ERIC ED592963: Common Psychosocial Problems of School Aged Youth: Developmental Variations, Problems, Disorders and Perspectives for Prevention and Treatment. Updated

2018·4.1 MB·English

by  ERIC

Common Psychosocial Problems of
School Aged Youth:
Developmental Variations, Problems,
Disorders and Perspectives for
Prevention and Treatment
Prepared by the Center for MH in Schools & Student/Learning Supports – updated in 2018.
The Center is co-directed by Howard Adelman and Linda Taylor and operates under the
auspices of the School Mental Health Project, Dept. of Psychology, UCLA, Email:
[email protected] Website: http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu
Feel free to copy and share this document.
Contents
Preface
Introduction: Mental Health in Schools 1
Time for Straight Talk about Mental Health Services and MH in Schools 2
Moving Forward: MH in Schools & Student/Learning Supports 4
I. Keeping the Environment in Perspective as a Cause of Commonly Identified 10
Psychosocial Problems
A. Labeling Troubled and Troubling Youth
11
B. Environmental Situations and Potentially Stressful Events 14
16
II.A Full Range of Programs to Address Behavioral, Emotional, and Learning
Problems
A. A Continuum of Community-School Programs: Primary
16
Prevention Through Treatment
B. Accommodations to Reduce Problems 19
C. Developing Systems at a School for Problem Identification,
27
Triage, Referral, and Management of Care
D. Treatments for Psychosocial Problems and Disorders
29
III. Frequently Identified Psychosocial Problems: Developmental
31
Variations, Problems, Disorders, and Interventions
A. Attention Problems 32
B. Conduct and Behavior Problems
44
C. Anxiety Problems
62
D . Affect and Mood Problems
76
E . Social and Interpersonal Problems 96
IV. Increasing the School’s Capacity to Prevent and Ameliorate Problems 100
A. Capacity Building for Teachers and School Staff
110
B. The Role of Support Staff 112
C. Forming Partnerships with Parents 119
D. Fostering Students’ Social and Emotional Development 120
E. Student and Learning Supports: Increasing Availability and
122
Enhancing Access and Use
Preface
Estimates of the number of school aged children
with emotional problems vary. Incidence and
School systems are not responsible for
prevalence figures are controversial, with estimates
meeting every need of their students.
But when the need directly affects ranging from 2-3% to 22%. For a critique
learning the school must meet the of current data, see the Center's 2018
challenge. document Youngsters’ Mental Health and
Carnegie Council on Psychosocial Problems:What are the Data?
Adolescent Development, 1989 http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/prevalence/
youthmh.pdf
The numbers increase when those referred to as at risk are included. Research
suggests, however, that there are a considerable number of false positive
misdiagnoses (i.e., the labeling of youngsters who do not have true disabilities/
disorders). What is clear is that schools can accomplish their goal of teaching only
when they have addressed the psychosocial problems that interfere with students'
learning.
In schools, youngsters with serious emotional and learning problems usually are
assisted under the auspices of "special education." Of course, many students with
behavior, learning, and emotional problems don't meet the criteria for special
education. Their needs must be addressed through support programs and other
accommodations.
This resource provides frameworks and strategies to guide schools as they encounter
common psychosocial problems.
It is designed as a desk reference aid.
•
After an introductory overview of mental Part III covers five of the most common
health in schools: "syndromes" students manifest and
schools agonize over:
• Part I stresses ways to keep the
>attention problems
environment in perspective as a cause of
>conduct and behavior problems
certain types of problems.
>anxiety problems
>affect and mood problems
•Part II frames the full range of programs
>social/interpersonal problems
that allow a school and community
•Part IV explores ways to increase a school’s
to address psychosocial problems.
capacity to prevent and ameliorate problems.
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To provide a normalizing perspective, the descriptions adopted are those used
in the1996 American Academy of Pediatrics’ manual (The Classification of
Child and Adolescent Mental Diagnoses in Primary Care --DSM-PC).
This framework differentiates developmental variations, problems, and
disorders in ways that provide a good basis for identifying minor developmental
differences and early symptoms so that minor concerns can be prevented from
escalating into major disorders. Following this discussion, the focus is on
intervention -- emphasizing use of "accommodations" as a first strategy and
the role of empirically supported treatments.
At the UCLA Center for MH in Schools & Student/Learning Supports, we have
developed a variety of materials relevant to specific problem areas and for school
improvement. See the
>Online Resource Catalogue -- .http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/materials/resources.htm
>Online Clearinghouse Quick Finds – http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/quicksearch.htm
>Center Website Search – http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/websrch.htm
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Introduction
Mental Health in Schools
1
Time for Straight Talk about Mental Health Services and MH in Schools
When you hear the term Mental Health in Schools or School Mental Health,
what comes to mind?
Probably you think about students who have psychological problems, about what services
they need, and how schools don’t provide enough of such services. This is not surprising given the
widespread tendency for the term mental health to be thought of as referring to mental
disorders/illness and for relevant interventions to be seen as services (e.g., counseling/therapy).
As a result, many well-intentioned initiatives and policy reports have focused on expanding mental
health services in schools. Bluntly stated, however, advocacy for more mental health services in
schools often detracts from efforts to encourage policy makers to address the full range of mental
health concerns confronting school staff, students, and their families.
Our analyses of policy and practice stress understanding the following matters as key to advancing
a broad approach to mental health in schools.*
• The concept of mental health encompasses a continuum of concerns ranging from
promoting positive social and emotional development to treating mental disorders.
• Mental health problems are fully enmeshed with psychosocial and educational problems.
• Given the above, schools have a role to play in (a) promoting positive mental health (e.g.,
social-emotional development), (b) preventing learning, behavior, and emotional
problems, (c) intervening as early as feasible when such problems arise, and (d) treating
severe and chronic problems.
• However, since the mission of schools is education, a mental health agenda (and
especially a clinical services agenda) by itself is too narrow to be a high priority for our
society’s schools.
Those concerned with enhancing the role of mental health in schools must guide policy makers
to a clear understanding of
• the many factors that are interfering with learning and teaching
• the large number of students who are experiencing learning, behavior, and emotional
problems
• the fragmented and marginalized state of affairs related to the limited set of services,
programs, and initiatives currently provided as student/learning supports
• the small proportion of students reached
• the counterproductive competition for sparse resources.
All the above realities work against enhancing every student’s civil right to equity of opportunity
for success at school and beyond.
Given all this, it is time to focus on transforming student/learning supports. Doing so is fundamental
to improving intervention effectiveness in ways that enhance equity of opportunity, promote whole
child development, and engender a positive school climate. Doing so requires ending the
marginalization of student/learning supports in school improvement policy and then framing and
operationalizaing them as a unified, comprehensive, and equitable system that weaves together
school and community resources.
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In the process, a broad definition of mental health in schools can be embedded into a transformed
system of student/learning supports. Doing so will help
• reduce the unrealistic and often inappropriate call for more and more one-on-one direct
services
• counter the mistaken view that collocating community services on school campuses can
ever be a sufficient approach to filling critical intervention gaps at schools and for
enhancing community and home engagement
• increase classroom, school-wide, and community interventions that can reduce the need
for one-on-one services
• facilitate the weaving together of school, home, and community resources to gain
economic benefits and enhance outcomes
• enhance coordination and cohesion of all resources (school, community, family) intended
to support young people.
The bottom line in terms of equitable policy is that we cannot continue to provide a small number
of sites with a few more health and social services to establish a few islands of excellence
(demonstrations, pilots) and “Cadillac models.” The scale of need demands moving quickly in
fundamentally new directions. With over 90,000 public schools in the U.S.A. and so many students
who are not doing well, it is time to embed mental health in schools into a unified, comprehensive,
and equitable system of learning supports. This will enhance the fit with the mission of schools and
contribute in a powerful way to schools playing a role in fully promoting social-emotional
development and comprehensively addressing barriers to learning and teaching.
*For further elaboration of these points, see
>Adelman, H.S. & Taylor, L. (2010). Mental Health in Schools: Engaging Learners, Preventing
Problems, and Improving Schools. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
>Adelman, H.S. & Taylor, L. (2012). Mental Health in Schools: Moving in New Directions.
Contemporary School Psychology. http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/contschpsych.pdf
>Embedding Mental Health into a Learning Supports Component: An Essential Step for the Field to
Take Now. http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/embeddingmh.pdf
>Adelman, H.S. & Taylor, L. (2017). Addressing Barriers to Learning: In the Classroom and
Schoolwide. access from the Center's homepage at http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/
>Adelman, H.S. & Taylor, L. (2018). Transforming Student and Learning Supports: Developing a
Unified, Comprehensive, and Equitable System. San Diego: Cognella Academic.
https://titles.cognella.com/transforming-student-and-learning-supports-9781516512782.html
>Adelman, H.S. & Taylor, L. (2018). Improving School Improvement. Free access from the Center's
website at http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/improving_school_improvement.html
>Adelman, H.S., Taylor, L., Mayer, M.J., & Dwyer, K.P. (in press). Intersection of School Safety,
Mental Health and Wellness, and Family/Community Issues. In D. Osher, M. Mayer, R. Jagers,
K. Kendziora, & L. Wood (Eds). Keeping Students Safe and Helping Them Thrive. Santa Barbara:
ABC-CLIO.
and the resources cited as part of the National Initiative for Transforming Student and Learning Supports –
http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/newinitiative.html .
Send comments, questions, and requests to [email protected] .
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Moving Forward: MH in Schools & Student/Learning Supports
Over the last decades, research findings have made it evident that any initiative to expand the school's
role in addressing mental health concerns will be marginalized if it is not fully integrated into school
improvement policy and planning.
Current school policy proclaims the aim for every student to succeed, and those proposing school-
based interventions must recognize the full implications of the word every. An intervention focus on
all students requires addressing the problems of the many youngsters who aren't benefitting from
instructional reforms because of a host of external and internal barriers interfering with their
development and learning and that are reflected in the wide range of psychosocial and mental health
concerns school must cope with each day.
Enhanced school-community collaboration is essential, but the narrow focus on expanding school-
based mental health services (including colocating agency resources at schools) is not a viable
approach. The limited impact of various initiatives to link health and social services have
demonstrated this reality. Simply stated, a mental health services orientation doesn't account for the
full continuum of interventions needed to promote mental health and prevent and treat psychosocial
and mental health problems.
For many years, our Center's policy analyses have stressed ways to enhance the school's role related
to mental health concerns by embedding mental health into school improvement policy and practice.
In 2015, the Center established the National Initiative for Transforming Student and learning Supports
-- see http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/newinitiative.html . In 2017, to more fully underscore the breadth of
the work, the Center name was expanded; the name is now the Center for MH in Schools &
Student/Learning Supports.
Given our expanded focus, we want to encourage Center users concerned about mental health in
schools to avail themselves of a wide range of resources for addressing barriers to learning and
teaching and re-engaging disconnected students. With this in mind, we are no longer updating the
following Sampling of References Related to Mental Health in Schools. While the list will no longer
be updated, it remains a useful resource so we are simply archiving it.
In place of such a list, we are continuously updating our online clearinghouse Quick Finds.
SO ... for links to a wide range of relevant resources, we direct you to our Quick Finds. See the drop
down menu at http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/quicksearch.htm .
And when you need more, you can always do
>a regular Google search – https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#spf=1498966622326
>a Google Scholar search -- http://scholar.google.com/
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Archived
An ^Sampling of References Related to Mental Health in Schools is included below:
(In addition to what is included below, the Center has many more references, materials, and
special resources relevant to MH in schools. Besides using the Center Quick Finds
http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/quicksearch.htm which are updated regulary, also see the Center
Resource List http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/materials/resources.htm or contact the Center directly.)
Major Reports on the Status of Mental Health in Schools
& the Center's Perspective
• Taylor, L. & Adelman, H.S. (2013). Mental Health in Schools:
Opportunities and Challenges. In The Prager Handbook of
Community Mental Health Practice. Praeger. Vol. 2, Chapter 5..
• Adelman, H.S. & Taylor, L. (2012). Mental Health in Schools:
Moving in New DirectionsContemporary School Psychology. For
personal use only.
• Adelman, H.S. & Taylor, L. (2010). Mental Health in Schools:
Engaging Learners, Preventing Problems, and Improving Schools.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.
• Center for Mental Health in Schools. (2008). Frameworks for
Systemic Transformation of Student and Learning Supports Los
Angeles: Author.
• Center for Mental Health in Schools. (2007). New Directions for
Student Support: Current State of the Art Los Angeles: Author.
• Center for Mental Health in Schools. (2006). Current Status of
Mental Health in School: A Policy and Practice Analysis Los
Angeles: Author.
• Advances in School-Based Mental Health Interventions: Best
Practices and Program Models -- Editor: Vol 1: K.E. Robinson --
Vol 2: S.W. Evans, M.D. Weist, S.N. Serpel. Civic Research
Institute.
• Kutash, K., Duchnowski, A.J. & Lynn, N. (2006). School-Based
Mental Health: An Empirical Guide for Decision-Makers.
http://rtckids.fmhi.usf.edu/rtcpubs/study04/index.htm
• Cooper, J.L., Aratani,Y., Knitzer, J., et al. (2008) Unclaimed
Children Revisited: The Status of Children's Mental Health Policy
in the United States.
http://www.nccp.org/publications/pub_853.html
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2013). Mental Health
Surveillance Among Children —United States, 2005–2011
• Alegria, M., Green, J.G., McLaughlin, K.A., & Loder, S. (2015).
William T. Grant Foundation.
A Related National Report
• National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2015.
Mental disorders and disabilities among low-income children.
Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. Online
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Also see:
National Initiative for
Transforming Student and Learning Supports
• Summer Issue of Center's Quarterly e-journal/newsletter on
Trailblazing Initiatives!
Also view 30 minute Introductory webinar
Download accompanying PDf handouts
2010-Present
Books
Adelman, H.S. & Taylor, L. (2017). Transforming Student and Learning Supports: Developing a
Unified, Comprehensive, and Equitable System. Cognella Publishing
Adelman, H.S. & Taylor, L. (2010). Mental Health in Schools: Engaging Learners, Preventing
Problems, and Improving Schools. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press
Clauss-Ehlers, C.S., Serpell, Z.N., Weist, M.D. (Ed), Handbook of Culturally Responsive School
Mental Health: Advancing Research, Training, Practice, and Policy. Springer New York.
Dikel, W. (2014). The Teacher's Guide to Student Mental Health. W.W. Norton.
Doll, B., Pfohl, W. & Yoon, J. (eds) (2010). Handbook of Youth Prevention Science. New York:
Routledge.
Forman, S.G. (2015). Implementation of Mental Health Programs in Schools: A change Agent Guide.
Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.
Furlong, M.J., Gilman, R. & Huebner, E.S. (eds) (2014). Handbook of positive psychology in schools.
New York: Routledge/Taylor and Francis.
Ghuman, H.S., Weist, M.D., Sarles, R.M. (Eds), Providing Mental Health Services to Youth Where
They Are: School and Community Based Approaches. Routledge.
Green, J., McLaughlin, K., Alegria, M., et al (2013). School mental health resources and adolescent
mental health service use. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 52,
501-510.
Hess, R.S., Short, R.J., & Hazel, C.E. (2012). Comprehensive Children's Mental Health Services in
Schools and Communities: A Public Health Problem-Solving Model (School-Based Practice in
Action). Routledge
Lean, D.S. & Colucci, V.A. (2013). School-based Mental Health: A Framework for Intervention.
Rowman & Littlefield.
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