Problems in the Delivery of the School Based Psycho-Educational Services to the Asian Immigrant Children

Despite the many and varied psycho-educational needs of Asian immigrant children in public schools, these children seldom come to the attention of the school based support team (SBST) for its psychological, educational, and/or social work intervention. Problems existing in the delivery of these services to Asian immigrant children are examined in the context of: 1) referral inhibiting characteristics of the children; 2) stereotype-inspired expectations of the teachers; and 3) referral discouraging educational policies. Invisibility of the children, expectations of passivity by the teachers, inadequate educational policies, and limited availability of qualified bilingual and bicultural staff are discussed. Recommendations are made to improve current situations plagued with problems.