Project Safe Pathways: Behavioral Health for Students with IDD in State Custody
Project Description:
This project is meant to support educational access and quality of life for 40 school-aged children and adolescents with intellectual or developmental disabilities, autism, or emotional/behavioral disorders who are living in Department of Children Services (DCS) custody or at high risk for such a placement, and for whom behavior has impacted safety, impeded learning, and disrupted stable housing or access to healthcare. Our goals are primarily to identify and address barriers to these students engaging with school or living in a home that meets their best interests.
We will individualize our processes of root cause analysis, behavioral assessment and intervention, interdisciplinary collaboration, caregiver partnership, and capacity building for care providers in the school, home, community, and health care environments. We hope to expedite the process of students receiving access to a Free Appropriate Public Education in their Least Restrictive Environment as federally mandated under IDEA when one of these students is enrolling in a school system for the first time. When chronic episodes of dangerous behavior are resulting in the application of crisis responses, school removals or exclusion, reduced duration of school, reduced exposure to neurotypical peers, or changes of home placement, we will strive to reduce the severity and frequency of such incidents. When we identify insufficient access to healthcare for physical or mental health needs that are relevant to the aims above, our team will strive to identify and articulate those needs, share beneficial data to potential providers, guardians, and caregivers, and to support the identification and intake of students into appropriate healthcare services. When as student is attending school for less than a standard 35 hours/week, our team will spearhead data-informed planning with students, educators, and caregivers to develop personalized plans for maximizing inclusion and integration.
This project will include several unique features listed below:
-A blend of consultation, coaching, and direct assistance to overcome barriers that are systemic and may be well beyond the existing resources available locally
-Fostering unique and robust partnerships across caregivers, educators, and related service providers, especially in the domains of physical, mental, and behavioral health
-Building the capacity of diverse caregivers including direct service providers, foster families, and personnel across the DCS system
-Approaching important issues including educational and healthcare access that are pervasive and chronically below expectations with the potential to learn more about the issues at hand and test actionable solutions for these issues in the hopes of planning future action at a broader or more robust scale
Keyword(s):
Adolescent Health, Mental/Behavioral Health – Autism, Developmental Disabilities, Health Equity, Mental/Behavioral Health – General , Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults with Special Health Care Needs, Educational access, Trauma-Informed Care, Inter-agency collaboration
Core Function(s):
Performing Research or Evaluation, Continuing Education/Community Training, Other Direct/Model Services, Demonstration Services
Area of Emphasis
Education & Early Intervention, Health-Related Activities, Housing-Related Activities, Quality of Life, Other - Assistive Technology
Target Audience:
Community Trainees / Short term trainees, Professionals and Para-Professionals, Family Members/Caregivers, Children/Adolescents with Disabilities/SHCN
Unserved or Under-served Populations:
Racial or Ethnic Minorities, Disadvantaged Circumstances, Limited English
Primary Target Audience Geographic Descriptor:
State
COVID-19 Related Data:
N/A
