Effective Strategies Checklist: Children and Youth with Developmental Disorders and Challenging Behaviors

Children and youth who have intellectual disabilities or developmental disorders are at elevated risk for co-occurring psychiatric or behavioral problems. These young people pose a serious challenge for administrators, program directors and clinicians, especially when they present with aggressive or disruptive behaviors. When appropriate community services have not been organized, these youth can be among the most difficult and costly to serve. Across the country, their families report relentless stress, partly because it is very difficult to obtain the help they need. This paper provides resources and strategies that have improved outcomes and lowered costs, while diminishing risk for institutional placements, referrals to juvenile justice and child welfare.

Reducing Anxiety in the Classroom

February 2018

Reducing Anxiety in the Classroom presentation by Happy Minds Counseling and Consulting, hosted by FFF. Happy Minds Counseling can be found at https://happymindscounseling.com.

NAMI of Northern Virginia

NAMI of Northern Virginia offers a number of support groups for families and individuals struggling with mental illness.  Find the list of support groups as well as other resources form NAMI of Northern Virginia.

Karli and Me Activity Book for Children Coping with Parental Addiction

From Sesame Workshop, this activity book can be used with young children to in build resilience when faced with the unique issues presented by a parent’s addiction.

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  Activity Book

Handling the Arrest of a Family Member, from NAMI

A webpage from the national NAMI organization offers specific strategies for families of individuals with mental health conditions who are arrested. Topics include handling medication, working with an attorney, and navigating courts.

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  Handling the Arrest of a Family Member

Considerations for Mental Health Support While Transition Planning

This Topical Paper from VCU Center on Transition Innovation addresses mental health prevalence among transition-aged youth. It overviews mental health and disability, and mental health and transition, and offers strategies for supporting students.

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  Considerations for Mental Health Support While Transition Planning

Paving the Way to College and Careers: Families and Schools Together curriculum

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  Paving the Way webpage

988 Mental Health Suicide and Crisis Lifeline FAQ

From NAMI, updated information about the 988 mental health suicide and crisisline, as of July 2023, the one year anniversary of the 988 line.

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  Updated Frequently Asked Questions on 988

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  Fast Statistics on 988 from NAMI Northern Virginia

Fact Sheets on Supporting Students’ Social, Emotional, Behavioral, and Academic Well-Being and Success

In March of 2023, the U.S. Department of Education released Guiding Principles for Creating Safe, Inclusive, Supportive, and Fair School Climates for students and school staff, featuring specific recommendations for evidence-based practices that allow students to learn, grow, and be successful. To enhance state and local implementation of these guiding principles, a collaborative of technical assistance centers serving the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Elementary and Secondary Education, Office of Safe and Supportive Schools developed a series of four fact sheets. The series describes best practices and approaches to help support and respond to students’ social, emotional, behavioral, and academic needs, including practices designed to reduce the use of exclusionary discipline in schools.

Each fact sheet is tailored to a specific audience at the school or district level:

• school and district leaders
• student support teams
• educators and school-based staff
• families

The fact sheets also feature resources to help support stakeholders in this important work.

Fact sheets are available in English and Spanish.

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  Links to 4 Fact Sheets for different audiences, in English and Spanish

Schools Respond: Substance Abuse in Teens panel webinar from NVFN

Presented live on February 22, 2023, this virtual panel session was hosted by Northern Virginia Family Network (nvfn.org) and facilitated by Formed Families Forward and NAMI Northern Virginia.

Panelists included:

Victor Martin, Ruthy Marcado, Alexandria City Public Schools

Jenny Sexton, Arlington Public Schools

Stefan Mascoll, Fairfax County Public Schools

Rebecca Sharp, Falls Church Public Schools

Blaise Carland, Megan Marshall, Loudoun County Public Schools

Mallory McKnight, Julie Crawford, Prince William County Schools

A recording of the session and a resource sheet with links mentioned during the session are available.

A recording with Spanish captions will be available soon.

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  Resources shared in Session and related links of interest

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  Recording of Panel session

Positive Behavior Supports: An Approach to Supporting Individuals with Disabilities and Sexual Offending Behavior webinar

From the Home and Community Positive Behavior Support Network (HCPBS), this April 2022 webinar by Dr. Robin Wilson and Mariah Tricker focuses on Sexual Offending Behaviors.

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  webinar recording

3 Tips to Improve Communication with Your Youth & Young Adults tip sheet

This tip sheet provides parents and allies of youth and young adults with lived experience of a mental health condition tips be able to improve their connection with them. This tip sheet was developed as a collaboration between the family member and young adult advisory boards that work with the Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research at University of Massachusetts. The tips are based on advisory board members’ real experiences.

A Guide to the Children’s Services Act (CSA) for Children and Families

This September 2021 Guide from the Virginia CSA State and Local Advisory Team. The Children’s Services Act (CSA) is a planning and funding process to help meet the needs of children and families in Virginia. This document provides parents and families information on eligibility for CSA and other aspects of the CSA process.

The Children’s Services Act is a Virginia law created to develop and fund various services and supports for eligible children and their families. Services are approved through a multi-disciplinary team process and monitored by the local CSA program. Funding is a shared responsibility of local and state governments. Assistance through the CSA might be appropriate if your child needs mental health, behavioral supports, or other resources not funded through private insurance or Medicaid.

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  A Guide to the Children's Services Act for Children and Families

Social Emotional Learning (SEL): What Families Should Know fact sheet

This fact sheet from the Northern Virginia Family Network, of which FFF is an active member, provides an overview of social emotional learning efforts in the schools. It offers families information about how they can be involved in SEL efforts in their children’s schools.

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  SEL Fact Sheet

Holiday Stress worksheets

From Understood.org, these worksheets are tools for kids and parents/caregivers to identify and prepare for holiday stressors.

The holidays can be hard for kids who learn and think differently. Things that are supposed to be fun — special holiday meals, chitchat with friends and relatives — can be stressful. There may be unspoken (or even spoken) comparisons to other kids. All these demands can lead to behavior problems .

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  Holiday Stress worksheet

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  Holiday Stress during COVID worksheet

Helping Children Impacted by Parental Substance Use Disorder

This publication from the Addiction Policy Forum and Warren County, Ohio is for adults who come into contact with children impacted by a parent’s addiction and provides information about how to help. It is meant for anyone—teachers, coaches, pastors, relatives, friends, neighbors.

The toolkit offers resources for understanding adverse childhood events, what to look for if you suspect a child might have a parent with a substance use disorder, what you can do to help, and more.

Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities National Training Center

The Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities (MHDD) National Training Center offers free training, resources, and other information to improve mental health services and supports for people with developmental disabilities. By serving as a national clearinghouse, it offers access to the most current evidence-based, trauma-informed, culturally responsive practices that address the mental health needs of individuals with developmental disabilities. The Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities National Training Center (MHDD-NTC) is funded by the Administration for Community Living, US Department of Health and Human Services.

Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI)

A description of Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI), from the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development. TBRI is a an attachment-based, trauma-informed intervention that is designed to meet the complex needs of vulnerable children. TBRI uses Empowering Principles to address physical needs, Connecting Principles for attachment needs, and Correcting Principles to disarm fear-based behaviors.

The 3-5-7 Model—Helping Children Work Through Grief

This article from NACAC describes the 3-5-7 Model used to treat children and youth.

The 3-5-7 Model is designed to help professionals and parents work with children and youth to address these issues of grief and loss. It is an evidenced-informed, guided practice approach that supports the work of children and parents in grieving their losses and rebuilding their relationships in an effort to achieve well-being, safety, and permanency. The model incorporates theoretical underpinnings from child development, attachment, separation and loss, trauma, family systems, and relationship development.

Onward: The Formed Families Forward podcast, Epi. 1 Positive Behavior

This episode addresses positive behavioral supports at home, and how they can be used during virtual learning.

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  Onward podcast: Positive Behavioral Supports at Home

Northern Post Adoption Regional Consortium

Funded by Va Department of Social Services, the Northern Post Adoption Regional Consortium offers case management, crisis supports, training, and other services for post-adoptive families. It is a partnership between The Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.), enCircle, Children’s Home Society and NACAC to offer post adoption services and supports.

All families who have finalized adoptions of children ages birth through 18 years and reside in Virginia are eligible for services at no cost. This includes families that have adopted domestically, internationally and through foster care.

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  Consortium Flyer for families

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  Consortium Flyer for professionals

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  Website

Special Education Hacks that Help Students with Mental Health Conditions

A presentation by FFF Director Kelly Henderson for the NAMI of Virginia Family and Youth Virtual Summit on May 16, 2020. Includes some COVID-related specifics at conclusion of the session.

Guidance to States and School Systems on Addressing Mental Health and Substance Use Issues in Schools

This Joint federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) – Center for Medicaid and CHIP Services (CMS) informational Bulletin provides guidance to states and school systems about addressing mental health and substance use issues in schools. It provides examples of approaches for services in schools and describes some Medicaid authorities that states may use to cover services.

Several best practice models, including multi-tiered systems of supports, are discussed.