Southern New Mental Health Disorders Among School Community Based Project

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Whyvhf24

Humanities

Southern New Hampshire University

Description

review the attached document and provide written feedback. Please phrase your comments objectively and positively. Describe the project, respond with your personal interpretations and reactions, and evaluate by critiquing what you found to be effective and what could be improved.

Instructions: You are required to carefully review the proposals of the document and give substantive feedback in the following areas:

  • Problem Identification
  • Identification of Important Community Members or Stakeholders
  • Proposal to address the problem or need
  • Assessment

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Community Based Project COMMUNITY BASED PROJECT First Draft Community Based Project Families with children battling mental health have access to out-patient therapy, crisis intervention services, in home family therapy, and therapeutic mentoring. Schools can support mental health by offering IEP, individualized educational planning or 504’s for learning and social-emotional concerns effecting their ability to function in school. Many children with 504’s or IEP’s in place are offered smaller classes for learning, extra time on assignments, altered school days, paraprofessional aids, check ins with school’s counselors, and safe spaces for coping. Our community resides in Bridgewater, MA and we need better mental health support within our schools. Community/ Stakeholders Bridgewater, Massachusetts is a beautiful suburbian town that continues to host farming cultures, wildlife, and bridgewater state university. Bridgewater is a growing community of approximately 27,000, offering a diversity of activities, Bridgewater maintains a caring, friendly, small-town, community atmosphere (bridgewaterma.org). This community is willing to vote and attend meetings regarding changes and improvements of the community. People volunteer to keep activities running and to create a safe and enjoyable childhood for our youth. Below describes the demographics of this community. • Bridgewater, MA lacks diversity. 83.6% of residents are white, 7.8% black, 1.9 % Asian, 3.6% Hispanic and 2.8% are mixed race (Neighborhood Scout). • Age groups making up Bridgewater, 4.2% are 5 and under, 13% are age 5-17, 22% are 18-24 years, 10.9% are age 25 to 34, 25.7% are 35-54 years, and 24.3% are 55 and older (Neighborhood Scout). 2 COMMUNITY BASED PROJECT • Income in Bridgewater has a median income of 88,640 a year while the US average median is 57,652. 9.5% of people are below poverty level in Bridgewater (Neighborhood Scout). • Bridgewater- Raynham school district has 5,402 students enrolled in district. 8 schools in district. And 16 student average per classroom (state average 13) (Neighborhood Scout). Bridgewater, MA values people and values natural resources. Someone is always willing to help someone else and the town was developed upon farming and building from the ground up. This town values education over the greater cost. Many residents voted yes to begin building the school which will take 536 additional dollars-worth of taxes each year for the next 25 to build and maintain the school. Not everyone is able to afford this rise in taxes, but they voted yes anyways due to the future of our youth. David Kennedy, a member of this town described it best when he said, “Bridgewater is a diverse community with many walks of life from farmers and blue-collar tradesman to small business owners and health care support. We value our holiday spirit and displays with parades and fireworks for each occasion and patriotism.” Values are different for each individual but it’s clear from speaking with others and living in this community, we value our town, the people and our education. The schools require adjustment and support for non-traditional learners. Today, mental health is affecting children in many different ways that impact their ability to learn within traditional classrooms in a conventional way. 35% of Bridgewater residents are school aged being 5-24 years old, Roughly, 36.6% of adults may have children in the school systems and some of these students will require an IEP or 504 with accommodations to succeed within their school. In Bridgewater, education holds a high value and for children who have difficulties 3 COMMUNITY BASED PROJECT learning due to anxiety, depression, trauma, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, or social/emotional diagnosis, additional supports need to be put in place. The people this project will benefit are members of the school, teachers, parents and most importantly children. Families with young children are more likely to move and set their roots here when their research indicates mental health support within schools is available. Need/Problem Currently, this community is down one elementary school which is causing a series of issues in the public-school system and for the rest of the community. The process of building a new school is tolling and many people are concerned regarding a rise in taxes and cost of living going up. The middle school is currently housing the elementary school kids while the high school is taking responsibility for the 8th grades. The school situation is not ideal for any average kid but what happens to the children requiring extra assistance for special education, learning disabilities, and mental health diagnosis. Mental health support for children in school is a problem. Within the current elementary school there is 26 children per one teacher in the classroom. When a child has an emotional need for a break or their body becomes out of control, they call the school psychologist and the principle to calm the child. The time for calming can last a few minutes to an hour due to lack of calming tools and safe spaces to regulate. Children requiring support often disrupt the class and remove attention from other students. Due to the school set up, there is no space to cope and regulate outside of the psychiatrist office or school hallway, neither place has coping supplies. With many students and having paraprofessionals assisting in the classroom only 2 days a week, the support is limited. Some children require 4 COMMUNITY BASED PROJECT additional support with emotional behaviors and require a smaller class size which Bridgewater school cannot offer at this time. One in five children birth to 18 has a diagnosable mental disorder. One in 10 youth has serious mental health problems that are severe enough to impair how they function at home, in school, or in the community (Stagman & Cooper, 2010). Kids with ADHD do not have the ability to focus or thrive in a classroom consisting of so many kids and two breaks in the school psychologist’s office to regulate. Children who require extra support and attention are not able to receive those needs. Children who require smaller classes for learning do not have access. Bridgewater is a town who strives on the future of the children and their education, there next priority should consist of ensuring children require mental health support have their needs met. Solution to our problem Bridgewater raises money for the school and teachers every month through fundraisers and community-based activities but none of the money is going to support children’s mental health needs through elementary and high school. Having fundraisers twice a year where the proceeds are set aside for mental health department in schools so they can build the resources required and funds for the additional teachers and paraprofessionals needed to maintain support in the classroom or within a small group setting. Small classrooms housing 5-10 children would be beneficial to the additional support that can be offered when a child has a learning disability but is not disabled or for a child with severe emotional and social needs that requires more attention and support with learning. It is difficult to respond to children who require help or support when the classroom has 26 children per one teacher. All classrooms in the school should have 20 children or less but children who require 5 COMMUNITY BASED PROJECT support due to their IEP’s and 504’s should be offered additional support. Another resource would be a paraprofessional aid who is trained to deal with emotional and behavioral outbursts in the classroom, to remove child and bring to a safe space as well as deescalate the situation. Managing crisis within the school and classroom is important and for children battling mental health everyday may require additional support so it does not affect their ability to learn. The school requires a safe space where children can throw things like balls or pillows, meditate, swing, draw, read, utilize sand or putty, and resistance bands. The room should consist of padded walls or just the floor so the child can stay safe but get out frustration. This room will be used for all forms of coping and breaks during their day as required. Established usage will be listed in their 504 or IEP. The benefits of creating a room for students to cope would be a few minutes to regulate and calm down so they can rejoin class and focus. Assessment Plan In order to create a solution for the mental health support in schools within our community, we must assess the project and determine whether the goals are feasible to accomplish. The goals for the Bridgewater, Ma schools require accessibility for smaller classes for children who have difficulties focusing or getting support. Paraprofessional aids in the classrooms to offer classroom support and assistance. Lastly, we should develop a safe space for a child to regulate their emotions, cope and get their bodies under control so they can function within the classroom normally. Outcomes & Metrics Measuring Progress. Outcomes Data needed to evaluate outcome Accessibility for smaller classrooms for Obtain number of students average in the children who require less distraction and school with IEP/504's as well as children better learning. who require extra support or behavioral concerns. 6 COMMUNITY BASED PROJECT Paraprofessional assistance in each class rooms to support individual children who require aid. Cost for paying for extra aids in the classroom as well as the cost to develop a designed room for coping needs. A room designed for OT breaks and coping skill to help children regulate. School structure and best way to create multiple rooms for smaller classrooms. In order to accomplish these goals, we must collect data on cost, space, resources and staff required. Paraprofessional will require pay for their services and resources to build the room and ensure we can create smaller classrooms for the children. We must also calculate the children within the school who will be requiring the extra support listed within an IEP or 504. Data Collection and Data Use. Outcome Collection Methodology Classrooms for Speak to the school Smaller Classes. psychologist & adjustment counselors to determine the number of children with IEP’s and 504’s. Use of Data IEP’s and 504 determines children who require accommodations so with this information, we can determine the number of small group classes needed to meet the needs of all children requiring. Paraprofessional Calculate cost for each Determine the cost per year to Aids for paraprofessional and supplies maintain classroom support and classroom needed per year to maintain the determine classrooms who need an assistance. support. extra aid. Development Create room design or Cost to ensure its feasible plan to space for determine space assessible develop this support room. Room coping. enough for the students to should consist of yoga matts, items for utilize. Calculate cost of throwing, waited blanket, sand/ putty therapeutic tools required. stations, swing, resistance bands and books. The table above shows how I will collect the data required to make this project feasible for the community to establish and build from their current support system up. Aids are required for extra support within classrooms, supplies are needed within the room built for additional support and physical available spaces not only for the coping skills room but available for small 7 COMMUNITY BASED PROJECT classes. This project requires budgeting, fundraising, and involvement from school staff and parents to stabilize the mental health of children during school. Conclusion Bridgewater, MA hosts a community who values its people, tradition and education. The community votes for the best possible outcome for the future and with that being said, should start focusing on the mental health of the youth so they can grow to be functioning adults. The children are the future and if some are falling between the cracks due to a flawed system, we should be the solution. 8 COMMUNITY BASED PROJECT References Bridgewaterma.org. Community. Retrieved by https://www.bridgewaterma.org/31/Community Neighborhood Scout. (2017). Bridgewater, Ma Demographics. Retrieved by https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/ma/bridgewater/demographics Stagman, Shannon and Cooper, Janice. (2010). Children’s Mental Health. Retrieved by http://www.nccp.org/publications/pub_929.html 9
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Explanation & Answer

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Problem Identification

The problem identified in the text is mental health disorders among school going children in
Bridgewater, Massachusetts. The problem is exacerbated by the lack of sufficient professionals
in public schools in the area. The problem is more serious considering the prevalence of mental
health issues in the community, for instance, 1 in 5 school going children has been diagnosed
with mental health diso...

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