception of appeal and divergence of EBPs. Our findings indicate that leaders should make data-based decisions to allocate resources on strategic and/or general leadership and climate to foster favorable staff attitudes toward EBPs based on the level of measurement, implementation-specificity, and attitudinal dimensions.

Using Novel Implementation Tools for Evidence-based Intervention Delivery (UNITED) across public service systems for three evidence-based autism interventions in under-resourced communities: study protocol.

BACKGROUND: There are a growing number of evidence-based interventions (EBIs) for autistic individuals, but few are successfully implemented with fidelity in under-resourced communities and with families from traditionally disenfranchised groups. Implementation science offers tools to increase EBI use in communities, but most implementation strategies are designed specific to a single EBI. It is not feasible to develop a new implementation strategy each time a new EBI is introduced in the community. Therefore, to test the effectiveness and generalizability of implementation strategies we are developing and testing a multifaceted implementation strategy with three EBIs concurrently. The goal of this protocol paper is to describe the randomized field trial of an implementation strategy for use across autism EBIs, diverse settings and participants, with the goal of increasing rapid uptake of effective practices to reach our most vulnerable children. METHODS: We developed a multifaceted implementation strategy called Using Novel Implementation Tools for Evidence-based intervention Delivery (UNITED) to facilitate the implementation and sustainment of three EBIs in under-resourced settings. We will compare fidelity to, and effectiveness of, each intervention [Mind the Gap (MTG), Remaking Recess (RR), Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction (SDLMI)] with and without UNITED in a randomized field trial. Randomization will be stratified using a minimization allocation method. We will train community practitioners using remote delivery of modules specific to the intervention, and active coaching via Zoom for at least 6 sessions and up to 12 as dictated by each EBI. Our primary outcome is fidelity to each EBI, and our secondary outcome is at the child or family level (family empowerment for MTG, child peer social engagement for RR, and adolescent self-determination for SDLMI, respectively). We will measure progress through the implementation phases using the Stages of Implementation Completion and cost-effectiveness of UNITED. DISCUSSION: The results of this study will provide rigorous data on the effectiveness and generalizability of one relatively light-touch implementation strategy in increasing use of autism EBIs and associated outcomes in diverse under resourced public service settings for underrepresented autistic youth. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Mind the Gap: Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier:  NCT04972825 (Date registered July 22, 2021); Remaking Recess: Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier:  NCT04972838 (Date registered July 22, 2021); Self-Determined Learning Model of Instruction: Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier:  NCT04972851 (Date registered July 22, 2021).

School-Implemented Interventions for Preschool to High School Students with Autism: An Update on Recent Research.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The purpose of this review is to provide an update on the recent research (2016-2021) that evaluates the effectiveness of school-implemented interventions for students with autism (3-21 years old) from preschool to high school. RECENT FINDINGS: Overall, the recent literature demonstrated that there are EBPs that help students with autism acquire a variety of skills across domains (academic, social communication). Though many educators and peers were able to achieve high-fidelity implementation, there remains variable fidelity of intervention use in some studies. Though there is some evidence that educators and peers can successfully implement interventions, there are additional focal areas that are missing from the literature that are needed in schools (e.g., mental health, vocational). Future research should leverage implementation science approaches to support the use of proven efficacious interventions in schools.

Adapting a Compilation of Implementation Strategies to Advance School-Based Implementation Research and Practice.

Schools, like other service sectors, are confronted with an implementation gap, with the slow adoption and uneven implementation of evidence-based practices (EBP) as part of routine service delivery, undermining efforts to promote better youth behavioral health outcomes. Implementation researchers have undertaken systematic efforts to publish taxonomies of implementation strategies (i.e., methods or techniques that are used to facilitate the uptake, use, and sustainment of EBP), such as the Expert Recommendations for Implementing Change (ERIC) Project. The 73-strategy ERIC compilation was developed in the context of healthcare and largely informed by research and practice experts who operate in that service sector. Thus, the comprehensibility, contextual appropriateness, and utility of the existing compilation to other service sectors, such as the educational setting, remain unknown. The purpose of this study was to initiate the School Implementation Strategies, Translating ERIC Resources (SISTER) Project to iteratively adapt the ERIC compilation to the educational sector. The results of a seven-step adaptation process resulted in 75 school-adapted strategies. Surface-level changes were made to the majority of the original ERIC strategies (52 out of 73), while five of the strategies required deeper modifications for adaptation to the school context. Six strategies were deleted and seven new strategies were added based on existing school-based research. The implications of this study's findings for prevention scientists engaged in implementation research (e.g., creating a common nomenclature for implementation strategies) and limitations are discussed.

Discrepancies and Agreement in Perceptions of Implementation Leadership: Associations with Dosage of School-Based Evidence-Based Practices for Children with Autism.

Studies demonstrate that discrepancies among leader-follower perceptions of leadership are related to organizational processes that may impact evidence-based practice (EBP) implementation. However, it is unknown whether discrepancies in leadership perceptions also predict EBP use. This study examined the association of principal-staff alignment and discrepancy in perceptions of implementation leadership with the dosage of three Autism-focused school-based EBPs, Discrete Trial Training, Pivotal Response Training (PRT), and Visual Schedules. PRT dosage was higher when principals under-rated their implementation leadership and when it was agreed upon that implementation leadership was low. Findings have implications for leaders support of EBPs implemented in school-based settings.

Agreement and Discrepancy Between Supervisor and Clinician Alliance: Associations with Clinicians' Perceptions of Psychological Climate and Emotional Exhaustion.

Despite increasing interest in supervision as a leverage point for bolstering public mental health services, the potential influence of supervisory alliance on organizations and direct service providers remains understudied, particularly in the context of supporting evidence-based treatment (EBT) use. This study examined agreement and discrepancy between supervisor and clinician ratings of alliance associated with clinicians' perceptions of psychological climate and emotional exhaustion. Results indicated that discrepancies in alliance ratings were common and associated with clinicians' perceptions of psychological climate. These findings have important implications for collaboration among supervisors and clinicians within a community mental health organizational context and the provision of EBTs.

Characteristics of socially successful elementary school-aged children with autism.

BACKGROUND: The extant literature demonstrates that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have difficulty interacting and socially connecting with typically developing classmates. However, some children with ASD have social outcomes that are consistent with their typically developing counterparts. Little is known about this subgroup of children with ASD. This study examined the stable (unlikely to change) and malleable (changeable) characteristics of socially successful children with ASD. METHODS: This study used baseline data from three intervention studies performed in public schools in the Southwestern United States. A total of 148 elementary-aged children with ASD in 130 classrooms in 47 public schools participated. Measures of playground peer engagement and social network salience (inclusion in informal peer groups) were obtained. RESULTS: The results demonstrated that a number of malleable factors significantly predicted playground peer engagement (class size, autism symptom severity, peer connections) and social network salience (autism symptom severity, peer connections, received friendships). In addition, age was the only stable factor that significantly predicted social network salience. Interestingly, two malleable (i.e., peer connections and received friendships) and no stable factors (i.e., age, IQ, sex) predicted overall social success (e.g., high playground peer engagement and social network salience) in children with ASD. CONCLUSIONS: School-based interventions should address malleable factors such as the number of peer connections and received friendships that predict the best social outcomes for children with ASD.

All Together Now: Measuring Staff Cohesion in Special Education Classrooms.

This study sought to validate a new measure, the Classroom Cohesion Survey (CCS), designed to examine the relationship between teachers and classroom assistants in autism support classrooms. Teachers, classroom assistants, and external observers showed good inter-rater agreement on the CCS and good internal consistency for all scales. Simple factor structures were found for both teacher- and classroom assistant-rated scales, with one-factor solutions for both scales. Paired t tests revealed that on average, classroom assistants rated classroom cohesion stronger than teachers. The CCS may be an effective tool for measuring cohesion between classroom staff and may have an important impact on various clinical and implementation outcomes in school settings.

Applying the Cognitive Walkthrough for Implementation Strategies Methodology to Inform the Redesign of a Selection-Quality Implementation Toolkit for Use in Schools.

Background: Implementation strategies are key to enhancing translation of new innovations but there is a need to systematically design and tailor strategies to match the targeted implementation context and address determinants. There are increasing methods to inform the redesign and tailoring of implementation strategies to maximize their usability, feasibility, and appropriateness in new settings such as the Cognitive Walkthrough for Implementation Strategies (CWIS) approach. The aim of the current project is to apply the CWIS approach to inform the redesign of a multifaceted selection-quality implementation toolkit entitled ACT SMARTS for use in middle and high schools. Methods: We systematically applied CWIS as the second part of a community-partnered iterative redesign of ACT SMARTS for schools to evaluate the usability and inform further toolkit redesign areas. We conducted three CWIS user testing sessions with key end users of school district administrators, school principals, and educators. Results: Our CWIS application revealed that end users found ACT SMARTS acceptable and relevant but anticipate usability issues engaging in the ACT SMARTS process. Results informed the identification of eleven usability issues and corresponding redesign solutions to enhance the usability of ACT SMARTS for use in middle and high schools. Conclusions: Results indicated the utility of CWIS in assessing implementation strategy usability in service of informing strategy tailoring and redesign to improve alignment with user and setting needs. Recommendations regarding the use of this participatory approach are discussed.

Inter-organizational alignment and implementation outcomes in integrated mental healthcare for children and adolescents: a cross-sectional observational study.

BACKGROUND: Integrated care involves care provided by a team of professionals, often in non-traditional settings. A common example worldwide is integrated school-based mental health (SBMH), which involves externally employed clinicians providing care at schools. Integrated mental healthcare can improve the accessibility and efficiency of evidence-based practices (EBPs) for vulnerable populations suffering from fragmented traditional care. However, integration can complicate EBP implementation due to overlapping organizational contexts, diminishing the public health impact. Emerging literature suggests that EBP implementation may benefit from the similarities in the implementation context factors between the different organizations in integrated care, which we termed inter-organizational alignment (IOA). This study quantitatively explored whether and how IOA in general and implementation context factors are associated with implementation outcomes in integrated SBMH. METHODS: SBMH clinicians from community-based organizations (CBOs; nclinician = 27) and their proximal student-support school staff (nschool = 99) rated their schools and CBOs (clinician only) regarding general (organizational culture and molar climate) and implementation context factors (Implementation Climate and Leadership), and nine common implementation outcomes (e.g., treatment integrity, service access, acceptability). The levels of IOA were estimated by intra-class correlations (ICCs). We fitted multilevel models to estimate the standalone effects of context factors from CBOs and schools on implementation outcomes. We also estimated the 2-way interaction effects between CBO and school context factors (i.e., between-setting interdependence) on implementation outcomes. RESULTS: The IOA in general context factors exceeded those of implementation context factors. The standalone effects of implementation context factors on most implementation outcomes were larger than those of general context factors. Similarly, implementation context factors between CBOs and schools showed larger 2-way interaction effects on implementation outcomes than general context factors. CONCLUSIONS: This study preliminarily supported the importance of IOA in context factors for integrated SBMH. The findings shed light on how IOA in implementation and general context factors may be differentially associated with implementation outcomes across a broad array of integrated mental healthcare settings.

Short report: Examining race, ethnicity, sex, and gender among autistic youth and their educators who participated in school-based research.

LAY ABSTRACT: Schools are the main provider of behavioral health services in the United States (US). Conducting research in schools may help increase access for autistic youth, but there is limited research about who participates in school-based autism research. The researchers examined data spanning 14 years of participation in school-based autism research. All data were collected in the US. Researchers found that in this sample, more than half of the youth identified as racial/ethnic minoritized (REM) youth. However, demographics of sampled youth were significantly different than expected, based on publicly available school-based population demographics. More youth identified as White non-Hispanic than would be expected in those schools. Majority of the sampled educators also identified as White non-Hispanic. High percentages of autistic REM youth suggest school-based autism research may be an effective way of providing services to more diverse populations. However, sampled schools were also not representative of a US national sample, with sampled schools having fewer White non-Hispanic youth than would be expected from US national statistics. Complexity around representation of schools sampled and demographics of service environments suggests a need for more research.

Inter-Organizational Alignment and Implementation Outcomes in Integrated Mental Healthcare for Children and Adolescents: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study.

Background: Integrated care involves care provided by a team of professionals, often in non-traditional settings. A common example worldwide is integrated school-based mental health (SBMH), which involves externally employed clinicians providing care at schools. Integrated mental healthcare can improve the accessibility and efficiency of evidence-based practices (EBPs) for vulnerable populations suffering from fragmented traditional care. However, integration can complicate EBP implementation due to overlapping organizational contexts, diminishing the public health impact. Emerging literature suggests that EBP implementation may benefit from the similarities in the implementation context factors between the different organizations in integrated care, which we termed inter-organizational alignment (IOA). This study quantitatively explored whether and how IOAs in general and implementation context factors are associated with implementation outcomes in integrated SBMH. Methods: SBMH clinicians from community-based organizations (CBOs; nclinician=27) and their proximal student-support school staff (nschool=99) rated their schools and CBOs (clinician only) regarding general (organizational culture and molar climate) and implementation context factors (Implementation Climate and Leadership), and nine common implementation outcomes (e.g., treatment integrity, service access, acceptability). The levels of IOA were estimated by intra-class correlations (ICCs). We fitted multilevel models to estimate the standalone effects of context factors from CBOs and schools on implementation outcomes. We also estimated the 2-way interaction effects between CBO and school context factors (i.e., between-setting interdependence) on implementation outcomes. Results: The IOA in general context factors exceeded those of implementation context factors. The standalone effects of implementation context factors on most implementation outcomes were larger than those of general context factors. Similarly, implementation context factors between CBOs and schools showed larger 2-way interaction effects on implementation outcomes than general context factors. Conclusions: This study preliminarily supported the importance of IOA in context factors for integrated SBMH. The findings shed light on how IOA in implementation and general context factors may be differentially associated with implementation outcomes across a broad array of integrated mental healthcare settings.

The relationship between school mental health service use in high school and educational outcomes of adolescents with psychiatric disorders.

This study aimed to examine the relationship between school mental health service use in high school and educational outcomes of adolescents with psychiatric disorders. The sample included 2617 adolescents who were enrolled in eighth grade in a large urban school district in the United States, were enrolled in Medicaid during eighth grade, and had a mental health diagnosis. Psychiatric hospitalization, school enrollment, school absences, out-of-school suspensions, school dropouts, and school exits for negative reasons were examined as mental health and educational outcomes. Compared with adolescents who used school mental health services for 2 years following eighth grade, adolescents who did not use school mental health service during the high school years had a significantly lower annual number of days enrolled in school and higher rates of exiting school for negative reasons such as school dropout and long-term hospitalization. Our findings support the positive role of school mental health care delivery in high schools in preventing negative educational outcomes for adolescents with psychiatric disorder.

In an Imperfect World: Barriers and Facilitators to Educators' Evidence-Based Practice Use for Elementary-Aged Autistic Students in Inclusive Settings.

Educators' use of evidence-based practices (EBP) provides positive outcomes for autistic students in multiple areas of learning (e.g., peer interactions and academic skills) and may promote access and participation in general educational settings. However, many teachers report limited use of EBPs for their autistic students, with inconsistent fidelity. This study sought to understand barriers and facilitators educators identify to implementing EBPs with autistic students in general education classrooms. To understand educators' perspectives and experiences, we conducted a qualitative study with 81 educators who serve elementary-aged autistic students in one state. In response to interview questions based on the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research framework, educators reported on multiple factors, including the general education environment, access to resources, training in EBPs, and professional collaboration. Implications for practice, training, and research are discussed. Specifically, we address educators' need for increased training and the availability of educator resources.

Helping Educational Leaders Mobilize Evidence (HELM): The iterative redesign of the Leadership and Organizational Change for Implementation (LOCI) intervention for use in schools.

Background: Few "intervention agnostic" strategies have been developed that can be applied to the broad array of evidence-based practices (EBPs) in schools. This paper describes two studies that reflect the initial iterative redesign phases of an effective leadership-focused implementation strategy-Leadership and Organizational Change for Implementation (LOCI)-to ensure its acceptability, feasibility, contextual appropriateness, and usability when used in elementary schools. Our redesigned strategy-Helping Educational Leaders Mobilize Evidence (HELM)-is designed to improve principals' use of strategic implementation leadership to support the adoption and high-fidelity delivery of a universal EBP to improve student outcomes. Method: In Study 1, focus groups were conducted (n = 6) with 54 district administrators, principals, and teachers. Stakeholders provided input on the appropriateness of original LOCI components to maximize relevance and utility in schools. Transcripts were coded using conventional content analysis. Key themes referencing low appropriateness were summarized to inform LOCI adaptations. We then held a National Expert Summit (Study 2) with 15 research and practice experts. Participants provided feedback via a nominal group process (NGP; n = 6 groups) and hackathon (n = 4 groups). The research team rated each NGP suggestion for how actionable, impactful/effective, and feasible it was. We also coded hackathon notes for novel ideas or alignment with LOCI components. Results: Study 1 suggestions included modifications to LOCI content and delivery. Study 2's NGP results revealed most recommendations to be actionable, impactful/effective, and feasible. Hackathon results surfaced two novel ideas (distributed leadership teams and leaders' knowledge to support educators EBP use) and several areas of alignment with LOCI components. Conclusion: Use of these iterative methods informed the redesign of LOCI and the development of HELM. Because it was collaboratively constructed, HELM has the potential to be an effective implementation strategy to support the use of universal EBP in schools.

Our research team designed a strategy (HELM) for school principals to improve the support they provide to staff to implement practices proven to work in research for improving student outcomes. We designed HELM by conducting focus groups with school district administrators, principals, and teachers. Participants were asked for their feedback on how to adapt an existing leadership strategy (LOCI) to the school context. After collecting this feedback, we held a meeting with 15 research and practice experts. During this meeting, the group of experts reviewed the focus group feedback and decided how to incorporate it into the design of the HELM strategy. We believe that collecting this feedback and involving research and practice experts in interpreting and integrating participant feedback into the HELM strategy will make HELM a more effective strategy for supporting school principals' in implementing supports in their schools.

Concordance of multiple informant assessment of school-based social skills intervention and association with child outcomes: Results from a randomized trial.

Background: Fidelity, or the degree to which an intervention is implemented as designed, is essential for effective implementation. There has been a growing emphasis on assessing fidelity of evidence-based practices for autistic children in schools. Fidelity measurement should be multidimensional and focus on core intervention components and assess their link with program outcomes. This study evaluated the relation between intervention fidelity ratings from multiple sources, tested the relation between fidelity ratings and child outcomes, and determined the relations between core intervention components and child outcomes in a study of an evidence-based psychosocial intervention designed to promote inclusion of autistic children at school, Remaking Recess. Method: This study extends from a larger randomized controlled trial examining the effect of implementation support on Remaking Recess fidelity and child outcomes. Schools were randomized to receive the intervention or the intervention plus implementation support. Observers, intervention coaches, and school personnel completed fidelity measures to rate completion and quality of intervention delivery. A measure of peer engagement served as the child outcome. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to determine concordance between raters. Two sets of hierarchical linear models were conducted using fidelity indices as predictors of peer engagement. Results: Coach- and self-rated completion and quality scores, observer- and self-rated quality scores, and observer- and coach-rated quality fidelity scores were significantly correlated. Higher observer-rated completion and quality fidelity scores were predictors of higher peer engagement scores. No single intervention component emerged as a significant predictor of peer engagement. Conclusions: This study demonstrates the importance of using a multidimensional approach for measuring fidelity, testing the link between fidelity and child outcomes, and examining how core intervention components may be associated with child outcomes. Future research should clarify how to improve multi-informant reports to provide "good enough" ratings of fidelity that provide meaningful information about outcomes in community settings. Plain Language Summary: Fidelity is defined as how closely an intervention is administered in the way the creators intended. Fidelity is important because it allows researchers to determine what exactly is leading to changes. In recent years, there has been an interest in examining fidelity of interventions for autistic children who receive services in school. This study looked at the relationship between fidelity ratings from multiple individuals, the relationship between fidelity and child outcomes, and the relationship between individual intervention component and child changes in a study of Remaking Recess, an intervention for autistic children at school. Schools were randomly selected to receive the intervention only or the intervention plus implementation support from the research team. Observers, intervention coaches, and individuals delivering the intervention themselves completed fidelity measures. Child engagement with peers was measured before and after the intervention. Several measures of self-, coach-, and observer-report fidelity were associated with each other. Higher observer-reported fidelity was associated with higher child peer engagement scores. No single intervention step was linked to child peer engagement and both treatment groups had similar outcomes in terms of fidelity. This study shows the importance of having multiple raters assess different parts of intervention fidelity, looking at the link between fidelity and child outcomes, and seeing how individual intervention steps may be related to outcomes. Future research should aim to find out which types of fidelity ratings are "good enough" to lead to positive changes following treatment so that those aspects can be used and targeted in the future.

Supporting Autistic College Students: Examining the Mentoring, Organization and Social Support for Autism Inclusion on Campus (MOSSAIC) Program.

Recent trends suggest that autistic young adults are increasingly accessing postsecondary education than in years past. However, these students often face unique challenges that negatively impact their college experience resulting in high dropout. The Mentoring, Organization and Social Support for Autism Inclusion on Campus (MOSSAIC) Program is a peer-mentorship college transition program intended to support autistic students with executive functioning, social, and self-advocacy skills. This study investigated the experiences of 13 autistic mentees and 12 non-autistic mentors enrolled in the MOSSAIC program. Program feedback was collected using semi-structured interviews in order to understand student experiences, highlight benefits, and identify areas of improvement. Participants reported a general positive experience and improved skills in the domains of socialization, executive functioning, academic performance, and professional development. The most common suggestion for the program was the inclusion of autistic peer mentors. Mentees noted difficulty relating with non-autistic peers and feeling burdened with the need to educate their mentor on how to support autistic adults. These data provide valuable insight into how colleges can better improve support for autistic college students to ensure postsecondary success. Future peer mentorship programs should consider recruiting neurodiverse mentors from diverse backgrounds to improve congruence between mentor and mentee identities.

The incremental association of implementation leadership and school personnel burnout beyond transformational leadership.

Successful implementation of school-wide interventions (i.e., delivered to all students by a wide array of school personnel) is key to promoting students' academic achievement and psychosocial development. Yet, the implementation of school-wide interventions is complex and can be psychologically taxing for implementing personnel. If evidence-based practice and program (EBP) implementation goes unsupported, implementation challenges might result in chronic stress among school personnel that leads to burnout. While generally effective leadership tends to decrease educator burnout, implementation-specific leadership may also decrease burnout through its strategic supports for EBP implementation. A series of linear regression and path models were used to examine the concurrent association between transformational (e.g., general) and implementation (e.g., strategic) leadership and burnout and its component parts (i.e., emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, personal accomplishment). In a sample of 338 school personnel, we found transformational and implementation leadership were each significantly associated with decreased burnout. However, transformational leadership was not significantly associated with any of the three burnout components, whereas implementation leadership was significantly associated with increased personal accomplishment. These results suggest both general and strategic forms of leadership are key supports for school personnel burnout and as such, leaders may benefit from training to improve each. Additional implications for schools and future directions to understand how best to support school personnel are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Educators' experiences and reflections on the implementation of evidence-based practices for autistic students in public schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic forced many schools to close their doors and transition to remote learning, disrupting how autistic students received school-based services and support. While school structure changes were challenging for all students, autistic students were uniquely affected, considering their reliance on predictability and routine; moreover, education settings are where most autistic children receive services. Much has been studied regarding the use of evidence-based practices (EBPs) for autistic students in traditional school settings, yet little is known about how educators use EBPs in remote learning environments in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: In this study, we explore educators' experiences with EBP implementation at the height of the pandemic and educators' reflections of its impact on autistic students and their school systems. Qualitative data were collected from 81 educators (general educators, special educators, and paraeducators) in semi-structured interviews regarding EBP use at the onset of the pandemic. Results: Four themes emerged from interviews: (1) pandemic and remote learning environment challenges to inclusion and EBP use; (2) EBP use adaptations for remote learning environments; (3) pandemic and remote learning environment benefits for EBP use; and (4) considerations for EBP use beyond the pandemic. Conclusion: These findings elucidate educators' experiences using EBPs during the COVID-19 pandemic and highlight important areas of consideration for autism-focused EBP implementation as remote instruction continues to be a learning format. More research is needed to understand how to best implement EBPs for autistic students in this emerging instruction context.

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many schools to shift to remote or hybrid learning, which impacted how autistic students received school-based services. School settings are where most autistic children receive support and accommodations. Evidence-based practices (EBPs) are strategies shown by high-quality research to support autistic children, and there are strong efforts to increase the use of EBPs in schools. While much is known about how autism-focused EBPs are used in traditional classroom settings, little is known about how these practices are used in remote learning environments. This paper explored educators' experiences using EBPs at the height of the pandemic and educators' reflections of its impact on autistic students and their school systems. Interviews with general educators, special educators, and paraeducators revealed important information. There were pandemic-specific and remote learning environment challenges to inclusion and EBP use. Many educators reported making adaptations to EBPs when instruction was pivoted to remote learning. While there were challenges to remote instruction, there were also pandemic- and remote learning environment-related benefits for EBP use. Educators also reflected on considerations for EBP use beyond the pandemic, including more educator training opportunities to support EBP use in remote settings. Considering the rise in remote and hybrid learning settings, future research should explore how to support educators, autistic students, and their caregivers in remote setting EBP use.