Psychoeducational Adjustment of English-Speaking Caribbean and Central American Immigrant Children in the United States

Abstract:

This study is an overview of the existing literature on the psychoeducational adjustment of immigrant children from English-speaking countries in the Caribbean and Central America. Issues of education, language differences, sociocultural adjustment, and in the case of Central America immigrant children, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) are addressed by providing a deeper understanding of the literature and guided by the experience of the author. The role of the school psychologist as an advocate in the school system for the immigrant student and the family is discussed.

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Tania N. Thomas

Tania N. Thomas, PhD, received her doctorate from Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York in 1989. She is currently an adjunct professor of psychology at Florida State University, Panama Canal Branch and Panama Canal College, Republic of Panama. Her research interests include crosscultural issues in assessment, immigrant issues with children and adults, post-traumatic stress disorder in children, and cultural differences in the use of alcohol. She has worked extensively with immigrant children from Central America and the Caribbean.