Archive for the 'Policy' Category

Virginia mental health needs

Published on 22 January 2012 in Advocacy, Families, Mental health, Musings, News, Policy and The press. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

In a statement entitled “A proposal that would assist troubled youths in Virginia” the Washington Post editorial board lent its support to efforts to fund mental health services for children and youth. The editorial, published 11 January 2012, recounted a history of rueful cost cutting and encouraging advocacy in my commonwealth.

A YEAR AGO, Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell (R) proposed slashing millions of dollars from the state’s already badly fragmented and underfunded programs for at-risk children and teenagers. The cuts targeted funding for specially trained foster families and other services for children, including some who posed a danger of violence to themselves and others. The cuts were rejected, and funding restored, thanks to a bipartisan group of lawmakers responding to an outcry from advocacy groups and local governments, which would have borne the brunt of the governor’s proposal. In the end, the debate turned a useful spotlight on a critical hole in the state’s social services safety net.

The Post editorial team explained that the current budget does not contain such cost-cutting measures, but that difficulties for mental health services persist because of other problems (e.g., local government fiscal shortages). In the end, the need for services is great and, as the editorial shows, the need for serious discussion about funding of them is clear. Read the full editorial on the Post’s Web site.

If you’re in Virginia and you can make it to Richmond, join Voices for Virginia’s Campaign for Children’s Mental Health for “Advocacy Day at the General Assembly” Thursday 26 January 2012. If you live somewhere else, scout about for ways you can help support mental health services in your local or regional government.

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Altering Autism insurance coverage legislation in VA

Published on 30 March 2011 in Autism, Families, News, Policy, The press and Treatment. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , .

Writing in the Richmond Times Dispatch, Olympia Meola reported on potential changes in support for insurance coverage for therapy for children with Autism in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the US. Under the headline “McDonnell will try to amend autism bill,” Ms. Meola described developments in Governor Robert “Bob” McDonnell’s plans for altering recent legislation requiring insurance payments for treatment.

Gov. Bob McDonnell is expected today to reveal proposed changes to a bill requiring insurance coverage of autism treatments, and some could be substantial alterations to what the General Assembly passed.

Conversations were continuing as of Tuesday between the governor’s office, lawmakers and interested parties about possible changes to a measure that would require coverage of autistic children ages 2 to 6.

Advocates of the bill said some significant tweaks could be “deal breakers.”

The amendments floated in the past week range in scope, from technical to more substantial, including changes in who could supervise treatment and when the law would take effect, according to those familiar with the proposals.

Link to Ms. Meola’s story.

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Autism legislation in Virginia

Published on 6 February 2011 in Autism, Families, News, Policy and The press. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

Under the headline “Autism legislation advances in Virginia” in the Washington Post Fredrick Kunkle and Anita Kumar reported about the slow-but-significant progress that parents in the US state of Virginia have made in advancing toward mandating coverage of treatment for Autism by insurance companies. That the advances run counter to many conservative US legislators’ opposition to health policies that mandate coverage for those in need of services and that it is occuring in an election year in Virginia, a state that usually tilts toward the conservative, makes the analysis especially intriguing.

In the beginning, several Northern Virginia families whose children have autism thought that their wrenching stories would be enough to get some help from their representatives in the General Assembly.
Continue reading ‘Autism legislation in Virginia’

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NAS presses MH pubs

Published on 25 January 2011 in Bookshelf, Mental health, News, Policy and The press. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , .

Noting recent news in the US, the National Academy of Sciences has taken the opportunity to promote some of its publications related to mental health. Among these is one that is relevant to those concerned about EBD among children and youths, a 2009 report by the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council that I’ve mentioned previously, Preventing Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Disorders Among Young People. Here’s the full release:

Mental Health Care Gains Attention in Wake of Tucson Shooting

By Christine Stencel

January 21, 2011 – The attack on U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her audience in Tucson, Ariz., has touched off a national discussion about the capabilities of the country’s mental health system. The majority of respondents to a USA Today-Gallup Poll survey said failure of the mental health system bears “a great deal” of the blame for the Tucson shooting. Two reports from the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council provide guidance on improving mental health care in the United States.

Preventing Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Disorders Among Young People, a 2009 report by the Institute of Medicine and National Research Council, calls for national leadership in the prevention of these disorders and promotion of young people’s mental health. Many preventive programs and strategies have been shown to be effective, the report notes, but the country lacks priorities and public goals for these efforts. The report outlines steps that federal and state agencies, community groups, and parents can take to intervene when symptoms arise and to promote mental health.

Improving the Quality of Health Care for Mental and Substance-Use Conditions, an earlier report from the Institute of Medicine, underscored the need for greater parity for care of mental conditions and substance abuse in the nation’s health care system. The separation of mental health from other forms of medical care undermines the overall quality of Americans’ well-being, it says. The report outlines an agenda to capitalize on recent advances in diagnosing and treating these conditions and better integrate them into the health care delivery system.

Link to the NAS Web site for appropriate links to the documents.

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The Congressional Mental Health Caucus

Published on 17 January 2011 in Mental health, News, Policy and The press. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , .

Sadly, mental health has been in the US news of late. I’m reminded that in the US legislature there is the Congressional Mental Health Caucus, which takes as its goals reducing negativism and stigma, aiding efforts to access mental health services, improving work-related productivity, and protecting veterans who have mental health problems. Although the caucus does not explicitly state child mental health as a focus of concern, it has supported awareness efforts such as National Children’s Mental Health Day.
Continue reading ‘The Congressional Mental Health Caucus’

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Mental Health Initiative

Published on 9 November 2010 in Autism, Depression, Families, Musings, News, Policy, Schizophrenia and Treatment. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Sometimes folks lose sight of the fact that disability and mental health issues are international in scope. They’re not confined just to one’s own neighborhood, locality, geopolitical area, etc. Fortunately, there are groups that transcend borders (you can probably think of the names of some well-know organizations that function internationally), and there are some in EBD, too. The Open Society Mental Health Initiative is an example:

The OSI Public Health Program’s Mental Health Initiative aims to ensure that people with mental disabilities (mental health problems and/or intellectual disabilities) are able to live as equal citizens in the community and to participate in society with full respect for their human rights. The Mental Health Initiative focuses on ending the unjustified and inappropriate institutionalization of people with mental disabilities by advocating for the closure of institutions and the development of community-based alternatives. The initiative works in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union (read more about the history of mental health policies in this region).

The OSI initiative is more than a one-trick pony. It’s about a lot of things, and its foci include children with Autism, mental health issues, and more. I encourage readers to check the site. Here is a link to the OSI MHI home page.

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Props for Ron Artest

Published on 8 November 2010 in Bullying, News, Policy and The press. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

Some readers of EBD Blog might know that I follow basketball. That gives me a unique opportunity to mix my interest in hoops with my concern about EBD in this post. I have the chance to acknowledge efforts by Ron Artest, a professional basketball player, to support mental health initiatives. My hat’s off to Mr. Artest for using his celebrity in this helpful manner.

Let me provide a little detail. In one of these efforts, Mr. Artest announced plans to use the ring he received as a member of Los Angeles Lakers when they won the 2010 National Basketball Association championship in a fund-raising raffle for mental health work. Interested readers can learn how to buy raffle tickets here. But that’s only one activity. To read about them all, follow this link. In fact, if one really wants to learn how substantial Mr. Artest’s impact has been, wade through the results of this Google search showing the press coverage of his efforts.

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If we ignore problems, they don’t go away

Published on 20 September 2010 in Administration, Families, Musings, News, Policy, The press and Treatment. 3 Comments

Ignoring children’s mental health problems will just make things worse. Left to their own devices, very few kids are likely to work things out independently. And a lot more problems exist than we might like to admit exist.

The schools in Virginia identify about 1 student in every 100 students as needing special education services because she or he has emotional or behavioral disorders. Yet, the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services estimates that 1 in every 5 children will need mental health services. To be sure, not every child who needs mental health services will need special education services, and vice versa. Still, the discrepancy between these numbers illustrates the enormous gaps in recognition of needs and provision of help for children that different agencies offer. Greater coordination and collaboration are important. It should start with understanding and communication. Case management, wrap-around services, and similar practices would be fine results of such communication.

Not all mental health problems are manifested in destructive, overt, disobedient actions. Nor are all mental health problems hidden, repressed, anxiety disorders. They come in lots of shapes and sizes, affect children across the intellectual spectrum, are not confined to any particular ethnic group (nor is any ethnic group immune to them). Mental health problems can strike anywhere, rarely briefly and too often for a lifetime.

Don’t ignore. Deal.

In Virginia (US) we are fortunate to have the Campaign for Children’s Mental Health. Visit this effort to promote awareness and encourage policy makers to recognize the need for action on behalf of children. Learn about the many marvelous organizations that have supported the work of the Campaign for Children’s Mental Health. If you have an organization in your geographical region (whether it is a locality in the US or elsewhere on Earth [or even in the cosmos!]), drop a note in a comment recognizing it, please. Meanwhile, over in the left rail, please check out NAMI, FFCMH, and other Web resources related to children’s mental health.

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Another photo for fun

Published on 14 September 2010 in Acting in, Acting out, ADHD, Administration, Assessment, Autism, Behavior management, Bi-polar, Bullying, Conduct disorder, Delinquency, Depression, Families, Photos, Policy, Prevention, Professsional development, Research, Schizophrenia and Treatment. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

I was moving some materials from one office to another when I came across this photo of some friends. Believe it or not, I took this with a film camera. Yes, it is from the 1990s, even before 1997 or so, I think.

I suspect it was at one of the annual meetings in Tempe (AZ, US) of the Teacher Educators of Children with Behavior Disorders, as these are some of the usual suspects who attended those meetings. A casual search on any of these folks’ names will reveal that they are prominent contributors to the literature about improving the lives of children and youths with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, the families of those children and youths, other students who do and do not have disabilities, their teachers and administrators, and on and on. Students who studied just these people’s writing in detail would get quite a valuable education.

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What do educators need to know?

Published on 11 August 2010 in Acting in, Acting out, ADHD, Administration, Assessment, Behavior management, Conduct disorder, Policy, Professsional development, Research and Treatment. 18 Comments

I’m asking readers of EBD Blog to help me identify important research questions about interventions for students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. As I noted in a parallel post on LD Blog, these need to be BIG IDEA questions. What do teachers and parents need to know about how to help students with EBD?

Examples (just for provoking discussion): Continue reading ‘What do educators need to know?’

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ABAI on restraint and seclusion

Published on 5 August 2010 in Acting out, Behavior management, News, Policy, The press and Treatment. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Based on the work of a task force composed of highly qualified individuals, the Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) has issued position statement about the use of restraint and seclusion in treatment. Members of the task force, which was appointed by the executive board, include Jon S. Bailey, Michael F. Dorsey, Louis P. Hagopian, Gregory P. Hanley, David B. Lennox, Mary M. Riordan, Scott Spreat, and Timothy R. Vollmer (chair).

The Association for Behavior Analysis International (ABAI) and its members strongly oppose the inappropriate and/or unnecessary use of seclusion, restraint, or other intrusive interventions. Although many persons with severe behavior problems can be effectively treated without the use of any restrictive interventions, restraint may be necessary on some rare occasions with meticulous clinical oversight and controls. In addition, a carefully planned and monitored use of timeout from reinforcement can be acceptable under restricted circumstances. Seclusion is sometimes necessary or needed, but behavior analysts would support only the most highly monitored and ethical practices associated with such use, to be detailed below.

In the “below,” the document goes on to present in detail the a set of guiding principles and specific recommendations about the use of seclusion and restraint. Read the statement, “ABAI Statement on Restraint and Seculsion” from the ABAI Website.

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Carter talks sense

Published on 6 April 2010 in Autism, Families, Musings, News and Policy. 6 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .

I rarely point to posts on the Huffington Posts, but an entry by Liane Kupferberg Carter entitled “Autism: A time for civility” deserves recognition. Ms. Carter, the mother of a child with Autism, notes how factionation (if I may create than word) among people with interests in Autism has created divides not needed. The basic notion is that in contemporary diagnoses, Autism reflects a diverse spectrum of disorders. Educators, parents, policy-makers, and others need to accept the diversity and not fight among ourselves. Ms. Carter makes this point well. I encourage readers to read her post.

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