Physical and mechanical restraints and seclusion are currently used as emergency procedures in public schools across the United States. Students who exhibit dangerous, aggressive, or self-injurious behaviors are more likely to be restrained or secluded in school. Since many students with autism spectrum disorder exhibit one or more of these…

This article is the second in a series addressing comprehensive suicide prevention programming in the school context. In this article, the authors discuss the importance of the student voice and the value of data collection in the development of this type of crisis prevention, intervention, and postvention. In the articles that follow this one,…

The recent case of "Nguyen v. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, et al.," considered the question of whether a college or university has the affirmative obligation to protect its students from all harm at all times, including suicide. Han Nguyen was a 25-year old graduate student at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) when he…

Despite rising rates and prevalence of nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) and growing awareness in schools of NSSI social contagion, little discussion has taken place regarding ways to prevent and react to this prevalent issue occurring among youth in a school. The authors address how to prevent social contagion using a tiered response to intervention…

This article presents guided imagery as an intervention that can be used to address clients' nonsuicidal self-injurious behaviors. Guided imagery is a behavioral therapy technique that involves the use of positive thoughts or images to regulate negative emotional experiences, and it can be used to prevent and manage impulses to self-injure.…

The death of a child is one of the most tragic events imaginable. Even more gut-wrenching is when a child intentionally chooses to end his or her own life in order to escape from unbearable suffering. Unfortunately, the occurrence of self-harm behaviors increases dramatically and occurs at elevated rates during adolescence (Nock et al., 2008), and…

Neighborhood factors have been linked to HIV risk behaviors, HIV counseling and testing, and HIV medical care. However, the social-psychological mechanisms that connect neighborhood factors to HIV-related behaviors have not been fully determined. In this article we review the research on neighborhood factors and HIV-related behaviors, approaches…

Self-injurious behaviors (SIBs) are increasing in the general adolescent population, giving rise to concerns about the impact these behaviors have on gifted and talented youth. Educators of the gifted may not have adequate understanding of these behaviors, limiting their effectiveness in supporting gifted students engaging in SIB. This article…

In this article we summarize what is known about nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) in youth. First, we describe basic demographic trends, prevalence, and function. Then we turn our attention to the implications of NSSI for schools, school-related policies, and school guidelines. Having provided an overview of the field, we conclude that even in the…

The relationship between non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicidal behavior is complex and often difficult to untangle. While most self-injurers never exhibit suicidality, there is evidence of a correlation between suicidality and NSSI, and a clear overlap of risk between the two behaviors. Therefore, it is important to both prevention and…

This article presents a family competency-based treatment approach that capitalizes on the strengths and resources of self-injuring adolescents and their families. Throughout the article, the author provides therapeutic tools and strategies that he has found effective in his clinical practice of working with self-injuring youth and their families…

Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) such as cutting, burning, self-hitting, and abrading is currently occurring at high rates in middle schools, high schools, and universities. This article focuses on understanding and managing NSSI strategically within middle and high school settings. The need for, and specific components of, a thorough staff training…

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is a growing concern among professionals working with youth. Recent studies exploring the occurrence of NSSI in middle and high schools indicate that 15% to 20% of students will admit to having engaged in this behavior at least once. The alarming number of adolescents engaging in NSSI poses a challenge to all…

Physical interventions for special education students in crisis remains a controversial concept. The first minute of a crisis situation represents the most crucial time to prevent injury or the exacerbation of injury. Although preventing violence and escalation of negative emotions is the first step in crisis management, school staff also must be…

The article relates to the author's former experiences gained during the work with individuals with developmental disabilities at the Association for the Help of Retarded Children, Nassau Chapter in New York State in the United States (US), as well as with autistic children at the Loddon School in Hampshire County in the United Kingdom (UK).…