News from MD Coalition of Families for Children's Mental Health

E-newsletter
Volume 8 Issue 2

February 2012

Greetings!

An eating disorder is a complex medical/psychiatric condition that often co-occurs with such other mental health disorders as major depression, anxiety or obsessive-compulsive disorder. The National Eating Disorders Association estimates about 15 percent of female adolescents and young adults may be affected by anorexia or self-starvation, though the condition is not limited to females. It is shocking to realize anorexia nervosa ranks as the third most common chronic illness among adolescent U.S. females.

Feb. 26-March 3 is National Eating Disorders Week. The website for the National Eating Disorders Association contains lots of useful information for anyone touched by these challenging disorders.

We have been fortunate to have had a mild winter. Nevertheless, there are only 20+ days until spring-but who's counting?

-Jane A. Walker

Executive Director

MCF Takes Annapolis by Storm

The Maryland Coalition of Families for Children's Mental Health's 12th Annual Day in Annapolis was a great success, with about 110 families, youth and partners attending, traveling from Worcester County and Allegany County and many points in between.

Participants heard from Del. Norm Conway, the chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, who spoke knowledgeably about our issues and in particular the need for community-based services and wraparound for our kids.

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Legislative Roundup

As expected, it's (once again) all about the budget this year. Gov. Martin O'Malley's proposed budget makes a number of cuts to the Mental Hygiene Administration's budget, including funding for psychiatric rehabilitation programs and for uninsured Marylanders.

MCF is particularly concerned about the $3 million loss of funds that had been earmarked for residential treatment center (RTC) diversion programs for children and youth. Last year, the appropriation to RTCs was decreased by $3 million, which was to be spent on community-based intervention programs to reduce the need for the RTC level of care. As a result, the Mental Hygiene Administration developed a number of innovative initiatives to implement this funding. These programs will not be continued without the commitment of funds in coming years.

MCF has urged the governor to reinstate the $3 million loss in a supplemental budget. Please consider sending a letter to the governor requesting a supplemental budget for FY '12 to restore funding to the Mental Hygiene Administration. For a sample letter, go to www.mhamd.org/publicpolicy/alerts.htm.

There are several legislative measures MCF is watching:

HB 53 - Provides that individuals who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits may receive a waiver of tuition at community colleges even for courses that are not part of a degree program, such as life skills classes.
HB 567- Allows family members to take unpaid leave in order to attend parent/teacher meetings, which would include IEP meetings.

MCF supports both bills.

New Information in Federal Student Aid

The Funding Your Education: The 2012-2013 Guide to Federal Student Aid has information about all federal aid programs available for students planning to attend college; page 6 has information specifically for students with disabilities.

You also can find information about federal student aid programs at www.studentaid.ed.gov. Click here to find information about scholarships and here to learn about available loans.

Act Now on Restraint/Seclusion Measure

Spurred by a Connecticut school's use of so-called "scream rooms" (seclusion rooms), S. 2020, the Keeping All Students Safe Act, has been introduced in Congress. The bill would protect children nationwide from restraint and seclusion in schools-and specifically would eliminate such rooms.

Introduced by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), the measure would ban physical restraint except in emergency situations when there is an immediate threat of serious bodily injury. It also would ban seclusion (confinement) of children in locked rooms or rooms from which they cannot leave on their own, and would require schools to notify parents within 24 hours of restraint.

The measure currently has no co-sponsors; please contact Sen. Ben Cardin and Sen. Barbara Mikulski and ask for their support.

Updated Legal Resources

The National Association of State Directors of Special Education (NASDE) has posted A National Update of Case Law 1998 to the Present Under the IDEA and Section 504 on its website.

The publication is a compilation of special education decisions under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) for students from pre-K through grade 12 from 1998 to mid-2011. It focuses on such issues as eligibility, free appropriate public education (FAPE), least restrictive environment (LRE) and the remedies of tuition reimbursement and compensatory education.

Click here to download a copy of the publication.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Education's Office for Civil Rights has released new guidance regarding the ADA's impact on public elementary and secondary education programs. That information is available here.

Fasten Seatbelts for Transition

The word starts looming at IEP meetings as early as age 12; by age 14, the drumbeat is steady, and as your child enters the latter half of high school it can strike fear. Transition.

Youth with emotional or behavioral needs face unique challenges when they age out of the systems of care for children. The best way to handle it is to arm yourself with information, don't be afraid to ask questions and charge forward with your child to face the challenges of this time.

There are two types of transitions going on:

Developmental Transition
- Youth may not be socially or emotionally ready for independence.
- Mental health issues/diagnosis may impede process to transition.
- School attendance and completion is often a challenge.
- Employment is not a matter of intellect or skills, but behavior.
- Residential status-the youth is more likely to be living at home.
- Peers and social support often are not available, as youth are less likely to belong to social or community groups.
- Risky behaviors may increase, leading to pregnancy, drug use, arrests, etc.
- The transition to independence is protracted.
- Youth and their families may have differences in expectations.
- Issues of confidentiality can become barriers to communication and partnering with providers.

Institutional Transition
- The youth's status changes at 18 or 21; services end abruptly.
- There are conflicting eligibility criteria for services.
- Child and adult systems have different cultures.
- The role of the family in the system shifts.

MCF has compiled the Navigating the Transition Years handbook to guide youth and their families through this process. It includes information on post-secondary school options, SSI, housing options, health care and legal matters.

Upcoming Events

Office of Special Needs Populations Conference: Taking Charge of Your Own Destiny-March 2, 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Sponsored by the Mental Hygiene Administration's Office of Special Needs Populations and the Mental Health Services Training Center, University of Maryland, Baltimore, this conference includes roundtables, workshops and speakers. $55. To register, click here. For more information, contact Peggie Butler-Watson at 410.646.1835. Temple Oheb Shalom, 7310 Park Heights Ave., Baltimore.

Transition Conference for Youth with Special Health Care Needs-March 3, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Free conference for parents and their teens with disabilities or special health care needs, offering information, ready-to-use planning tools and resources for youth, families and providers to ease the health care transition process. Registration deadline Feb. 24. For more information or to register, visit www.ppmd2.org, e-mail Jeanette@ppmd.org or call 410.768.9100 ext. 103. Loew's Hotel, 126 West St., Annapolis.

2012 Expo for Transitioning Youth-March 10, 8:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Free conference for transitioning teens and young adults with special needs, their families and professionals, with workshops and opportunities to visit with agency and organization exhibitors. Bel Air High School, 100 Heighe St., Bel Air.

Mobile Crisis: How It Can Work for You!-March 16, 12 noon-1 p.m. Mid-Shore Mental Health Systems Inc. brown bag session offers free training. Please register by calling 410.770.4801 or e-mail abyrd@msmhs.org; don't forget your lunch! MSMHS, 28578 Mary's Court, Suite 1, Easton.

Make It Happen!, A Special Day for Families of Children with Special Needs-March 17, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. This resource fair includes exhibits about various available services, including summer activities; workshops on social skills, self-determination and the correlation between vision and learning, and conflict resolution; and free family fun activities. To register for a workshop, call 240.236.8744. For interpretive services, call 240.236.8744 or e-mail susan.donoghue-rick@fcps.org by March 12. Rock Creek School, 191 Waverley Drive, Frederick.

Navigating a Complex World: Special Education Law, Guardianships and Its Alternatives, and Special Needs Trusts-March 28, 9:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Learn about critical lifespan issues affective education and quality of life from four experts.Space is limited; RSVP to Stephanie Sweeney at ssweeney@abilitiesnetwork.org or call 410.828.7700 ext. 1298. Baltimore County Public Library, Towson Branch, 320 York Road, Towson.

"Giving a Fish a Bath: The Untold Story of the Adolescent Brain," and "Jack's Brain, Jill's Brain: Gender Differences and Why They Matter"-March 30, 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Two workshops in one, for those who work with, live with and care for adolescents and young adults co-sponsored by Salisbury University School of Social Work and Rural CARES. These sessions outline recent findings in how teen brains really work, and look at how brains differ developmentally, structurally and functionally by gender. $50 for professionals/$10 for students/limited number of free admissions for parents/families; registration deadline March 23. Click here for a registration form; for more information, contact Rebecca Lepter at 410.763.6645 or rlepter@ssw.umaryland.edu. Salisbury University, Perdue Hall, Room 156, Salisbury.

Child and Adolescent Mental Health Summit in Western Maryland-April 21, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Opportunity to meet and network with pediatric primary care practitioners and mental health professionals to address child/adolescent mental health needs. Free; contact Kate Franklin at kate@mdaap.org or 410.828.9526 to register. Spring Hill Suites Hotel, 17280 Valley Mall Road, Hagerstown.

Transition Conference for Youth with Special Health Care Needs-April 21, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Free conference for parents and their teens with disabilities or special health care needs, offering information, ready-to-use planning tools and resources for youth, families and providers to ease the health care transition process. Registration deadline April 13. For more information or to register, visit www.ppmd2.org, e-mail Jeanette@ppmd.org or call 410.768.9100 ext. 103. Wicomico Youth & Civic Center, 500 Glen Ave., Salisbury.

Transition Conference for Youth with Special Health Care Needs-May 12, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Free conference for parents and their teens with disabilities or special health care needs, offering information, ready-to-use planning tools and resources for youth, families and providers to ease the health care transition process. Registration deadline May 4. For more information or to register, visit www.ppmd2.org, e-mail Jeanette@ppmd.org or call 410.768.9100 ext. 103. Rocky Gap Lodge & Golf Resort, 16071 Lakeview Road NE, Cumberland.

2012 Maryland Youth Leadership Forum-June 26-29. Statewide four-day program at Bowie State University for about 30 youth with disabilities entering their last two years of high school; selected youth will have the opportunity to meet Maryland leaders with and without disabilities, participate in a legislative activity, build skills and make new friends. Applications are due Feb. 29! For more information and to register, click here.

2012 National Transition Conference: College & Careers for Youth with Disabilities-May 30-June 1. Information and support for youth and young adults with disabilities making the transition from school to adult life. Click here for more information; online registration will be available in late March. Washington Marriott Wardman Park, Washington, D.C.

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