Despite a proliferation of special education literature on racial minorities over the past three decades, research and writing on Arab American children with disabilities remain remarkably sparse. This book fills that gap by promoting culturally appropriate services for Arab American children with disabilities. Special education and service providers in the U.S.—including school psychologists, rehabilitation counselors, and social workers—are increasingly likely to work with Arab Americans with disabilities. By focusing on this marginalized minority population, Al Khatib provides much-needed context and direction for service providers and researchers working with the Arab American community. Offering an overview of special education and the rights guaranteed under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), this book also helps Arab American families understand the special education process and advocate for their children.

Within the field of school psychology there exists literature for school psychologists working with specific ethnic and linguistic groups (Frisby & Reynolds, 2005; Tomes, 2011). The Arab American population is estimated to be 3.6 million (Arab American Institute, 2012). However, there is a paucity of school psychology research on Arab American students and families (Goforth, 2011; Haboush, 2007). As active members of the special education process, school psychologists will benefit from information regarding Arab American cultural and religious beliefs about special education and disabilities. Such information will assist them in providing culturally sensitive and appropriate services to students and families. This study utilized a phenomenological qualitative approach to illuminate Arab Americans parents' experiences with their children's encounters with the special education process and perceptions of their children's disabilities. Phenomenological data analysis revealed four core themes. First, parents attached significance to specific steps within the special education process and to cultural stigmas around special education and disabilities. Next, parents reflected on special education services and key relationships. Additionally, parents discussed their children's abilities, their understandings of special education, and their advocacy work. Finally, parents reported that their goals for their children had not changed as a result of the special education process, although the goals were tailored to their children's identified disabilities. These findings have significant implications for professionals working with Arab American students and their parents. Recommendations are made for culturally sensitive school psychology practice with Arab Americans. Suggestions are provided for further research on this important yet under-researched topic.

With contributions from leading school psychology practitioners, this encyclopedia provides a one-of-a-kind guide to cross-cultural school psychology. Some 400 entries explore concepts, themes, and the latest research findings to answer your questions in all aspects of the field. Moreover, the encyclopedia offers support at all levels of primary and secondary education, from pre-K to 12th grade. Each entry offers a description of a particular term, a bibliography, and additional readings. The editor is widely known for her bi-weekly Spanish-language columns and her appearances on television and radio as a cross-cultural expert.

This book introduces an interdisciplinary lens by bringing together vital research on culture, psychosocial development, and key aspects of health and disease to address a wide range of salient concerns. Its scholarship mirrors the diversity of the Arab American population, exploring ethnic concepts in socio-historical and political contexts before reviewing findings on major health issues, including diabetes, cancer, substance abuse, mental illness, and maternal/child health. And by including policy and program strategies for disease prevention, health promotion, and environmental health, the book offers practitioners--and their clients--opportunities for proactive care. Featured in the coverage: Family, gender and social identity issues Arab Americans and the aging process Acculturation and ethnic identity across the lifespan Arab refugees: Trauma, resilience, and recovery Cancer: Crossroads of ethnicity and environment Health and well-being: Biopsychosocial prevention approaches Arab American health disparities: A call for advocacy Rich in cultural information and clinical insights, Biopsychosocial Perspectives on Arab Americans is an important reference that can enhance health practices across the disciplines of medicine, nursing, rehabilitation, social work, counseling, and psychology.

The Handbook of Arab American Psychology is the first major publication to comprehensively discuss the Arab American ethnic group from a lens that is primarily psychological. This edited book contains a comprehensive review of the cutting-edge research related to Arab Americans and offers a critical analysis regarding the methodologies and applications of the scholarly literature. It is a landmark text for both multicultural psychology as well as for Arab American scholarship. Considering the post 9/11 socio-political context in which Arab Americans are under ongoing scrutiny and attention, as well as numerous misunderstandings and biases against this group, this text is timely and essential. Chapters in the Handbook of Arab American Psychology highlight the most substantial areas of psychological research with this population, relevant to diverse sub-disciplines including cultural, social, developmental, counseling/clinical, health, and community psychologies. Chapters also include content that intersect with related fields such as sociology, American studies, cultural/ethnic studies, social work, and public health. The chapters are written by distinguished scholars who merge their expertise with a review of the empirical data in order to provide the most updated presentation of scholarship about this population. The Handbook of Arab American Psychology offers a noteworthy contribution to the field of multicultural psychology and joins references on other racial/ethnic minority groups, including Handbook of African American Psychology, Handbook of Asian American Psychology, Handbook of U.S. Latino Psychology, and The Handbook of Chicana/o Psychology and Mental Health.

The biopsychosocial study of Arab Americans yields compelling insights into innovative theoretical and applied initiatives. In the context of a growing population of Arab Americans, coupled with the current tenure of xenophobia and exposed structural racism in the US, clinical and community practitioners must be attuned to their clients of Arab ancestry, whose experiences, development, and health concerns are distinctly different than that of their White counterparts. This second edition, with its uniquely interwoven sections of culture, psychosocial development, and health and disease, provides a rich overview of timely, critical topics. The audience for the text includes counselors, social workers, psychologists, nurses, psychiatrists, sociologists, and any other public and mental health practitioners, researchers, and policy makers who work with and on behalf of clients and patients of Arab descent. The authors represent a team of leading experts spanning disciplines of sociology, clinical mental health, and community public health. "This edition draws on leading experts in Arab American health and sociology who document the complexity of this population's immigration and acculturation experience. It offers critical and current research that speaks to the centrality of context and diversity in treating Americans of Arab descent. Contributors explore the complex and limited racial framework within which Arabs in the U.S. form their identities, and the impact of structural racism on their lives and health. This collection offers practitioners much needed insights on a population often hidden or rendered invisible by data limitations, and yet misrepresented by cultural stereotypes." Helen Hatab Samhan, Former Executive Director, Arab American Institute/Foundation. "Nassar, Ajrouch, Hakim-Larson, and Dallo’s breakthrough work in the area of culturally competent health care has been inspiring across interdisciplinary fields and to the communities they serve. Their work on Arab American health issues, in particular, has greatly improved clinical practice at the community and national levels. I heartily recommend taking the time to become familiar with their important body of work and this latest text." Ismael Ahmed, Former Michigan State Director of Health and Human Services.