Mindfulness can mean anything that helps you slow down and show up for what’s happening in a moment. This video demonstrates how to notice all of the body’s senses on a nature walk. Once it’s familiar, the concept could be useful in any environment, including indoors. Get creative and if it’s developmentally appropriate, you can encourage children to make up their own journey through their senses.
Tag: mental health
Get Calm by Getting Organized
When overwhelm is happening, it’s hard to imagine that getting organized will help. But here’s why it’s worth it: When you feel satisfied that you’ve done something, your brain releases happiness chemicals and hormones. This video provides information about how that works and how families can tap into happy by getting organized and taking time each day to celebrate everyone’s accomplishments.
How to Navigate School for Youth with Mental Health Concerns
Staff from PAVE’s Parent Training and Information (PTI) program provided a workshop as part of the statewide virtual conference hosted by NAMI Washington October 16, 2021.
This recorded training provides a general overview of student rights in education. Some information is specific to students impacted by mental health conditions.
The formal content begins about four minutes into the video and ends at about 46 minutes.
Here are a few examples of topics addressed:
- Does my student have the right to be evaluated for special education if they refuse to go to school because of anxiety?
- What accommodations are reasonable to ask for?
- What services might be possible for my student who struggles with emotional regulation?
- Can counseling be a related service?
- Are there protections for a student because of suicidal thoughts or attempts?
- What support is available for a student with a disability condition who isn’t prepared for adulthood because high school got interrupted by the pandemic?
Additional information about mental health education and services at school, the overall layout of youth behavioral health in Washington State, and where to find family support is included in a PAVE article: Mental Health Education and Support at School can be Critical.
To seek education, training, and support from the National Alliance on Mental illness, look for a virtual training or information about a local affiliate near you, listed on the NAMI WA website.
One place to access behavioral health services for children and youth anywhere in Washington is through the Seattle Children’s Hospital Mental Health Referral Service: 833-303-5437, Monday-Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Families and young people can reach out for individualized assistance from PAVE’s Parent Training and Information (PTI) staff at PAVE. Click Get Help or call 800-572-7368.
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How to Cultivate Resilience like a Starfish
Starfish are masters at letting turmoil wash around them. They are also excellent models of resilience. This short video uses imagery from the sea and provides a strategy to get grounded, steady the breath, and cultivate four key aspects of resilience: purpose, connection, adaptability, and hope.
Become present and let thinking float away as you treat yourself to this opportunity to take a few minutes to care for yourself.
Breathe Mindfully and Give Your Favorite Stuffy a Ride
Even young children can become grounded and calm if breathing with intention is fun and accessible to them. This short video features two young models showing how they give their stuffed animals a ride while they breathe into and out of their tummies.
Have your child choose a comfortable place to lie down and place their stuffed animal on their tummy. Help them to notice what it’s like to breathe and watch the stuffy go up and down. Ask them what it feels like to notice their breathing and their stuffy taking a ride.
Our five-year-old model says, “I loved it and felt like I could fall asleep.”
Mindfulness and Self-Care for Families During COVID-19 and Beyond
Webinars offer Parent Training to Support Behavior during Continuous Learning
While school facilities are closed because of COVID-19, families impacted by disability face complex challenges. For some, children’s difficult behaviors are a regular concern. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), stress and anxiety in children and youth may show up through unexpected or maladaptive behaviors. Those behaviors might get worse because of fear, isolation, and disrupted lives.
Meanwhile, some of the help that used to be there is gone. At school, students may have gotten 1:1 support or direct instruction to encourage behavioral skill-building. Those aspects of a special education program might be difficult or impossible to provide during social distancing.
While students are learning from home, parents can request individualized support from the school to support behavioral expectations, if behaviors have educational impact. Parent training can be a related service in a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP). As always, family caregivers can request an IEP meeting to discuss options to support academic and behavioral goals and expectations.
If the student has a Behavioral Intervention Plan (BIP), that document might hold clues about strategies most likely to work. For more ideas about how to communicate with the school in reviewing a student’s program and perhaps also designing a temporary Continuous Learning Plan, parents can refer to PAVE’s article: IEP on Pause? How to Support Continuous Learning with School Buildings Closed.
To generally support caregivers in their various roles during COVID-19, Washington’s Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) offers a three-part webinar designed for families to help with behavior in continuous learning environments. The webinar has been recorded and uploaded to YouTube in sections, so families can access the content at their own pace.
The webinars are moderated by Lee Collyer, OSPI’s program supervisor for special education and student support. Collyer, a parent, describes his own challenges during the pandemic alongside ideas from research-based sources. Families are invited to send questions and comments to lee.collyer@k12.wa.us.
In various forums, Collyer has described his investment in fostering positive behavioral supports for students in order to reduce disciplinary actions. In a May 13, 2020, OSPI webinar about Mental Health and Safety, Collyer said, “My fear is that we’re going to try to discipline our way out of trauma.”
Following is a brief description of each segment of the three-part webinar series, with a link to each specific webinar. If you start with the first one, you will have the option to stay connected and flow through all three. Each segment is 20-25 minutes long, and the first one includes some background information about OSPI and Collyer’s role.
Supporting Positive Behavior in Continuous Learning Environments – Part One
Collyer begins the series by sharing OSPI’s official statements related to mission, vision and equity. He offers reassurance to parents that everyone is learning something brand new together, without time for proper training, and that “We should not let pressure from schools, teachers or school communities dictate what works for our family and what kind of learning we are prioritizing during this time.”
Collyer talks about the value of learning that is imbedded in everyday activities and part of family routines. He shares insights from psychiatrist Bruce Perry and psychologist Ross Greene, both widely regarded authors who apply their research to inform parents. Their names are linked here to practical articles about supporting positive behavior, and both are easily searchable to find additional materials.
The OSPI webinar includes signs of stress and anxiety to consider. Collyer recommends behavior solutions based on skill building: If children do not know how to do something (like behave), the answer is to teach, he points out, not punish. The segment ends by explaining how behavior serves a function and understanding that function is key to reducing escalations.
Supporting Positive Behavior in Continuous Learning Environments – Part Two
The second segment begins where the first leaves off, by discussing the functions of behavior and how to identify them and intervene early. Pre-teaching skills and reinforcing positive behaviors over negative ones in a 5:1 ratio is encouraged: For the best outcome, catch a child doing what is expected and provide encouragement five times more often than calling out an unexpected behavior.
The second segment also provides some specific strategies for home/school communications. Collyer describes the difference between a consequence and problem-solving and offers specific strategies for parent/child problem-solving.
Supporting Positive Behavior in Continuous Learning Environments – Part Three
The third segment begins with information about how a crisis might escalate and how reason and logic are compromised when fear and frustration highjack a person’s response system. Adults may need to consider their own escalation cycles and develop a personal plan for self-control to support children, Collyer says.
He describes how children might be uneven in their development of cognitive versus social-emotional skills and how that might create confusion about the best parenting strategy. How to set limits with considerations for trauma and ways to shift from negative to positive interventions are additional strategies provided in the final segment of this webinar series.
For additional resources from OSPI, visit the page for Special Education Guidance for COVID-19.
Stop and Settle with Five-Fingers Breath
Clear the Mind with a Beach Jar
Adolescent Health Care Act Provides Options for Families Seeking Mental Health and Substance Use Help for Young People Resistant to Treatment
A Brief Overview
- The Adolescent Behavioral Health Care Access Act, passed into law by the Washington Legislature in 2019, gives parents and providers more leverage in treating a young person who won’t or can’t independently seek medical help for mental illness and/or substance use disorder.
- The Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) in March 2020 launched several website links with information about the new law, which includes an option for Family Initiated Treatment (FIT).
- The Washington State Hospital Association on July 9, 2019, provided a slide presentation describing the law’s history and its primary features.
- A place to connect with other families concerned about adolescent mental healthcare access in Washington State is a group called Youth Behavioral Healthcare Advocates (YBHA-WA) on Facebook. Included on the page are handouts that summarize key aspects of the new law.
Full Article
Getting mental health help for a youth in crisis can be complicated, frustrating and frightening.
Mental Health America ranks states based on the incidence of mental illness and access to services. The agency’s 2020 rankings list Washington in the 43rd position, based on various measures that indicate a higher prevalence of mental illness and lower rates of access to care.
Often a barrier to treatment is the youth, who may not be able to see a problem or want to get professional help. Parents often struggle to navigate systems that must balance a young person’s autonomy with concern that they may not be able to make good decisions because of their development, specific illness circumstances or symptoms that impact the brain.
In Washington State, the age of medical consent is 13. That means that a person 13-17 years old can independently seek medical treatment, without the consent or knowledge of parents.
Age of consent laws also have meant that Washington youth could say no to mental health or substance use treatment, regardless of whether parents and providers agreed that such treatment was necessary to protect the safety and well-being of the adolescent.
A law passed by the Washington legislature in 2019 gives parents and providers more leverage when a young person is struggling with a mental illness or substance use disorder and won’t independently engage with treatment. The law does not limit an adolescent’s ability to initiate treatment on their own.
A January 8, 2020, article in Crosscut profiles several families impacted by the new law. “Until the new law,” the article states, “parents often were shut out of their teenager’s care and treatment plans and couldn’t push a teen toward necessary outpatient or inpatient care without their consent.”
The Adolescent Behavioral Health Care Access Act enables parents/caregivers to bring a child for inpatient or outpatient treatment without requiring consent from the child, ages 13-17. The law includes elements introduced by the state Senate and House of Representatives, which originally titled the bill as HB 1874.
Passage of the law was a win for the Children’s Mental Health Work Group, which studied and reviewed recommendations from a stakeholder advisory group authorized by the 2018 legislature. The final version of the law included input from family members, youth, clinicians, hospital staff and many others who met dozens of times. A June 13, 2019, slide presentation available online provides additional history and detail about the work group and its recommendations: Family Initiated Treatment and Engaging Families in Treatment of Youth. The webinar with sound is available on YouTube.
The 2020 legislature is considering amendments to the law, and the Children’s Mental Health Work Group continues to meet to consider proposals to clarify provisions that relate to residential treatment and referrals for Wraparound with Intensive Services (WISe).
“Parent” is broadly defined
The 2019 law expands the definition of parent to include a wide range of family caregivers, guardians and others who have authority to initiate treatment. The Revised Code of Washington (RCW 9A.72.085) provides standards for “subscribing to an unsworn statement” that can apply to a caregiver initiating treatment.
Note that parents retain the right to make medical decisions for children younger than 13, and adults 18 and older are responsible for medical decision-making if there is no guardianship.
A substantive change with the 2019 law is that providers may share mental health information with parents without an adolescent’s consent, if the provider determines that information sharing with family is in the best interests of the adolescent patient. A list of information-sharing guidelines is included below.
How Family-Initiated Treatment Works
If a parent/caregiver believes that an adolescent requires mental health or substance use disorder treatment, the adult can escort the young person to an inpatient or outpatient treatment facility even if the adolescent doesn’t readily agree to go.
A provider will assess the adolescent and consider information from the family to determine whether treatment is medically necessary. An adolescent’s refusal to engage with the provider cannot be the sole basis for refusing to treat.
An inpatient facility can detain the adolescent under Family-Initiated Treatment (FIT) if medically necessary. Note: another option could be detention under the Involuntary Treatment Act (ITA), if the adolescent is determined to be gravely disabled or at imminent risk of self-harm or harm to others.
If medical necessity is found by an outpatient provider, a counselor is limited to 12 sessions over 3 months to attempt to work with the adolescent. If the young person still refuses to engage with treatment, then the period of Family-Initiated Treatment with that provider ends.
State laws continue to encourage autonomy for young people, but family engagement is encouraged. According to the Revised Code of Washington (RCW 71.34.010):
“Mental health and chemical dependency professionals shall guard against needless hospitalization and deprivations of liberty, enable treatment decisions to be made in response to clinical needs in accordance with sound professional judgment, and encourage the use of voluntary services. Mental health and chemical dependency professionals shall, whenever clinically appropriate, offer less restrictive alternatives to inpatient treatment. Additionally, all mental health care and treatment providers shall assure that minors’ parents are given an opportunity to participate in the treatment decisions for their minor children.”
Guidance for Information Sharing
Federal law, 42 CFR Part 2, restricts information sharing related to substance use, and clinicians cannot share that information without a patient’s written consent, regardless of whether the substance use co-occurs with mental illness.
Providers have discretion in determining what information about mental health diagnoses and treatment is clinically appropriate to share with parents of an adolescent 13-17. A provider retains discretion in withholding information from family/caregivers to protect an adolescent’s well-being. In general, the Adolescent Behavioral Healthcare Access Act encourages sharing information to support collaboration between the clinical setting and home. Specifically, providers and families are encouraged to discuss:
- Diagnosis
- Treatment Plan and Progress
- Recommended medications, including risks, benefits, side effects, typical efficacy, dosages and schedule
- Education about the child’s mental health condition
- Referrals to community resources
- Coaching on parenting or behavioral management strategies
- Crisis prevention planning and safety planning
Information about state laws related to Behavioral Health Services for Minors is available through the Washington State Legislature website under RCW 71.34.
Information about child and youth behavioral health services in Washington State is available from the Health Care Authority (HCA).
Families and Youth Have a Voice on Mental Health Matters Through FYSPRT
A Brief Overview
- FYSPRT (pronounced fiss-burt) is a hard acronym to learn, but it’s worth the effort for families and young people who want to talk about improving mental healthcare systems.
- Here’s what FYSPRT means: Family members, Youth and System Partners (professionals) get together at a “Round Table” (meaning everyone has an equal voice) to talk about issues related to emotional distress, mental illness and/or substance-use disorder. All participants share ideas about what helps and what could make things better.
- The Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) provides a map of the 10 FYSPRT regions and includes contact information for local leaders and a schedule of where/when meetings are held.
- FYSPRT began after a class-action lawsuit against the state, TR v Dreyfus. The litigation resulted in development of the state’s out-patient mental-health services program for youth—Wraparound with Intensive Services (WISe).
- FYSPRT is a place where families provide feedback about WISe, but all community members are welcome—regardless of age or agency affiliation.
- Some regional FYSPRTs sponsor separate meetings and social events for youth.
Full Article
Parents and young people who struggle with emotional distress, mental illness and/or substance-use disorder can feel powerless to affect change in a complicated medical system. The Family, Youth and System Partner Round Table (FYSPRT) provides a meeting space for family members and professionals to talk about what’s working and what isn’t working in mental healthcare. The groups also provide informal networking and can provide ways for families to meet up and support one another under challenging circumstances.
The state sponsors 10 FYSPRT groups to serve every county: A list of the groups and which counties they serve is included at the end of this article. Each group reports to a statewide FYSPRT, which provides information to state government to influence policy. The Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) provides a map of the FYSPRT regions and includes contact information for local leaders and a schedule of where/when meetings are held.
FYSPRT began as part of a class-action lawsuit against the state, referred to as TR v Dreyfus. The litigation began in 2009, and settlements were mediated in 2012-13. The federal court found that Washington wasn’t providing adequate mental-health services to youth and required that the state start delivering intensive community-based mental-health treatment. The state responded by developing the Wraparound with Intensive Services (WISe) program for youth under 21 who are eligible for Medicaid. WISe teams provide a wide range of therapies and supports with a goal to keep the young person out of the hospital, which costs more and can be traumatizing.
Young people under 18 who need residential care are referred to the Children’s Long-Term Inpatient program: PAVE’s website provides an article about CLIP.
To provide accountability for the delivery of WISe services, the state created FYSPRT as a forum for families to provide feedback about how the program is working. The mission is to provide an equal platform for everyone within the community to strengthen resources and create new approaches to address behavioral needs of children and youth.
FYSPRT provides a space where youth impacted by behavioral health issues and their family members can share ideas about what works well and what would work better. The FYSPRT model is based on the belief that everyone’s unique perspective is equally important, and everyone is invited. For many parents and youth, FYSPRT becomes a place to bond and connect to support one another. Some regional FYSPRTs include separate meetings for youth, and those groups can become a key social outlet.
FYSPRT meetings are open to all interested community members. Each community has unique participants depending on what agencies work in the cities and towns within the region.
Staff who serve families through WISe are key participants. Other attendees are case managers from the state’s Medicaid-provider agencies, behavioral health counselors, foster-care workers, staff of homeless programs and staff and volunteers from affiliates of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Other participants are leaders of support groups for youth in recovery or working with issues related to gender identity or sexuality. PAVE staff are regular attendees in many regions, and PAVE manages the Salish FYSPRT program.
Every area of the state of Washington has its own FYSPRT, overseen by the Health Care Authority. Each of the ten FYSPRT regions is comprised of a single county or up to eight adjoining counties. In order to create greater participation from the general public, transportation and childcare stipends are available for families and youth in most areas. Some groups provide free meals for everyone and/or gift card incentives for the families and young people who attend.
Here are links to each regional FYSPRT’s website and a list of the counties each represents:
Great Rivers Regional FYSPRT – Cowlitz, Grays Harbor, Lewis, Pacific
HI-FYVE – Pierce
King County’s Family Youth Council – King
North Central Washington FYSPRT – Chelan, Douglas, Grant, Okanogan
North Sound Youth and Family Coalition – Island, San Juan, Snohomish, Skagit, Whatcom
Northeast FYSPRT – Adams, Ferry, Lincoln, Pend Oreille, Spokane, Stevens
Salish FYSPRT – Clallam, Jefferson, Kitsap
Southeast FYSPRT – Asotin, Benton, Columbia, Franklin, Garfield, Kittitas, Whitman, Yakima
Southwest FYSPRT – Clark, Klickitat, Skamania
System of Care Partnership – Mason, Thurston
Developmental Screening (Birth to Three and Medically needed developmental screening)
What is Developmental Screening?
Developmental screening is the practice of systematically looking for and monitoring signs that a young child may be delayed in one or more areas of development. Screening is not meant to establish a diagnosis for the child, but rather to help professionals and families determine whether more in-depth assessment is the next step. By using a high-quality screening tool, professionals can screen children for delays accurately and cost-effectively.
Think about your child’s first months. The medical professionals set up regular “Well-child” appointments just to monitor how your child is doing. These “Well-child” visits allow doctors and nurses to have regular contact with children to keep track of the child’s health and development through periodic developmental screening. Developmental screening is a simple process that can have both informal and formal assessments. When using a tool that is more formal in nature, the short test can tell if a child is learning basic skills when he or she should, or if there are delays. Developmental screening can be done by other professionals in health care, community, or school settings.
We have heard many times over the years that a child’s greatest window for development is in the first five years of life. Eighty-five percent of the brain’s development occurs before age three, making the first years of life critical to a child’s future success. The research shows that early intervention greatly improves a child’s developmental and social skills. Early intervention services help children from birth through 3 years of ages. Services usually include the support of an early educator who works with the family, as well as therapy (if identified as a need) to help the child talk, walk, and interact with others.
It’s not uncommon for parents to become concerned when their little one doesn’t seem to be developing within the normal schedule of “baby” milestones. You may worry that he hasn’t rolled over yet, or that he isn’t doing what the neighbor’s child, who is about the same age is doing. There may be concerns about your baby sitting up or beginning to verbalize words and sounds.
While it’s true that children develop differently, at their own pace, and that the range of what’s “normal” development is quite broad, it’s hard not to worry and wonder. If you think that your child is not developing at the same pace or in the same way as most children his or her age, it is often a good idea to talk to your child’s pediatrician. Explain your concerns. Tell the doctor what you have observed with your child. The doctor or other professionals might ask you some questions they may also talk and play with your child to see how he or she plays, learns, speaks, behaves, and moves. A delay in any of these areas could be a sign of a problem.
You can also get in touch with your community’s lead agency for birth-to-three services, and ask for an evaluation to see if there are possible delays. Based on referrals from the Doctor and the evaluation provided by the early intervention team, your child may be eligible for early intervention services, which will be developed with you and will address your child’s special needs.
Screening is a simple process that can identify infants and young children who may be at risk for health, developmental, or social/emotional problems. It identifies children who may need a health assessment, diagnostic assessment, or educational evaluation. “Screening” means using a standardized instrument. This could include a parent questionnaire, observational process, or other form of measurement that has been validated by research to learn more about the child’s development. Using a standardized instrument is much more effective for identifying real concerns or delays than just using professional judgment or informal questions about the child’s development.
The screening process provides an opportunity for young children and their families to access a wide variety of services and early childhood programs. It also supports the parents’ understanding of their child’s health, development, and learning.
The developmental screening and evaluations can lead to the involvement of a Family Resource Coordinator who will walk with the family through those first three years. They do a family needs assessment, if the family wishes to have one done. This helps identify areas the needs and priorities of the child’s family. Family-directed services are meant to help family members understand the special needs of their child and how to enhance the child’s development.
The need to provide early intervention is significant. Many children with developmental delays are not being identified as early as possible. This can result in these children waiting to get the help they need to do well in social and educational settings until they are in a school or pre-school setting. Research has shown that in nearly one in six Washington kids has a developmental delay, but only 30% of these children are identified before starting kindergarten, when early support services are most effective. Additionally, research has also identified that in the United States, about 13% of children 3 to 17 years of age have developmental or behavioral disabilities. These can include autism, intellectual disabilities, and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Additionally, there are children who have delays in language, social skills, or other areas that affect school readiness. This same research found that many children with developmental disabilities weren’t identified before age 10. These types of delays have significant implications since by that age there are significant delays that might have been addressed earlier and provided opportunities for services and support that was missed.
Because of the rapid growth in a child’s first three years of life, early support and monitoring of child development is essential for these children to reach their full academic potential as well as social and personal success. In all cases, kids will experience greater success academically, socially, and personally if delays are caught early and kids and families get the support they need. Free developmental screening using the Ages and Stages Questionnaire-3 screening tool is one of the best ways to get more awareness of what can help your child. In addition to the Ages and Stages survey a terrific tool and support network has been established called “Within Reach”. The “WithinReach” website is committed to supporting optimal child development of all Washington families. Through the “WithinReach” Family Health Hotlineand Child Development program, families can access free developmental screening, connections to early learning and family support and referrals to early intervention for developmental delays.
If you would like a free developmental screening for your child or have concerns about your child’s development, it is as easy as calling their Family Health Hotline (800) 322-2588 or visiting their website at www.ParentHelp123.org.
Remember that as important as Developmental screening is as a part of early intervention, can go also be important in assuring that the needs of children of older ages also find success and resources. Developmental screening for older youth can include areas of the individual’s development in mental health, social and emotional needs, and communication needs, just to name a few. Developmental screening will help assure that the needs of the individual whether an infant or an older child, can be met, and how those needs can be met. As parents and family members we have a responsibility to help our children thrive and developmental screening can help us know which path to follow to make that happen.
Resources for this article:
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/screening.html
http://www.parentcenterhub.org/repository/ei-overview/
http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/cfh/topic/devscreening/screening.cfm
http://agesandstages.com/research-results/why-screening-matters/developmental-screening/
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/index.htm
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/actearly/pdf/parents_pdfs/intellectualdisability.pdf
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/index.htm
http://www.withinreachwa.org/what-we-do/healthy-families/child-development/
http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/childdevelopment/screening.html#references
What is a Medical Home?
A medical home is a partnership between you and your child’s doctor that makes sure your child is getting the best possible care.
It is not an actual place or building you can go to. The word home means that you have a “home base” for your child’s health care needs. The medical home concept has been growing more and more in the last few years and creates a coordination “team” around the medical needs of your child.
The place where you usually take your child for health care can be your child’s medical home. Medical homes don’t happen right away and don’t always look the same. No matter who provides coordination a medical home provides support for your child and help for you as the parent or guardian in the coordination of care. If you would like to work on creating a medical home for your child often the first place to start is with your child’s primary care physician to see if they are familiar with how to coordinate care around your child. Some families have medical homes built through a specialist’s office, some a primary care pediatrician, and others who are on Medicaid can have that coordination through a managed care patient care specialist.
When choosing a provider to help you create a medical home here are some tips to consider:
- Their willingness to negotiate and respect your input and decisions
- That your child’s best interest is at the heart of their care and that the family’s dynamics are taken into consideration when a care plan is put into place
- Your provider has at least some experience with your child’s condition. The relationship of the provider with your child is the most important element.
- Open communication so that you and your doctor can make decisions together and that you are recognized as the expert on your own child’s care
It is important that the provider you consider also work well with the other members of your child’s care team and that they are willing to communicate and share information. You and your child’s providers should make decisions together calmly and information should be shared with all members of the team. A willingness to work with supports inside and outside the medical profession is also something to think about. A physician that is willing to work with a school and advocate for the child’s needs in a school environment goes a long way in setting up a strong IEP or 504 education plan.
When working with a provider understand that respect is a two-way street. Working with complex needs can be frustrating and scary and just because someone is a physician doesn’t mean they have all the answers. Asking questions and letting your provider know that you don’t understand their decision or don’t agree with their decision can be done respectfully and can help to build a strong line of communication if it is done with respect. You are the driver of your team so it helps to come from a place of respect.
It also helps to respect the time utilized in appointments as well. Be sure and let the office know ahead of time if you need more time in an appointment and write out your questions and concerns ahead of time. If you have a teenager or young adult start having them write out their questions and needs as well so that they become a part of the team in managing their own care.
I know it seems like a lot of work but there are a great deal of reasons why a medical home is of benefit. Some of these reasons include:
- Help in the early identification of special health care needs
- Provides ongoing primary care
- Ongoing coordination with a broad range of other specialty services
- Your child’s doctor can help you find more medical services for your child
- More cost effective
- Your doctor will get to know your child’s needs better
- Your child will get better healthcare because you and your doctor have a partnership
- Information is shared between you and your child’s doctors
- You and your child’s providers can build a relationship
- Fewer visits to the emergency room and hospital when problems are found more quickly
- Lower long-term health care costs
Family can be a constant in many children’s lives. They know the history of the child and they will be there in the future. Bringing a trusted medical provider into that circle to help with the coordination and care of your child frees you, as a family, to look beyond the need to juggle the many complex issues of caring for a child with special healthcare needs. A medical home can spread the burden of coordination and decision making between many hands and can keep everyone on the same page. This alone can be worth the extra work that you may face in beginning.
There are some great web resources around establishing a medical home both at national and state sites and you can access them below.
American Academy of Pediatrics
Medical Homes Checklist
- You are valued and acknowledged as the expert on your child.
- You are the central member of your child’s health care team.
- There is respect and trust between you and your child’s Doctor.
- Your culture and religion are valued.
- Your doctor shows effort and interest in learning about your child’s healthcare and other needs
- Your child receives his or her shots, well child visits and urgent care (when needed).
- You receive help and support when finding specialty care and community services.
- Your child’s doctor provides helpful information to other people involved in your child’s healthcare and helps you manage your child’s care.
- If your child has special healthcare need you feel supported.
- You are given helpful information to help you learn about your child’s health care concerns
- Your doctor helps you understand the choices for your child’s treatment.
Depression and the Autism Spectrum
It is a common misconception that people who have Asperger’s or Autism do not get depression.
In fact this is more common than you think!
Suicidal thoughts are ten times more likely in people with Asperger’s or in the Autism Spectrum. Survey data was used on 256 men and 118 women who were diagnosed:
66% reported suicidal thoughts
35% reported plans or attempts at suicide
31% reported depression
Depression can be caused by:
Social troubles because you do not seem to fit in
Guilt or regret over past actions/outbursts/meltdowns
Overwhelming feelings and thoughts
Anxiety and Panic Attacks
Miscommunications / Misunderstandings
Fatigue or Tiredness due either to the condition or to medications taken for the condition (e.g.: Ritalin)
Here are some comments people with Asperger’s have made:
(Comments have been made anonymously)
“I have been diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome and depression.
My repeated obsessive thoughts turn into that sadness and also when someone gets frustrated with me like my parents. I don’t even know how I feel sometimes. When I can’t learn from my mistakes as fast as everyone else. I feel hopeless because it’s how I’m made to make mistakes over and over without ending.”
“I understand. Repeating the same mistake over and over…I would always forget to leave my coat in my locker at school (because of some rule) and 4 days out of 5 I would forget it. Consistently. And my repetitive obsessive thoughts also turn into sadness, but for me this occurs irrespectively of being yelled at.”
“I have Asperger’s and am high functioning to a degree. I also suffer from depression and anxiety which a lot stems to the fact my circle of friends has drastically dropped since my teenage years, I’m nearly 23 and I don’t go out like most people my age do. Mainly because I socially isolate myself. I find situations arise when I go out, for example…a club I used to go to has very loud bands on Friday nights, I can’t hear my thoughts it screws with my head. It depresses me because when I was younger I had loads of friends, now I’m a social outcast who feels nothing but bitterness and anger towards a lot of society. Al lot of my friends don’t want nothing to do with me anymore. Best friends have come and gone and now I feel alone. I live alone which doesn’t help and rely on Xbox live to chat to people. I just wish sometimes I wouldn’t come out with weird stuff. It freaks me out as well as it does to other people.”
The first step to helping, is by recognizing the signs:
A suicide attempt is rarely made all of a sudden. It is most common for individuals to shift between the stages on a continuum which range from thinking about suicide to committing suicide.
The stages can go back and forth and are not limited to:
Planning – for example, giving away possessions that were thought of as special to them.
Organizing means – a fascination with a certain weapon that they were not interested in before, for example.
Suicide attempt
Some may start in self harming behavior which can lead to death while the goal is not to actually die. This is because these individuals may not have actually thought of the consequences and finality of suicide.
Pay attention to:
Statements like “I would be better if I just died”
Threatening to commit suicide
If they are more withdrawn or depressed: not participating in their routine activities, they avoid communicating even more than usual.
Recognizing the signs is even harder when some people with Autism or Asperger’s cannot communicate the conventional way.
Here is how you can help someone who is depressed
People who consider suicide mostly need to know that others do care:
Even if you don’t talk, just being there helps
Let them know that most people think about suicide at one time or another, and thinking about suicide does not mean that things can’t get better.
Listen to what they are saying about themselves and their life
Avoid saying things like “you should be grateful to be alive!” or “You will be fine”
Tell them that you will always be willing to talk and there are others who care
Inspire them to make new friends or contact old friends or even call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline. https://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/– 1-800-273-8255. The Lifeline offers online chat, which is a good option when individuals are non-verbal or when social anxiety is high.
If you see that there is an imminent danger of the individual to commit suicide:
If it is an emergency, call 911
Contact outside help or make sure they contact their Doctor
Monitor their temperament and establish a follow up plan when there are changes – the plan can include calling the Doctor, making sure they call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline – https://www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or call 1-800-273-8255.
Make sure to remove any means that can facilitate suicide – prescription drugs, weapons, etc.
Most of all let them know that there are always people who are ready to help them. It is important for them to know that it’s ok to ask for help and let either family members, friends or professionals how they feel.
References:
Synapse, Reconnecting Lives, Fact Sheets: Depression, Suicide Risk and Autism
Retrieved from – http://www.autism-help.org/family-suicide-depression-autism.htm
Collingwood, J. Suicidal Thoughts 10 Times More Likely in Adults with Asperger’s.
Retrieved from http://psychcentral.com/news/2014/10/13/suicidal-thoughts-10-times-more-likely-in-
adults-with-aspergers/76016.html
Cassidy, S. et al. Suicidal ideation and suicide plans or attempts in adults with Asperger’s syndrome
Attending a specialist diagnostic clinic: a clinical cohort study. The Lancet Psychiatry, 25 June 2014 doi:
10.1016/S2215-0366(14)70248-2
Raja, M. Suicide risk in adults with Asperger’s syndrome. The Lancet Psychiatry, 25 June 2014
Doi:10.1016/S2215-0366(14)70257-3
Positive Behavior Supports: Continuing the model at home and in the community
By: Dr. Vanessa Tucker, PhD., BCBA-D
What is Positive Behavior Support?
Positive Behavior Support (PBS) is a special education initiative that informs school districts, schools and classrooms regarding prevention and intervention practices designed to teach and reinforce pro-social behaviors. Behavior supports, as we parents well know, do not end at the schoolhouse door. Interfering behaviors can and do continue to manifest themselves in other settings and present a real and present challenge to parents and caregivers raising children with special needs.
The field of PBS is built on the premise of universal interventions that are designed to teach behaviors that prevent negative or challenging ones from occurring. These universal interventions, or Tier I, are effective for most children, but approximately 15 to 20% will need something much more intense in order to experience success. These children require what are known as Tier II and Tier III Interventions. Tier II interventions are designed to address the 15% who need more focused interventions. These may be temporary or may be needed on an ongoing basis. A small number of children (approximately 5%) will require intensive interventions, or Tier III, designed to support the most challenging behaviors. As a parent, you may find that problematic behaviors are a top priority for you due to your child’s unique needs. Parents can benefit from applying the same basic system of PBS in the home and community in order to mitigate the presence of interfering behaviors as well as teaching and reinforcing acceptable replacements. The focus of this brief article will be on prevention tactics that parents and caregivers can implement in the home and community.
Prevention as Intervention
Challenging or interfering behaviors occur for a wide variety of reasons. In many cases a communication breakdown is the “culprit.” In other words, children who have communication delays often resort to behaviors we don’t want in order to let us know what they do want! Children may also engage in challenging behavior due to stress, fatigue, unmet needs for attention, or because they have learned a habit that “works” for them. For example, the child may engage in mild to moderate aggression toward a parent when they first arrive at home as a means of accessing attention. This is problematic as the child inevitably is reinforced for these behaviors when the parent provides the designed attention. The first order of business in PBS is to teach and reinforce behaviors and/or to change our own practices as a means of prevention. In addition, it is strongly recommended that you work with your school team and utilize the Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) and Positive Behavior Intervention Plan (PBIP) to guide your interventions at home. Pay close attention to the described “function” or reason(s) why your child engages in challenging behaviors. You’ll want to plan your interventions based upon those hypothesized functions. For example, if your child’s aggression is due to escape from unwanted tasks, you’ll want to find ways to help him escape (e.g. ask for a break) successfully. Remember that whatever you select as an intervention should be acceptable to you and your family.
In order to be efficient, you will want to analyze the various times, areas and places where challenging behaviors are most likely to occur. Create a simple matrix of your activities and rate your child’s behaviors as (a) non-problematic, (b) somewhat problematic, or (c) very problematic. Target those areas that are “very problematic” first. Decide what could be creating or maintaining the problematic behavior. Is your child in need of communication supports? Does he understand what is expected of him? Does she need more visuals in order to do what you want? Is her need for attention being met in ways that are unacceptable? Are there sibling issues? Tackling the most difficult areas first will bolster your ability to dive into the smaller issues later and may actually address them inadvertently through your interventions with the bigger ones.
The following table (Table 1.0) presents a list of general recommendations and justifications for prevention of challenging behaviors at home or in the community.
Table 1.0 Tactics for Prevention of Challenging Behaviors
| Tactic | Rationale | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Non-Contingent Reinforcement/Planned Attention | Your child may need your attention and will engage in whatever behavior necessary to obtain it. You want your child to obtain your attention without having to engage in mild to moderate behaviors to receive it. | When you come home spend the first 10 or so minutes with your child before you check email, answer the phone or do anything else. Plan this and stick with it. Give your child (or children) your undivided attention before you do anything else. |
| Schedules-Visuals and/or Written | Your child may need the same structural supports that they use in the school setting in order to predict what is coming, what is done, and what is expected of them. They may not be able to predict these things as successfully if given with verbal prompts only. | Create and use schedules with visuals or words for family routines. This might include an activity schedule for evening activities, for a bathing routine or a trip to the store. Rely on your school staff for support in this area. They can assist you to build and use these systems. |
| Transition Schedules and Objects | Your child may need more information than you require in order to successfully understand and navigate transitions. You may need to provide him with more information about what is coming and what will happen. Challenging behaviors may result from a breakdown in understanding what is coming or what is expected. | Create a transition schedule such as a white board with icons and/or line drawings. Some children benefit from a basic checklist that they can “check off” as they go. Others need a transition object (e.g. a teddy bear, or something else that is comforting) in order to successfully navigate transitions. |
| Demand-free time after school | All children are tired to some degree or another after school. For some children, the social demands of school have left them with very little in the “tank” at the end of the day. Behaviors may occur because the child needs rest from social and other demands. | Consider providing 30 minutes or more of demand-free time (e.g. no homework) after school. Pair this with a timer and allow the child to engage in something that is soothing, restful and relaxing. Don’t pair this with their favorite and most reinforcing activity-save that for after they complete what you want later in the evening, especially if that involves homework or chores. Engage them in a schedule with demands (homework and chores, etc.) after a period of rest. |
| Homework and Chores | A child may balk at the idea of homework and/or chores, which are regular expectations of most parents after school. You may find that children engage in a lot of challenging behavior around these two areas. | Consider the rest time after school as the first line of defense. Then, consider using a visual system that breaks down what they have to do, how long they have to do it, and when they are finished. Break things into smaller pieces (called “chunking”) and consider pairing with breaks in between each piece. Show visuals of what you expect the finished product to be. For example, what does a clean bathroom look like? Show each part in a picture format. |
| Token System | Your child may not be particularly motivated to engage in things that are outside of his/her interest area. Challenging behaviors may occur despite your efforts to provide visual structure and break things into smaller pieces. She may need a more tangible way to motivate her to comply with what you want. | Consider adding in a token system designed to provide reinforcement for desired behaviors. If possible, mirror the ones used at school if they are effective in motivating the child to comply. Creating a “First, then” procedure allows the child to see that after they do what you want, they will get something that they want. For example, “first clean bathroom, then 20 minutes of iPad” is a reasonable expectation. Provide tokens (stickers on a chart, poker chips on a velcro board) for each step of the bathroom clean up. Make sure you follow through with the earned reinforcer once they’ve complied. |
Summary
Challenging behaviors in the home and community are never easy for parents or caregivers to address. Working with your school team, you can come up with ways to support your child so that they understand what you want and have the tools to engage in replacement behaviors that are acceptable to everyone. Many children with disabilities benefit from the same basic principles of PBS that are used in schools. A focus on prevention can decrease stress, increase compliance and teach replacements that lead to better behavior in all settings.