Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Emotional and Behavioral Disorders of Children

This summer I taught a class entitled “Emotional and Behavior Disorders of Children.” One of the activities in the class was for the students to pick a topic and write a blog entry. The following several articles were written by the students in my class:

  • Attention Disorders – Allison Babcock
  • Mood Disorders in Middle School – Stephanie Ballard
  • Autism – Stephanie Brown
  • Functional Behavior Assessments – Ashley Brunette
  • Separation Anxiety Disorders, Therapy, & Interventions – Holly Fidler & Jennifer Jackson
  • Emotional Disturbance vs. Social Maladjustment – Jessica Leddy & Andrea Zanchuck
  • Conduct Disorders – Sindy McLain
  • Emotional Disturbance versus Social Maladjustment – Marissa Murphy
  • Prevention of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders – Jenny Robinson
  • Schizophrenia – Sadie Weaver

Schizophrenia - Sadie Weaver

Schizophrenia
By Sadie Weaver

“Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe, and disabling brain disorder that affects about 1.1 percent of the U.S. population. People with schizophrenia sometimes hear voices others don’t hear, believe that others are broadcasting their thoughts to the world, or become convinced that others are plotting to harm them. The symptoms of schizophrenia develop in men and women in their late teens or early twenties. Some cases include hallucinations, delusions, disordered thinking, movement disorders, flat affect, social withdrawal and cognitive defects. Medications can eliminate many of the symptoms and allow people with schizophrenia to live independent and fulfilling lives.” I got all this information from the National Institute of Mental Health website. Now let me tell you what schizophrenia is to me.
I was adopted when I was 4 years old into a loving house in West Texas. I had an adoring big brother (who was also adopted from a different family when he was 4 months old), who told me secrets and taught me how to burp and pass gas, how to climb the tree in the back yard, and how to eat blueberry pancakes! He was the best big brother! He stuck up for me at school and taught me that words people said shouldn’t hurt me. He changed, however, the year he turned 16. I was only 12 at the time and just knew he and our parents fought a lot! They had him tested for drugs and put locks on his windows to keep him from leaving the house at night. At 21 my parents had him evaluated at the hospital in Big Spring and he was diagnosed with schizophrenia. I didn’t know what that meant at the time, I just know our relationship had changed.
He is a grown man now with a wife and son. He holds a job and does a great job to boot! He speaks to middle scholars and high scholars about mental illness and is taking Closeral to control his illness. He has been symptom free since 1992. He is a hero to me. Sure he has hard times and I am sure his life is not easy. I bet people look at him funny and maybe even try to take advantage of him. But let those people walk a mile in his shoes. He has not let his disorder take control of him. He has fought back and fought for control of his life.
We as future teachers need to realize we just might encounter a child like my brother someday in our classrooms. We need to fill our classrooms with compassion and acceptance and remember that these children we encounter everyday might not be in control of their lives. The things they do, the things they see, and the things they say. We need to be a source of stability and love in their crazy lives for the time they are ours in the classroom. We have but a small time to mold and touch lives. I am glad for the teachers and adults that touched my brother’s life through the years; the ones that didn’t give up. I’m glad to have my brother back again!

Prevention of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders - Jenny Robinson

Prevention of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
By Jenny Robinson

The key to preventing emotional and behavioral disorders in children is early detection. Because of this, two U.S. Presidential commissions (U.S. Surgeon General report in 2000 and the President’s Freedom Commission on Mental Heath in 2003) have called for the “transformation of the mental health system emphasizing the early identification and intervention of children at risk…within school…settings.” (Reddy, 2006) An effective early detection program for children who are considered high-risk should focus, not only in the early school years, but also in preschool settings such as Head Start. Effective tools for screening preschool children for emotional and behavioral disorders are not in common use and universal mental heath interventions for preschool children are not established. A preschool curriculum that is based on following directions, sharing, making appropriate decisions, and other social or behavioral skills seems to be critical as a prevention strategy because it builds the children’s range of behavioral tools that they have available to them. (Forness, 2000)

Special education often involves “early identification rather than early detection and secondary prevention rather than primary prevention” (Forness, 2000). According to James Kauffmann in his article entitled, “How We Prevent the Prevention of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders,” he says, “We often find ways to avoid taking primary or secondary preventive action, regardless of our acknowledgment that such prevention is a good idea. Other concerns take precedence, and as a result we are most successful in preventing prevention itself.” (1999) Early detection involves a systematic screening of all children in the general education setting in order to determine which children may be at risk for behavior disorders so that problems can be detected even before parents or teachers identify them.

Therefore, the most effective early detection program should begin in preschools where children can be screened annually for behavioral problems. Also, incorporated with this should be a primary prevention program in which all children receive universal interventions such as direct instruction in social and behavioral skills, and activities to increase parent involvement. In order to implement this plan, general education teachers need to be trained in effective classroom-wide interventions (Forness, 2000). Parents also need to be trained in effective parenting skills, as well as made aware of how to cooperate with the school in the best interest of their children. Children who do not respond to universal interventions would then go on to prereferral interventions in order to determine their response to intervention. Another early detection and intervention program that is in place is the program known as Triple P-Positive Parenting Program, which is a multilevel system of family intervention. This program provides five levels of intervention, each level increasing in strength. The first level includes a universal media campaign targeting all parents, the second and third levels consist of brief primary care consultations which target mild behavior problems, and then the last two levels consist of intensive parent training and family intervention programs for children at risk for severe behavioral problems (Sanders, 1999).

Forness, S., Hale, M.J., Kavale, K., Lambros, K., Nielsen, E., & L. Serna. (2000). A Model for Early Detection and Primary Prevention of Emotional or Behavioral Disorders. Education & Treatment of Children, 23.3, 325-346.
Kauffmann, J. (1999). How We Prevent the Prevention of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders. Exceptional Children, 65.
Reddy, L, & L. Richardson. (2006). School-Based Prevention and Intervention Programs for Children with Emotional Disturbance. Education & Treatment of Children, 29.2, 379-404.
Sanders, M. (1999). Triple P-Positive Parenting Program: Towards an Empirically
Validated Multilevel Parenting and Family Support Strategy for the
Prevention of Behavior and Emotional Problems in Children. Clinical Child and Family Psychology Review, 2.2, 71-90.

Emotional Disturbance vs. Social Maladjustment- Marissa Murphy

Emotional Disturbance versus Social Maladjustment
By Marissa Murphy

A vast amount of controversy and debate generated when Public Law 94-142 came into effect due to the vague and incomplete federal definition of emotional disturbance. The lack of resolution among educators and administrators attempting to clarify the distinction between emotional disturbance and social maladjustment has resulted in continued conflict.
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) vaguely defines emotional disturbance (ED) as:
A condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child’s educational performance: (a) an inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors, (b) an inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers, (c) inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances, (d) a general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression, and/or (e) a tendency to develop physical symptoms of fears associated with personal or school problems. Emotional disability includes schizophrenia. The term does not apply to children who are socially maladjusted, unless it is determined that they have an emotional disturbance (Cavitt, 2007).
IDEA’s definition is criticized because it leads to under-identification, narrowly interprets school performance as academic, emphasizes emotional problems, and underemphasizes behavioral problems (Smith, 2007). But IDEA’s definition for emotional disturbance (ED) causes confusion amongst educators primarily due to its failure to include a definition of socially maladjusted (SM).
Despite federal or state laws inability to fully define socially maladjusted (SM), two separate court cases offer a definition for social maladjustment. According to Doe v. Board of Education of the State of Connecticut, social maladjustment can be defined as “a child who has a persistent pattern of violating societal norms with truancy, substance abuse, a perpetual struggle with authority, is easily frustrated, impulsive, and manipulative” (Whitted, 2008, para. 4). Springer by Springer v. Fairfax County School Board, on the other hand, defined social maladjustment as “a child who is incapable of fully profiting from general educational programs of the public schools because of some serious social or emotion handicap but who is not expected to profit from special education” (Whitted, 2008, para. 5). Although some educators and administrators within individual school districts have turned to court cases for assistance in an attempt to gain a definition of social maladjustment, others have simply devised their own definition. Wayne County Regional Educational Service Agency defined social maladjustment as:
…a conduct problem, whereby maladjusted students choose not to conform to socially acceptable rules and norms…students demonstrate knowledge of school/social norms and expectations and consistently demonstrate a pattern of intentionally choosing to break rules and violate norms of acceptable behavior (2004, p. 8).
With educators and administrators establishing definitions of social maladjustment for their school districts, they are enabling themselves the ability to see the differences between a child suffering from emotional disturbance (ED) and social maladjustment (SM).
For instance, a child with an emotional disturbance is unable to comply with teacher requests while a child who is socially maladjusted is unwilling to comply with teacher requests. A child with emotional disturbance misses school due to emotional or psychosomatic issues while a child who is socially maladjusted misses school due to choice. Thus, intentionality is the distinguishing feature between social maladjustment and emotional disturbance.


References
Cavitt, Dennis. (2007). Chapter 7: Emotional or Behavioral Disorders [PowerPoint slides].
Smith, D.D. (2007). Introduction to Special Education: Making a Difference: Sixth Edition. Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Wayne County Regional Educational Services. Social Maladjustment: A Guide to Differential Diagnosis and Educational Options. Retrieved from http://www.resa.net/sped/guidelines/social_mal.pdf
Whitted, Brooke R., Cleary, Lara A., & Takiff, Neal E. (2008). Socially Maladjusted Children and Special Eudcation Services. Retrieved July 4, 2008, from http://www.wct-law.com/CM/Publications/publications37.asp.

Conduct Disorder - Sindy McLain

Conduct Disorders
By Sindy McClain

Why has conduct disorders escalated over the years? Could it be some of the circumstances that didn’t exist in days gone by? Mothers are no longer at home for their children. Drugs, alcohol and unemployment are all factors that play to the stressors of family. Sadly, these stressors often bleed over into the lives of children. Latch key kids are common place and divorce places children in a volatile situation. These are surface factors, but too often they are the first things that are blamed for conduct disorders. All too often internal factors are overlooked.
Before we look at internal factors for conduct disorders we should give you the definition of conduct disorders. Conduct disorder is a repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior in children and adolescents in which the rights of others or basic social rules are violated.¹
Children who have conduct disorders all too often do not realize that they have a problem. Adolescence is a time of increased emotional instability and intensity. That could be one of the reasons that children, as well as adults, fail to acknowledge the disorder. Sadly, additional problems can occur if a child does not receive the proper treatment for conduct disorders.
Physicians and families should be knowledgeable about this disorder for several reasons. After being diagnosed with conduct disorder the clinician is then able to refer the student to the appropriate specialists. Also and possibly the most serious, conduct disorders increase the risk of several public health problems, including violence, weapon use, teenage pregnancy, substance abuse and dropping out of school.² If conduct disorder is not identified, intervention is impossible.
According to Officer Long at the Abilene Police Department a large number of adolescents, approximately 75 to 80 percent who are arrested for weapons charges, do have a history of inappropriate conduct at home and at school. This is a tangible sign that children who go untreated for conduct disorders are at risk of that behavior escalating.
Knowledge is key for any medical condition. As a society we cannot just assume that life’s circumstances are the problem. As parents and teachers, when students begin to cross the normal lines of adolescents, we should be there to provide proper assistance to the student and their family. In order to provide proper assistance you should be aware of the signs of conduct disorder.
According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, some symptoms for conduct disorders typically include aggression, frequent lying, running away from home overnight and deliberately sets fires and causes destruction of property. These children may also be cruel to animals, show deceitfulness or theft and demonstrate serious violations to rules.³
As you can see conduct disorders are not just from not having a parent at home or having an alcoholic or drug addicted parent. These factors give any child to be angry and act out, however, students with Conduct Disorder will take their behavior to level that is socially inappropriate.
Today is the day we need to reach out and make a difference. We need to not only be educated on what our children need academically, but we need to be aware of their emotional needs as well.
References
Mental Health America. (2006). Factsheet: Conduct Disorder. Retrieved July 1,
2008 from http://www.mentalhealthamerica.net/go/conduct-disorder/

Searight, Russell H., & Rotinek, Fred & Abby, Stacey L. (2001). American Family Physician. Conduct Disorder: Diagnosis and Treatment in Primary Care. Retrieved July 1, 2008 from http://www.aafp.org/afp/20010415/1579.html

American Psychiatric Association. (1994). Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth Edition. DSM-IV Conduct Disorder. Retrieved July 1, 2008 from http://www.behavenet.com/capsules/disorders/cndctd.htm

Emotional Disturbance vs. Social Maladjustment- Andrea Zanchuck & Jessica Leddy

Emotional Disturbance vs. Social Maladjustment
Andrea Zanchuk and Jessica Leddy

Introduction
Students with emotional disturbances and social maladjustment propose a unique challenge to educators. Although similar in their behaviors, student needs are quite different. In order to meet their needs we must be highly qualified, and use research based instructional methods. Moreover, to effectively serve this population, it is crucial to know how to implement appropriate prevention and intervention strategies, as well as, instructional strategies.
Differences and Similarities
The main difference between emotional disturbance and social maladjusted is that one exhibits internalized behaviors whereas the other projects externalized behaviors. Social maladjustment has a locus of control that is externally motivated producing a conduct disorder. Their behavior is a direct result of the choices they make. Emotional disturbed students have a locus that is internally controlled concluding in an affective disorder. Although the contributing factors are different both emotional disturbance and social maladjustment require appropriate social skills intervention (School Psychologist, 2008).
Social Skills Intervention
It is widely regarded among educators that children with disabilities are challenged in the area of social competence. Social competence defined is “the ability to interact successfully with peers and adults (Hill, Coufal, 2005).” Part of the emotional well-being of every child is the ability to form and maintain friendships. The need for social acceptance has a direct impact on self-concept, school performance, and cognitive development. Ideally, social skills should be taught in the context of the natural environment.
Students must develop competence in the areas of social tasks, such as joining in, giving a compliment, and expressing feelings. Pragmatics also plays a large role in successful communication. Indeed, pragmatics encompasses assumptions about the use of language in a social context (Hill & Coufal, 2005). Students with disabilities have a hard time generalizing, thus the need for authentic real world experiences to cultivate a thriving tool kit for the social scene.
From the ages of six to twelve, children learn critical social skills necessary for a healthy lifestyle. These skills include: how to negotiate conflict, understand jokes and sarcasm, express forms of politeness, receive and give affection, and be able to recognize
the emotions of hostility, anger, and pride (Hill & Coufal, 2005). Conclusively, a most effective intervention for social competence is to use a comprehensive cross-disciplinary
approach in the school, and community setting for students with emotional disturbances and social maladjustment (Reddy, Richardson, 2006).
Conclusion
Research has previously stated that: “Historically, children with ED have received fragmented inadequate interventions and services that often yielded unfavorable school and community outcomes (Reddy, 2006).” Both emotional disturbance and social maladjustment require appropriate intervention to positively affect the well-being of individuals. Social skills programs actively engage students to positively affect both their academic and social performance. Intervention implementations used concurrently with effective instructional strategies promote a holistic education; therefore, affecting the overall well-being of an individual.

References
Hill, John W., Coufal, Kathy L., (2005). Emotional/Behavioral Disorders: A Retrospective examination of social skills, linguistics, and student outcomes. Communication Disorders Quarterly, 27(1), 33-46.
Reddy, Linda A. (2006).School-based prevention and intervention programs for children with emotional disturbance. Education and Treatment of Children, 29 (2), 370-404.
Social Maladustment: A guide to differential diagnosis and educational options.
http://www.schoolpsychologistfiles.com/EMDisability.html

Functional Behavioral Assessment - Ashley Brunette

Functional Behavior Assessments
By Ashley Brunette

Its fourth period, the class has just been assigned independent work. Everything seems to be going smoothly until Johnny starts acting out again. He does this every time independent work is given, he immediately begins tapping his pencil and throwing paper balls at the other students, Mrs. Johnson has about had it with Johnny and has given up. What should she do? Where does she go from here? Mrs. Johnson in desperate need of assistance would meet with a behavior intervention team to discuss possible intervention strategies to aide in Johnny’s success. The team would first begin by completing a Functional Behavior Assessment or FBA. The goal of the FBA is to determine what activities are associated with the problem behaviors and to identify the student’s preferences. (Smith, 2007) The three basic steps involved in accurately completing a FBA are to describe the behavior, uncover the function of the behavior and discuss the interventions that could be used to change that behavior. (CATIES, 2006)
In describing the problem behavior the teacher or staff member needs to use operational language. This ensures that when another teacher or staff member is observing the child they can accurately measure and identify the problem behavior for future recording. (Crone and Horner, 2003) When initially observing Johnny one would state that Johnny is rude and annoying. This type of language is emotionally driven and difficult to measure and identify. Different behaviors can be annoying and rude to different people and this fact can make things confusing. When describing his behavior for an FBA the individual should instead state that Johnny when placed in an independent work setting throws paper and makes distracting noises and refuses to do his work.
The next step is to uncover the function of the behavior. To do this the behavior intervention team must first take a look at the antecedent situation before the behavior, the behavior itself and the consequence of the behavior. (Crone and Horner, 2003) In Johnny’s case the antecedent is the independent work. He does well in groups but refuses to do his work in an independent work setting. Next the team should look at the consequence of this behavior. What happens when Johnny does this? When looking at this piece the team notes that Mrs. Johnson sends Johnny to the office when he engages in the inappropriate behavior. This information plays a valuable role in the function of the behavior. There are only two functions of behavior, to obtain or to avoid. (Crone and Horner, 2003) In this example Johnny’s behavior appears to be avoidance. He engages in the behavior to avoid doing the work and is then positively reinforced by being sent to the office and therefore escaping the work. The function is then deemed avoidance behavior and the team pursues an intervention plan.
The final step is to create an intervention plan that will result in an elimination of the behavior. (CATIES, 2006) The function of the behaviors should be the same but instead of avoiding doing the work he will have one on one instruction with the teacher to help him understand the concepts he is weakest in and help him to avoid feeling self conscious and frustrated with the work. The team could also add in the behavior plan that Mrs. Johnson needs to pair the students with buddies so that if Johnny has any questions he can ask his buddy and feel confident to work on his assignment again. The antecedent in the intervention plan will now be one on one instruction and a buddy system. The replacement behavior is Johnny working successfully on his assignment and the consequence is that he now feels confident with his skills. He now receives an intrinsic reward for completing his work.
In this scenario the teacher is overwhelmed with the problem behavior in her classroom but with the help of a behavior intervention plan and a simple FBA she now feels confident to take care of the behavior and maintain control of her classroom.

References:

CATIES (2006) FBA. http://www.tcnj.edu/~caties/FunctionalBehaviorAssessments.htm.

Crone, D, & Horner, R (2003). Building positive behavior support systems in schools. New York: Gulford

Functional behavior assessments. Retrieved June 30 , 2008, from Center for assistive technologies and inclusive education studies Web site: http://www.tcnj.edu/~caties/FunctionalBehaviorAssessments.htm

Smith, Deborah D. (2007). Introduction to special education. Boston, MA: Pearson.

Separation Anxiety Disorders, Therapy, & Interventions - Holly Fidler & Jennifer Jackson

Separation Anxiety Disorders, Therapy, & Interventions
By Holly Fidler & Jennifer Jackson

Separation anxiety disorder is a medical condition characterized by anxiousness and agitation when a person is in distress over a separation from a guardian, parent, caregiver, or home. Environmental and complex genetic factors tend to lead to the development of separation anxiety disorder. This disorder effects people’s life by, disabling their ability to engage in everyday activities, such as, school, sports and games, and socialization. Another factor contributing and distinguishing the characteristics of separation anxiety disorder from common anxiety is an overwhelming sense of worry comparative to peers. The anxiety can be triggered by simple separation, for instance, sleeping, parents leaving child home to run brief errands, or leaving to attend school. These fears are often characterized by irrational thoughts and tendencies, like, thoughts of parents dying.
Symptoms of separation anxiety disorder are similar at home and school, but reliant on the environment. At home children may be convinced that they will become injured, whether fatally or by just a scratch, their parents will fall ill or die, lost, or very reluctant to participate in simple outings or activities. Children with separation anxiety disorder will have difficulty sleeping alone and during sleep will have nightmares about separation, and will become suddenly inflicted with physical pains or sickness upon separation. At school the child or adolescent with separation anxiety disorder will attempt to hide the disorder because of social stressors that warrant the child’s attention to fit in with his or her peers. But, some characteristic would include: transition difficulty from home or school or pure reluctance to attend, avoiding interaction with peers, low social and academic self-esteem, and difficulty concentrating due to worry (Bostic & Bagnell, 2004). Obviously, separation anxiety disorder can overtake several aspects of a child’s life, if not the whole; therefore, separation anxiety disorder must be treated immediately in a proactive manner.
Although there are many types of therapies for anxiety disorders, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is proven to be the most effective. Unlike individual or group psychotherapy, CBT does not dwell on the disorder, but helps the young individual to redirect his or her negative thought into positive thoughts; this is facilitated, or taught, by a trained clinician. This process re-wires ones way of thinking; the individual relatively breaks down an old muscle, the brain, and replaces it with a new one. Also, this treatment can be utilized for the remainder of his or her life, unlike medication. Cognitive-behavioral therapist and researcher Aldo R. Pucci states:
“Cognitive-behavioral therapy is focused on "getting better" rather than "feeling better". So while we are encouraged that clients improve their symptoms with cognitive-behavioral therapy, we are more interested in helping them with the underlying thoughts and core beliefs that caused their emotional distress, helping them rid themselves of problematic, inaccurate thoughts, and replacing them with thoughts that are healthy and accurate” (2005).
This therapy can be used to intervene at home and school, and has been found more beneficial when there is parent involvement.
At home making adaptations as simple as a comfortable home environment and paying attention to the emotions, even if exaggerated, is important and beneficial. Researchers Dulcan, Martini, and Lewis encourage the following ways to intervene at home, they include; advanced planning for enjoyable outings by preparing the child with social stories, praising the child’s efforts at remaining calm, being firm and consistent with spoken rules and limits, and reminding the child that they successfully were separated the last time and they are able to do it again. Since the home is the main display of separation anxiety it is important to integrate the strategies and provide a supportive, understanding environment (1999; 2002). Otherwise, the child might not overcome the anxiety and it may lead to other disorders.
In the school environment the child needs to be under the care of a teacher who understands and accepting of the disorder. A safe place for the child to rest during the day if he or she feels anxiety is also important. In addition, one of the most powerful pieces is communication with the parents whether by scheduled phone calls or notes left by the parent for the child to read during the day, this will insure the child of the parents safety and attachment. The child needs to learn proper strategies for managing their worries and behavior. This can be done by the child becoming involved in developing their own problem solving techniques and methods. The strategy may not be successful because the child could use the technique to avoid separation.
A child’s difficulty never exists in one environment; therefore, the school and guardians need to work as a cohesive whole to help the child. Interventions at home and school are just as important as the child receiving proper therapy, like Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. The most important aspect is the reworking of a child’s or adolescence thought process from a negative, worrisome one to a healthy, positive one.
References
Bostic, JQ and Bagnell, A.(2004). "School Consultation." In Comprehensive Textbook of Psychiatry, 8th Edition . (Kaplan, BJ and Sadock, VA, eds.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
Dulcan, MK and Martini, DR. (1999). Concise guide to child and adolescent psychiatry (2nd ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association.
Lewis, Melvin, ed. (2002). Child and adolescent psychiatry: a comprehensive textbook (3rd ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
Pucci, A. (2005, September). Evidence-based counseling & psychotherapy. Retrieved July 2, 2008, from The National Association of Cognitive Therapist Website: http://nacbt.org/evidenced-based-therapy.htm

Autism - Stephanie Brown

Autism
By Stephanie Brown

Have you heard of the diagnoses Autism? I am going to go into some detail of what Autism is and some of the diagnoses that are involved with the disorder. There are many organizations that have gathered together to reach out to those families with a child that has autism and individuals that are affected by this disorder. One of the most known organizations is Autism Speaks. This organization helps collect funds for research of Autism, one of the biggest events is the Autism walk, that is done every year. This is just one of the many organizations that are looking for research and funding the projects.
What is Autism?
Autism is a spectrum disorder that is an umbrella of different disorders that are made up of multiple types of characteristics comprised into Autism. Here is a more defined definition of Autism from a huge organization for Autism, Autism Speaks: “Autism is a complex neurobiological disorder that typically lasts throughout a person's lifetime. It is part of a group of disorders known as autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Today, 1 in 150 individuals is diagnosed with autism, making it more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes, and AIDS combined. It occurs in all racial, ethnic, and social groups and is four times more likely to strike boys than girls. Autism impairs a person's ability to communicate and relate to others. It is also associated with rigid routines and repetitive behaviors, such as obsessively arranging objects or following very specific routines. Symptoms can range from very mild to quite severe.” ( Autism Speaks) Autism was first identified by Dr. Leo Kanner and a few months later Dr. Hans Asperger founded the disorder Aspergers Syndrome. Aspergers Syndrome can be found from mild to severe. This best example of a severe asperger diagnoses would be in the movie, Rain Man. Some of the characteristics of Asperger’s is that they like to be alone, not around a lot of people, they do not have a lot of friends, and they stick to one area of expertise.
Is Autism Treatable?
If I were guessing I would probably say no, but according to American Autism Society (ASA) they say different. “Autism is treatable. Children do not "outgrow" autism, but studies show that early diagnosis and intervention lead to significantly improved outcomes.” Some of the early intervention signs the society mentions are: “Lack of or delay in spoken language, Repetitive use of language and/or motor mannerisms (e.g., hand-flapping, twirling objects), Little or no eye contact , Lack of interest in peer relationships , Lack of spontaneous or make-believe play , Persistent fixation on parts of objects.”
Autism Diagnosis:
Doctor’s have been known to use questionnaires to help diagnose an individual. Some use this as a screening tool, most doctor’s use parent observations as a screening tool as well. According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), “Children with some symptoms of autism, but not enough to be diagnosed with classical autism, are often diagnosed with PDD-NOS. Children with autistic behaviors but well-developed language skills are often diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. Children who develop normally and then suddenly deteriorate between the ages of 3 to 10 years and show marked autistic behaviors may be diagnosed with childhood disintegrative disorder. Girls with autistic symptoms may be suffering from Rett syndrome, a sex-linked genetic disorder characterized by social withdrawal, regressed language skills, and hand wringing.” This is what they say most doctor’s will diagnose on. There are many ways to diagnose Autism, it can be diagnosed by screenings by observations, evaluations, questionnaires, but in the end the doctor’s look at the behaviors of the individual. The behaviors that were listed in the intervention section of this paper are some of the behaviors that they look at and take into consideration when making a diagnosis.
Have you ever wondered what causes Autism?
There really isn’t a said cause of Autism. Some scientists say that it could be genetics and environmental factors that could be a large part of Autism. While I was researching this topic and looking to see what the different organizations thought about the causes I came across the National Autism Association (NAA). The NAA states that “A growing number of scientists and researchers believe that a relationship between the increase in neurodevelopmental disorders of autism, attention deficit hyperactive disorder, and speech or language delay, and the increased use of Thimerosal in vaccines is plausible and deserves more scrutiny. In 2001, the Institute of Medicine determined that such a relationship is biologically plausible, but that not enough evidence exists to support or reject this hypothesis. Recent studies have confirmed the association between the use of Thimerosal and autism has moved from "biologically plausible" to a "biological certainty" (Boyd Haley). Recent work by Dr. Mark Geier and David Geier in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons and Experimental Biology and Medicine have shown strong epidemiological evidence for a causal relationship between thimerosal and neurodevelopmental disorders in children.” In summary the NAA, has research that has not been proven yet that mercury may play a major role in the causes of Autism. So there are many different opinions and thoughts that contribute to the causes of Autism.
In Conclusion, I have included some facts from another organization for Autism intervention and research. I have learned a lot about autism as I have lived with a parent that has a mild form of Autism, his diagnoses is Asperger’s Syndrome. I have always been interested in helping individuals with special needs and Autism is one of the most in need of help. Here are a couple of facts that are facing individuals with Autism from the organization, Faces for Kids:
• “Every 21 minutes another child is diagnosed with autism. It has become an epidemic in our nation. As many as one million American's are currently living with some form of autism. The majority of these individuals diagnosed with autism will require lifelong supervision and care.” (FACESforKids.org)
• Once a person with autism reaches adulthood, the cost to provide the necessary educational and social services, as well as supervised living arrangements, is more than $100,000 per year. (Faces)

References:
What is Autism? (2008). Retrieved July 2, 2008, from Autism Speaks Web site: www.autismspeaks.org
Autism Society of America. (2008). About Autism [Journal]. Bethesda, Maryland
About Autism. (2006). Retrieved July 2, 2008, from FACES Web site: www.facesforkids.org
The facts. (2008). Retrieved July 2, 2008, from National Autism Association Web site: http://www.nationalautismassociation.org/thimerosal.php

(2007). What is Autism?. Retrieved July 2, 2008, from National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Web site: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/autism.htm

Mood Disorders in Middle School - Stepahanie Ballard

Mood Disorders in Middle School
By Stephanie Ballard

Middle School
Middle schools contain teenagers going through a unique life transition. Cliques of students who share strong similarities begin to form. These groups help to form identities and bonds between students and make this transition time more bearable. However, middle school can also be an uncomfortable time of rejection, harsh realizations and life changes. Though this happens throughout life, the emotional time of the teenage years makes it more intense. Teenagers see everything as intense and personal and if a student has a mood disorder, you can count on the feelings being even more intense and more personal.
Mood Disorders
Mood disorders have many factors. Some can be a chemical imbalance in the brain. Major changes in one’s life can cause a mood disorder. Mood disorders are also paired with anxiety disorders. In teenagers, mood disorders are a little harder to diagnose because teenage hormones cause mood changes in a young person. One has to be very careful and very discerning when diagnosing a teenager with a mood disorder.
Depression
There is not one type of depression or one certain way to handle the depression. Major Depressive Disorder, Dysthymic Disorder, and Adjustment Disorder with Depressed Mood are just a few that stem from many causes and have many ways to be dealt with. Most depression cases have to be dealt with on a person-to-person basis.
Depression can be onset by a chemical imbalance in the brain, or maybe rejection from peers, or possible a family death or divorce. It could be caused by low self-confidence that could have any number of its own stems.
Suicide
Though suicide and depression are related, depression is not the only factor that leads to suicide. There is often more than one problem, issue, or situation that can be a deciding factor for one to commit suicide. Suicide is most common among people ages 15-24. Adolescent years are filled with questions, searching, and self-discovery. Some are tormented with fears of inadequacy, some experience major life changes (death, divorce, moving), and some just want to know who they are. The adolescent environment can be a cruel environment that adds to insecurities, creates depression, and then there can be a triggering event to push a teen to a place where they do not see their world getting better. The teenage reasoning that can hinder them from seeing the big picture, suicide looks like the easy way out of their horrible problems.
Bipolar Disorder
Bipolar disorder has two stages: manic and depression. Manic is experienced by very good moods; some almost like a person is untouchable and very idyllic. The manic state can last up to ten months. Depression is experienced by sadness and loss of interest in what is happening in life. The depression state can last up to three months. With a rollercoaster of emotions as a normal teenager, imagine what it is like a teenager with a Bipolar disorder. Though not much is known about this disorder in teenagers, it does exist.
A controlled environment is good for adolescents who have Bipolar disorder. Some people with Bipolar disorder do seek medication to help, but often it is something like lithium that leaves them feeling disoriented and out of control.
The Role of the Teacher
As a middle school teacher, it is one’s job to create an environment for all students, even those who suffer from mood disorders. The best environment is a consistent schedule and relaxed classroom. The instruction must have a good relationship with the students so that on bad days, the student will be comfortable enough to talk to the teacher and work through problems. The teacher should try to be aware of major events that occur in a child’s life, like a death or divorce, to look for signs of depression. Another ally in this situation is the school counselor who has more knowledge and tips about helping the child. Never isolate or ignore the depressed teenager because this could increase the feelings of sadness and loneliness. The best teacher for an adolescent to have is a positive teacher. A teacher must serve as an encourager through good and bad times to give hope and love to students.

Reference:
Wicks-Nelson, R. & Israel A. C. (2003) Behavior Disorders of Childhood. New Jersey:
Pearson Prentice Hall. Chapter 7: Mood Disorders.

Attention Disorders - Allison Babcock

Attention Disorders
By Allison Babcock

Attention Disorders such as Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder are considered chronic and affects millions of American children and often continue into adulthood. In studying various attention disorders research has shown that AD/HD has a very strong neurobiological origin, however there have not been any specific causes found. Nevertheless, it is thought that genetics seem to play the largest role in the causes of this particular disorder. When biological influences aren’t involved, research has found that difficulties during pregnancy, prenatal exposure to alcohol and tobacco, premature delivery, significantly low birth weight, excessively high body lead levels, and postnatal injury to the prefrontal area of the brain may increase the chances of a child having an attention disorder.
There are various symptoms that are visible in individuals who suffer from Attention Deficit Disorder or Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder such as making careless mistakes in schoolwork, difficulty sustaining attention to tasks, not listening to what is being said, difficulty organizing tasks and activities, losing and misplacing belongings, fidgeting and squirming in seat, talking excessively, interrupting or intruding on others, and difficulty playing quietly. These are just a range of symptoms that can be found in individuals with attention disorders, symptoms will often vary depending on the person.
Although many think that there is a specific test available for those who may have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder/Attention Deficit Disorder, there is no single test that can diagnosis an individual. However, there are various guidelines to consider when diagnosing a person with this particular disorder such as (1) does the child show a sufficient number of ADHD/ADD symptoms to possibly warrant the diagnosis?; (2) have these symptoms persisted for at least 6 months and are they present at a level that is developmentally inappropriate?; (3) for a child older than 7, was there impairment from symptoms prior to this age? (4) do the symptoms cause impairment in more than one setting (e.g. home and school)?; (5) do the symptoms cause clinically significant impairment in academic, social, or occupational functioning?; and (6) are the symptoms better accounted for by another psychiatric condition? As I mentioned before there are various tests/guidelines that need to be considered when testing an individual for an attention disorder; an individual also needs to go through a physical examination and several interviews to rule out any other possible diagnosis.
Some treatments to be considered are pharmacotherapy, parent training, behavioral programs, cognitive-behavioral training, social skills training, academic remediation, and individual counseling. However the most effectively used in cases with ADHD individuals are pharmacological and behaviorally oriented parent training and school-based approaches. When using the pharmacological approach, stimulant medications such as Methylphenidate, Dextroamphetamine, and a combination of both, are highly recommended. Medications that are considered alternatives if the first choice medications don’t work are Antidepressants, Antihypertensive, and Clonidine. Anticonvulsants and Antipsychotic medications are considered only when the medications listed above aren’t successful.
The other method of treatment that is very important in a child’s treatment is that the parents and teachers come up with a behavior modification plan to help improve the child’s behavior. With this particular treatment, there is a helpful tool that many educators use when helping parents modify a child’s behavior, it’s called the ABC’s: Antecedents (something that set offs or triggers the behaviors), Behaviors (something the child does that parents and teachers want to change), and Consequences (the result after behaviors). The parents and teachers need to know what antecedent triggers the behavior so they can stop the behavior before it occurs. It is also important to set up goals for the child to achieve over time and to take small steps especially with children because behavior modification can take time. Parents and teachers also need to keep in mind that consistency and patience is crucial when working with a child with an attention disorder.
References:
Causes: http://www.chadd.org/Content/CHADD/Understanding/Causes/default.htm
Symptoms: http://www.add-adhd.org/attention_deficits_ADHD.html
Treatment: (1) Behavior Disorders of Children: Chapter 9, Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, pg 261. (2) http://www.help4adhd.org/en/treatment/behavioral/WWK7
Evaluation: http://www.helpforadd.com/evaluation-guidelines/