How to Deal with Students with Mental Illness

GUEST BLOGGER: Kathryn Biel

This week before students return, I’ve been spending copious amounts of time in district mandated professional development. One of the seminars was on what to do if there is an active shooter/active killer in the school. It a sad commentary that this is a necessary seminar for those of us in education. The presenter discussed several past episodes of school violence, and talked about lessons learned from them, and how those lessons have shaped changes in policies and procedures.

He touched briefly on the need for collaboration between various team members, especially when dramatic shifts in behavior are noted. Although the term was mentioned casually, what he did not address is mental illness in students. My colleague leaned over to me and said, “What we really need is professional development on how to deal with students with mental illness.”

As suicide rates and incidences of school (and community) mass violence continue to rise, this is an issue that can no longer be ignored. As of the latest available data, the suicide rate in teens is 10%. One in ten teenagers aged 14 to 19 will attempt suicide at some point in their lives (the percentage jumps to 25% in LBGTQ teens).

Personally, I know that over my sixteen year career, I’ve not only seen a startling number of young children diagnosed with some form of mental illness, but the severity and frequency appear to be increasing. From children virtually paralyzed by anxiety to selective mutism to depression to bipolar disorder, we are seeing these kids on a daily basis. We are dealing with the fall out of their disorders (whether being treated or not) through behaviors. As a therapist, I know that behaviors resulting from a mental illness can significantly derail the productivity and therefore progress my student makes.

This is a topic in which there are no easy answers. Then, fold in the dynamic educational aspect with its rapid fire pace and high demands, and it is no wonder we are seeing aggression and behaviors from our students. They are in a world that doesn’t always make sense, with chemical imbalances that impair their ability to respond, and we are expecting so much.

But we have to have expectations. So, how do we handle this? How can we ask our students to do their best without increasing anxiety and depression? How can we improve mental health while getting the most out of our students? If you’d like to know more, John Pagano will be discussing behavior management and strategies for improving mental health at the Sixteenth Annual Therapies in the School conference.

~Kathryn Biel, PT, DPT

 

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NEW COURSE: Brain Injury Rehabilitation (TBI and Post Concussion Syndrome)

We are excited to welcome Shari Woelke to our faculty. 

Shari is an occupational therapist and sole proprietor of Woelke Occupational Therapy (WOT) based in Ottawa, Ontario Canada.  Her practice experience has spanned inpatient, community and clinic settings with a career-long emphasis on neurological disorders.  She now primarily targets brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder (largely military), learning and emotional disorders. Woelke Occupational Therapy provides biofeedback, activation, mental health and cognitive rehabilitation support, with heavy emphasis on current neurophysiological research and its application to rehabilitation.

Don’t miss her dynamic new course coming up in December.

[caption id="attachment_2783" align="alignright" width="180"]Shari Woelke Education Resources Shari Woelke, OT[/caption]

This course will review current evidence in brain injury rehabilitation; building from the neurophysiological impact of brain injury to the development of an evidence-based ‘framework or intervention’ that is applicable across ages and contexts.  Strategies and techniques to address specific symptoms will be reviewed; including the process of customization to the client’s specific needs.  The course will close with a discussion of emerging trends and technology in neurological intervention.

At the end of this course the participant will be able to:

  • Identify neurophysiological correlates of symptoms post brain injury.
  • Identify symptoms, functional implications and strategy options that may be customized to client need.
  • Learn to apply a ‘framework of intervention’ that may be used across age spans and symptom severity.
  • Implement and adapt context-specific functional strategies to the client’s symptom and environmental demands.

Being offered in:

Minneapolis, MN – December 5-6, 2015

Richmond, VA – December 11-12, 2015

Please click here for full course details, to download a brochure and to register.

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Get Your Back To School Postural Control Ready!

GUEST BLOGGER: Kathryn Biel

I’m preparing myself, as many of you are to head back to school. Seriously, where did the summer go? But in thinking about the things we may need to get ready for school, we often think of the basics: pencils and erasers, folders, a supportive pair of sneakers, a high quality backpack. One of the things that many of our students may be lacking, without even knowing it, is postural control.

Postural control is the ability to maintain and control one’s body in space for the purposes of orientation and stability. Anyone watching a toddler stand for the first time will understand that it is literally a careful balancing act. However, once children are upright and moving, it’s easy to forget about the multiple factors that influence postural control. But think about what we’re asking our bodies to do. We’re asking them to hold still and move all at the same time. To maintain the axial body while moving some (all) of our five appendages (including the head). To coordinate input from internal and external sources and factors and keep us upright and stable. When there’s a deficit or dysfunction in one of these factors, postural control and balance can be grossly and finely affected.

The systems that are necessary for postural control include the musculoskeletal system, the sensory system, and the cognitive or cortical system. Numerous variables within these systems (such as range of motion, strength, muscle tone, attention, vision, and vestibular processing) must work together to maintain a delicate balance that holds the body still while providing movement to interact and react with the environment.

At times, a deficit in one system can lead to overcompensation with another. For example, the child who can balance endlessly on one foot with his eyes open, but falls almost instantaneously when his eyes are closed. It is then up to us to figure out where the dysfunction is occurring and how to provide a treatment plan and strategies to minimize the dysfunction.

We’re seeing these children in school all the time. They’re the kids who can’t sit upright without external support. They’re the kids who can’t maintain sitting in their seats while looking up at the board and then down at their desks (due to unintegrated primitive reflexes). They’re the kids who trip and fall. The kids who aren’t able to sit or stand still.

And then, as therapists, the question is what to do about it? How much external support do we provide? What positions are acceptable and functional? How do we help the child become more functional within the school environment?

If you’re looking for more on postural control and movement theories, and how to improve function with minimal direct handling or positioning equipment, check out the Sixteen Annual Therapies in the School Conference where Barbara Hodge will address this topic and more!

~Kathryn Biel, PT, DPT

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Autism Intervention – Don't Miss This Dynamic Continuing Education Course

Intervention Strategies for AutismThis  evidence based course will integrate evidence based treatments with practical techniques for behavior, communication, and function.

Coming to:
Aurora, IL – September 18-19, 2015
Tallahassee, FL – October 2-3, 2015
Houston, TX – November 7-8, 2015
Mountainside, NJ – February 12-13, 2016

Stacey is well known for her dynamic engaging teaching style, and her ability to take current research and make it clinically relevant and exciting. She will teach you to view familiar problems with new eyes. She is a master clinician in occupational therapy, and also a published author who lectures throughout the country with a specialty in sensory processing disorders.

Please Click here for full course information, to download a brochure or to register

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Please help! PT with a Difficult Torticollis Case, Needs Some Advice.

 

DEAR ERI COMMUNITY: Posting from Brandy

Hello all, I need help!
I have a baby (pt) with torticollis. She has been treated for several months. The baby also had GI issues, found out she has allergies, etc. She is extremely irritable and doesn’t calm easily. She switches sides for her tilt often. I referred her to a neurologist and craniosacral therapist/chiropractor for benign paroxysmal torticollis of infancy. Obviously no one has heard of this. The mom (due to financial concerns) ended up leaving here and cont. on with EI, but cont. to call and keep me updated and bounce ideas off of me. I also referred the pt. to a pedi/neuro opthamologist who states vision is normal. The opthamologist is referring the pt. to a HEENT for inner ear issues. I have run out of reasons/ideas why this pt. cont. to have torticollis and switch sides. Any other ideas for this poor mom? The baby is probably about 8 months now.

Please post your comments below to help Brandy.

Thank you

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