Mental Health Problem Statistics

"According to Children’s Mental Health Ontario (2002), one in five children and youths in Ontario will struggle with his or her mental health. More than 500,000 young people in Ontario suffer from a diagnosable mental health problem, such as anxiety, that may manifest itself in behaviour such as bullying or an eating disorder." (P.27)

 Ontario Ministry of Education, 2010. Web. 20 Nov. 2012.<http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/elemsec/speced/Caring_Safe_School.pdf>.

Behaviour Plan

Behaviour Plan

Student Name: Paige Britton                               School: Elementary School D.O.B.: 1999                                                          Date of Plan: November 2012 School-based Team Members: Mrs. Teacher, Mr. Principal, Mrs. SERT

Health/ Diagnostic Information: (parental constent required to list personal health / diagnostic  information)  Oppositional Defiant Disorder Mental Health

Positive Behavioural Intervention Plan (describes which behaviours are to be remediated by the plan – those that are expected to increase, those expected to decrease and the new skills to be learned to replace inappropriate behaviours) Target behaviour(s) in need of change: 1. Classwork at desk 2. Violent Behaviour – yelling and harming yourself 3. Aggression Perceived functions of behaviour(s). 1. refuses to do work 2. does not like the task 3. frustrated with task Replacement behaviour focus Numbers refer to target behaviours above: 1. Work at desk 2. Not yell out, write in diary 3. Squeeze ball

Triggers / Antecedents: ( Triggers are the events – people, activities, ;locations, that are associated with the concerning behaviours) Numbers refer to target behaviours above: 1.  Not ready to work 2. Does not like task especially English and Math 3. Lack of understanding

Interventions: (describe strategies that prevent the concerning behaviours from happening, teach replacement skills to these, build in reinforcements to encourage their use) All teaching requires use of visuals. Numbers refer to target behaviours above: 1. ·      Work at the teachers desk ·      Work in the office or SERT room 2. ·      Write in a diary ·      Express your thoughts by colouring a picture 3. ·      Use a squishy ball when frustrated ·      Go for a walk with EA

Motivators / reinforces for student: ·      Free work period ·      Listen to music ·      No homework

Behaviour Trackers: (are tools that help track behaviour, to develop baseline and to determine the effectiveness of the behaviour plan) Daily Progress Report

Signatures of people involved and dates of signatures: ·      School Staff ·      Support Staff ·      Parents

Implementation date and review schedule: ·      Implement date ·      Review date ·      Date and record adjustments as needed

References

"Managing Violent and Aggressive Behaviour of Students with Special Needs." Halton District School Board. N.p., Feb. 2010. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. <http://www.hdsb.ca/Policy/Managing%20Aggressive%20Behaviour%202010.pdf>.

The ABC's of Mental Health

Mental Health for All Children and Youth
http://www.hincksdellcrest.org/ABC/Teacher-Resource/Mental-Health-for-All-Children-and-Youth.aspx

Quote

“Sometimes you just can tell that something is not right.”

What can we do?

Effective teachers need to be excellent observers.  Watching for mood changes and unusual behaviours that are long in duration and may be an indicator of mental health issues.  Teachers and their interactions with students play an important part in a students well being.  Knowing when to intervene becomes important and knowing the signs of a student who requires help. 

The daily actions of effective teachers and their positive relationships with their students actively promote the mental health of students. 

Teachers’ roles and relationships reach through and beyond the substance of the curriculum to impact students’ feelings of self-worth, dignity, identity, and belonging. Through interactions with both students and their parents, teachers are in a unique position to strengthen these important elements of mental health.

Teachers also are in an excellent position to observe mood changes or behaviours that seem excessive or unusual, perhaps lasting longer than average, which could indicate a mental health problem requiring consultation and intervention.

References:

"Mental Health for All Children and Youth." The ABCs of Mental Health. Hincks-Dellcrest, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, 2011. Web. 20 Nov. 2012. <http://www.hincksdellcrest.org/ABC/Teacher-Resource/Mental-Health-for-All-Children-and-Youth.aspx>.

Bipolar Articles

School Issues for Bipolar children
By Susan L. Sullivan
Medically reviewed by Pat F. Bass III, MD, MPH
http://www.everydayhealth.com/bipolar-disorder/school-issues-for-bipolar-children.aspx

This article talks about accommodations that are mandated by law. Children and Teens who have Bipolar Disorder are protected by two federal laws. It talks about the (IDEA) Disabilities Education Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973.
There is a quote in this article from every day health that I thought was really good "But flexibility and open communication are key in managing the Bipolar child"
From my experience I think this really hit the nail on the head. Flexibility and the ability to talk things over is a major factor in the success with some of these students. Talking the situation over after an incident may likely help as well. this will give the student the opportunity to see what they have done and possibly take responsibility for their actions.

Teens with Bipolar Disorder: The Struggle to Stay in School
Medically Reviewed by Ed Zimney, M.D.
http://www.everydayhealth.com/bipolar/webcasts/teens-with-bipolar-disorder-the-struggle-to-stay-in-school-transcript-3.aspx
This is a web cast that I thought was interesting. The specialist answers questions about bipolar students. I added this becuase it gave a more personal outlook on the disorder and how to recognize a problem. Patricia from Every day Health asks questions and the doctor or LSW answers them. It is truly a different perspective and I think it was an interesting read with answers to questions such as " do schools have special programs to accommodate students with bipolar?", and ,"How should parents work with the schools in emergency situations?"

The specialists talk about behaviours in teens with Bipolar, solutions, prevention and how important it is to have a crisis plan in place before a crisis happens.

Second Article - Use of Collaborative Problem Solving to Reduce Seclusion and Restraint in Child and Adolescent Inpatient Units.

Second Article - Innovations: Child & Adolescent Psychiatry: Use of Collaborative Problem Solving to Reduce Seclusion and Restraint in Child and Adolescent Inpatient Units.

http://ps.psychiatryonline.org/article.aspx?articleid=96647

Synopsis

The article specifically deals with the mental health portion of our case.  The goal should be in the direction why is the student having outburst.  In mental health we think about emotional regulation, frustration tolerance and problem and adaptability skills. 

Can we remove the expectation and what happens to the behavior?  Can we give her skills to deal with the expectation and resolve the conflict? So there are less aggressive outburst that are not harmful to others and herself.  Collaboratively working with the student to understand the difficulty.

Alternatively working through the lacking skills using the Collaborative Problem Skills.  If we give the student the skills, could she we resolve some of the behavior? 

What are the demands that cause her to be do defiant and violent?  Could this replace the teachers restraining her?

Summarized by Carrie 

References
Greene, Ross, Dr., Ablon J. Stuart, and Andrés Martin. "Innovations: Child & Adolescent Psychiatry: Use of Collaborative Problem Solving to Reduce Seclusion and Restraint in Child and Adolescent Inpatient Units." Psychiatric Services, Volume 57, No.5. American Psychiatric Association, 1 May 2006. Web. <http://ps.psychiatryonline.org/article.aspx?articleid=96647>.