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May 2021
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Mental health awareness in schools
Prior to the pandemic, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2018) indicated that one in five children had a seriously debilitating mental illness either currently or at some point in their life. The full impact the pandemic is having on the mental health needs of students, families, and teachers is not yet known. However, social isolation and high stress levels, both of which have been prominent throughout the pandemic, can have potential negative effects on an individual’s mental wellness.

“Research demonstrates that students who receive social-emotional and mental health support achieve better academically...Unfortunately, estimates of up to 60% of students do not receive the treatment they need due to stigma and lack of access to services. Of those who do get help, nearly two-thirds do so only in school (NASP, 2016).”

Due to the prevalence of mental health needs, especially with the likelihood of increased need following the pandemic, it is important to bring awareness to mental health in order to fight stigma and increase access to services. May is National Mental Health Awareness Month. It is a time that can be utilized to bring awareness to mental health needs and to plan potential supports for students, families, and teachers. The resources listed below can be accessed to plan National Mental Health Awareness activities in your school.

American Psychological Association (Resources from 2020)

References



For more information, contact Whitney Shotwell (wilshotwell@vcu.edu) Program Specialist, T/TAC at VCU.
Autism skill competencies support professional development
If you are working with students with Autism Spectrum Disorder as a paraprofessional, direct service provider, professional or master professional, you may wonder what specific competencies you should possess in order to serve these students using evidence-based practices. The recently updated Skill Competencies for Professionals and Paraprofessionals in Virginia Supporting Individuals with Autism across the Lifespan (Virginia Autism Council, 2020) is an effective tool for planning your own professional development or guiding the development of professional development activities within your program. This document was recently updated by the Virginia Autism Council, an interagency council of autism stakeholders that works to improve services for individuals with autism throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia.

These skill competencies encompass the lifespan from early intervention through adult services and focus on the assessment of individual needs and program planning rather than on the diagnosis of autism. This list is not comprehensive of all competencies that professionals should have. Instead, it includes the competencies that are specific, unique, and/or critical to successfully serving individuals with an autism spectrum disorder. The competencies can be used in several ways to:
  1. Assist providers in identifying their areas of need for professional development and guide training and staff development for direct service staff who serve individuals with autism; 
  2. Guide the development of person-centered services and supports; and
  3. Guide the development of university-based classes to augment existing programs, and serve as a framework to incorporate the skill competencies into existing programmatic instruction. 
Each section contains statements organized under a common focus area and can provide competencies on a variety of professional levels (e.g., paraprofessional/direct service staff, professional/direct service staff, master professional/program developer/specialist). Strategies listed in the skills competencies are designed to support individuals in developing lifelong independence.

There are eight areas in this document that focus on quality beyond basic compliance standards:
●       General Autism Competency Statements
●       Environmental Structure and Visual Supports Competency Statements
●       Comprehensive Instructional Programming Competency Statements
●       Communication Competency Statements
●       Social Skills Competency Statements
●       Behavior Competency Statements
●       Sensory Integration Development Competency Statements
●       Independence Competency Statements

Each area contains two types of competencies: those that are knowledge-based and those specialized skills professionals and paraprofessionals need in practice. Some competencies require that the professional or paraprofessional has a particular knowledge unique to serving individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. However, the majority of the competencies require specialized skills that the professional and paraprofessional must be able to demonstrate in practice.


Reference

Virginia Autism Council (2021, April 2). Competencies resources. https://autismtrainingva.vcu.edu/competencies/competencies-resources/

For more information, contact Sharon Jones (scjones@vcu.edu), Program Specialist, T/TAC at VCU.
Resource highlight
Leading for all: How to create truly inclusive and excellent schools
“Imagine a classroom where students are all learning together, learning targets are clear and rigorous, and all children are engaged in the learning. Engagement can look different for different students. But it is a learning community where differences are accepted and diversity is valued, several adults are moving around to meet the needs of the learners in the classroom, access to content may come in different ways, and wherever you look you see evidence of the belief that all children can learn (Spencer-Iiams & Flosi, p. 21).”

This is the vision for Jennifer Spencer-Iiams and Josh Flosi, the authors of Leading for all: How to Create Truly Inclusive and Excellent Schools. They begin by highlighting the research and reasoning for creating inclusive classrooms. The, the authors identify critical areas of focus needing to be examined in order to develop truly inclusive and excellent schools.

With three main goals in mind, creating inclusive cultures, improving instructional practices and increasing student voice, the authors provide guiding questions for teams to consider as they begin to analyze these seven main components of inclusive and equitable learning communities.
  1. Effective physical spaces: The classroom set up is one of the most important considerations when developing an inclusive environment. Ensuring that the arrangement is conducive to learning and free of barriers for all students is key to a successful inclusive setting.
  2. Teaching common expectations: Developing schoolwide and classroom expectations that reflect student voice and are explicitly taught and reviewed throughout the year will allow all students to feel safe and welcome.
  3. Rituals, routines and recognition: Rituals and routines provide a sense of predictability that creates stability and structure that benefits all students. Providing recognition for student contributions reinforces those positive behaviors and encourages students to strive toward positive reinforcement.
  4. Engagement strategies for all students: Creating an environment in which students’ backgrounds and experiences are considered when presenting material allows all students an opportunity to connect with the content.
  5. Teaching social-emotional skills: By teaching and practicing social-emotional strategies both implicitly and explicitly, students and teachers can develop common language to discuss the needs of the students and how to best support them.
  6. Restorative practices: Restorative practices creates a culture in which acknowledging responsibility and repairing the harm that was done becomes the focus rather than emphasizing punishment.
  7. Relationships with high expectations: By being a “warm demander,” teachers can create an environment in which all students are encouraged to do their best while supports are in place to allow all students to meet those expectations (Hammond, 2014).

Leading for all: How to Create Truly INCLUSIVE and EXCELLENT Schools is coming soon to our TTAC at VCU Library.

References

Hammond, Z. (2014). Culturally responsive teaching and the brain. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Spencer-Iiams, J., & Flosi, J. (2021). Leading for all: How to create truly inclusive and excellent schools. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

For more information, contact Joel Fravel (jwfravel@vcu.edu) Program Specialist, T/TAC at VCU.