The majority of school-age children with or displaying characteristics of a mental health disorder do not independently seek help, often go undiagnosed or undetected, and fail to receive treatment or intervention leaving them susceptible to and at risk for poor school and life outcomes. In response to these concerns and in an effort to improve the…

Miami-Dade County Public Schools (M-DCPS) has been at the forefront of integrating art therapy in schools since 1979, helping children with emotional/behavioral disabilities become more receptive to academic involvement while maximizing their social and emotional potential. This article describes the history, development, current configuration,…

This monograph offers an introduction to providing an interagency "system of care" for meeting the needs of children and youth with emotional/behavioral disorders (E/BD). This approach focuses on meeting the individual needs of children with E/BD in their home communities and supporting family members as allies in the treatment process. Strategies…

This article examines federal, state, and local initiatives that have influenced child welfare policy and practice on a national scale, with particular emphasis on those policies that offer opportunities for better coordination of services between mental health and child welfare agencies. The special circumstances of child welfare clients are…

This report describes achievements of a Linn County (Oregon) project to design, implement, and evaluate a county-wide comprehensive interagency model for achieving improved outcomes for children with or at risk of developing emotional/behavioral disabilities. The project stressed systems change, driven by full parent participation and interagency…

The "Handbook of Youth Prevention Science" describes current research and practice in mental health preventive interventions for youth. Traditional prevention research focused on preventing specific disorders, e.g. substance abuse, conduct disorders, or criminality. This produced "silos" of isolated knowledge about the…

This article reviews the literature on children prenatally exposed to drugs and alcohol, the potential impact on the educational and social services systems, and implications for programing for children identified as behaviorally disordered. (Author/JDD)

Describes the pilot work and resulting project of the Muppet Club Project, designed to increase the effectiveness of available support mechanisms for emotionally and behaviorally disordered children by means of three elements: early identification of needs, making the most of existing resources in the community, and setting up activity groups for…

This Child and Adolescent Service System Program (CASSP) project implemented by the Division of Children and Youth Services of the Mississippi Department of Mental Health aimed to develop a community-level program to increase knowledge about the effectiveness of different community strategies for the development of improved systems of care for…

The Saskatoon Region Shared Service was formed by one urban and three adjoining rural school divisions in Saskatchewan (Canada), to serve a small, widespread population base of special needs students. The Shared Service established the Behavior Adjustment Model to develop a continuum of services for children with social and emotional problems. The…

This information packet presents guidelines developed collaboratively by the Manitoba (Canada) Ministries of Education and Training, Family Services, Health, and Justice for the coordination of services for children/adolescents with severe to profound emotional/behavioral disorders. The protocol mandates a shared interdepartmental multisystem case…

This article explores how the school-based wraparound approach and a school-wide systems approach to positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) work together to create more effective school environments and improved outcomes for students with or at risk of behavioral challenges. Complementary aspects of these wraparound and PBIS…

This document assists with the development of comprehensive, coordinated, school-linked services for students with emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD). Part 1 provides awareness of issues involved in creating comprehensive flexible programs for students with EBD. It begins with a discussion of specific problems: unserved students, cultural bias,…

This article presents a framework to be used in studying public policy in children's mental health. It focuses the stages of policy development and implementation, the relationships among different governmental levels, the relationships among different service sectors, and variables affecting the likelihood a policy will achieve its intended…

This introductory packet provides information on cultural concerns that should be considered in addressing barriers to student learning. Topics discussed include: (1) what is meant by ethnicity; (2) the importance of considering culture; (3) characteristics of culturally competent programs; (4) reasons school staff should be concerned about…