Supporting the Academic Success of Students With
Emotional, Behavioral, or Mental Disorders
An introduction to the
NAMI Resource Manual
 This presentation is a guide to help you
become more knowledgeable about the
needs of a student with an emotional,
behavioral, or mental disorder so you are
better prepared to create a school
environment conducive to his or her
academic success.
 This is merely an overview. More detailed
information is found in the NAMI Resource
Manual.
Guide to the NAMI Resource Manual
Section 1 – Introduction to SED & IDEA
 Questions and Answers about IDEA
 Fact Sheet on Emotional Disturbance
 Treatment of Children with Emotional
Disorders
 Questions Often Asked by Parents About
Special Education Services
Guide to the NAMI Resource Manual
Section 2 – Accommodations, Interventions,
and Modifications
 Cognitive Dysfunction
 Disorders of Written Expression
 Accommodations and Interventions
 Accommodating Students with
Depression and Bipolar Disorder
 Interventions for Chronic Behavior
Problems
 Pitfalls in Behavior Modification Plans
Guide to the NAMI Resource Manual
Section 3 – Fact Sheets on Various Disorders
 Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia
 Anxiety, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
 Asperger Syndrome
 ADHD
 Depression and Bipolar Disorder
 Co-Occurring Substance Abuse
 Schizophrenia
 Suicide
 Tourette’s Syndrome
Guide to the NAMI Resource Manual
Section 4 – Additional Resources
 Internet Resource List of Federal
Agencies, Advocacy and Professional
Organizations, and Academic Centers
 Resource Guide to Books and Audiovisual
Resources and Organizations Concerned
with Brain Disorders in Children and
Adolescents
 Indiana Statewide Disability Information
 Local/Community Resources
 You are encouraged to share this
information with parents so they can learn
how to support their child’s education both
in the classroom and at home.
 All parts of this manual are considered
masters for you to copy and distribute to
parents and others on the teaching team.
 Please include author and/or publication
information as it appears on the article or
fact sheet.
 1 in 10 children and adolescents have a
mental illness severe enough to cause
impairment.
 Only 1 in 5 of these children receive any
treatment.
 For nearly half of the children who do
receive services, the school was the only
provider.
Untreated mental illness among youth
leads to school failure.
50% of students labeled
with emotional or
behavioral disorders drop
out of high school.
Only 42% of those who
remain in school graduate
with a diploma.
Untreated mental illness among youth
leads to unemployment.
Only 60% of youth with
mental illnesses are
employed a year after
leaving high school.
Untreated mental illness among youth leads
to entrance into the criminal justice system.
65% of males and 75% of
females in the juvenile justice
system have at least one
psychiatric diagnosis.
Untreated mental illness among youth
can lead to suicide.
 Suicide is the 3rd leading cause of death among
children ages 10 – 19
 Acute psychiatric illness is the single most common
and dangerous trigger for suicide.
 90% of youth who died by suicide were suffering
from depression or another diagnosable and treatable
mental illness at the time of death.
 Nearly as many teens die from suicide as all natural
causes combined.
 Another 520,000 children require medical services
each year as a result of suicide attempts.
 Investing in early identification and
intervention for serious emotional
disturbances helps children graduate and
lead independent and productive lives.
 Identifying these youth must become a
major public health effort.
 Schools are the ideal place for this to occur.
Children with serious emotional,
behavioral or mental disorders need:
 Parents, teachers and school staff who
understand how SED impacts learning
 Appropriate accommodations,
modifications, and interventions in the
classroom
Children who have been hospitalized
have a crucial need for:
 Parents, educators, and medical professionals
who understand how the illness affects
learning
 Reduced stress
 Some children may need time in a therapeutic
day school or residential treatment center
while treatment options are explored.
Parents Need:
 To understand how their child’s brain
disorder may impact school functioning
and learning
 To know the educational options available
 To know their child’s rights under IDEA
and ADA
Parents Also Need:
 To understand how to work with school
staff to develop the necessary
accommodations and school placement
their child needs to benefit from his or her
education
 To understand how to support their child’s
education both in the classroom and
outside of the classroom
Medical Professionals need:
 To understand how brain disorders can
impact school functioning and learning
 To understand that some
accommodations may be necessary and
to know how to provide supportive
documentation
Educators and School Staff Need:
 To become knowledgeable about what to
expect of a student with a brain disorder
 To understand how symptoms of the child’s
brain disorder may impact school functioning
and learning
 To understand what accommodations are
needed to allow the child to learn in the least
restrictive environment where the child can
experience success
Educators and School Staff Also Need:
 To know how to gauge the student’s
capacity for learning during various phases
of the illness, treatment, and recovery
 To know what medications the child is
taking, the possible side effects, and how
medications may impact school
performance
Definition of Emotional Disturbance
A condition exhibiting one or more of the following
characteristics over a long period of time and to a
marked degree that adversely affects his or her
educational performance:
 An inability to learn which cannot be explained by
intellectual, sensory or health factors
 An inability to build or maintain satisfactory
interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers
 Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under
normal circumstances
 A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or
depression
 A tendency to develop symptoms or fears associated
with personal or school problems
 Any or all of which adversely affects educational
performance
Educational Implications
Educational programs for children with an
emotional disturbance need to include:
 Help with:
 Mastering academics
 Developing social skills
 Increasing self-awareness, self-control,
and self-esteem
 Emotional and behavioral support
Cognitive Dysfunction
Children with psychiatric disabilities may
experience problems with the ability to:
 Pay attention
 Remember and recall Information
 Process information quickly
 Respond to information quickly
 Think critically, categorize and organize
information
 Problem solve
Cognitive Dysfunction can be treated with:
 Remediation Techniques
 Compensatory Strategies
 Adaptive Approaches
For more specific information, please refer to the Handbook,
“Dealing with Cognitive Dysfunction Associated with
Psychiatric Disabilities”, in Section 2 of the NAMI Resource
Manual.
Accommodations for Impaired
Concentration, Focus, and Memory
 Provide hard copies of all notes and
board work
 Assist with focusing or remaining on-task
 Monitor for complete assignment record
and that necessary materials are packed
 Provide extra set of books at home
More Accommodations for Impaired
Concentration, Focus, and Memory
 Allow extended time on homework/projects
 Reduce homework – eliminate homework
during periods of instability
 Provide testing accommodations
 Break down large assignments into small
pieces and conference regularly to help keep
on schedule
Accommodating Writing Difficulties
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Encourage keyboard training
Use tape recorder
Use a scribe
Don’t penalizefor handwriting or spelling errors
Allow extra time
Provide paper copies of notes
For more information on Disorders of Written Expression,
please refer to the article, “Why Johnny and Jenny Can’t
Write”, in the NAMI Resource Manual.
 Children returning to the classroom from a
period of hospitalization are often on new
medications, many times on two, three or more
medications.
 All medications to treat psychiatric illness have
potential side effects that are likely to affect
stamina, focus, and mood.
 If the child is newly diagnosed, he or she may
go through a number of medication changes
and adjustments.
Common Medication Side Effects
 Thirstiness, frequent urination, diarrhea, stomach
cramps, nausea.
 Children on lithium may need a water bottle at
their desk.
 Some children may need a permanent restroom
pass.
 Hand tremors
 Cognitive dulling
 Fatigue or sleepiness
 Hunger and significant weight gain
 Visual blurring
 Children with Psychiatric Disabilities may have
significant sleep disturbances, which can make
arriving to school alert and on time very difficult.
 Children may experience several hours of
irritability or dysphoria, fuzzy thinking or
“cobwebs”, and somatic complaints such as
stomach aches and headaches upon awakening
in the morning.
Accommodating Sleep Disturbances
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Late arrival
Less demanding subjects 1st and 2nd periods
Test taken at best time for functioning
Movement to overcome sleepiness
Brightly lit area
Assistance last period to catch up on anything
missed early in the day
In-School Counseling
 Peer relationships
 Self-advocacy
 Study, organizational, time-management, test
taking skills
 Strategies to monitor symptoms
 Help coping with feelings of frustration
 Anger management skills
Permission to Leave Room
 When child is unable to cope and needs to get
away
 Predetermined safe place & safe person
 Predetermined discreet signal to allow for a
graceful exit
 Consider a permanent pass
 Stay with child if suicidal ideation is expressed
Behavior Intervention Plan &
Modified Discipline
 Consequences should not be incorporated as part of
initial plan
 Even positive consequences may lead to frustration if
the child is unable to comply
 Be proactive – prepare the environment, get
accommodations and modifications in place
 There is no empirical evidence to support applying
consequences to “rage attacks”
 Reconsider school policy of suspensions for “rage
attacks”
Other Accommodations
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Preferential Seating
Remediation and Accommodations for LDs
Resource Room – especially 1st & last periods
Match student’s need/learning style with
teacher
 Prepare for upcoming changes in routine
Added Adult Supervision
 In high stress places – cafeteria, bus, recess
 1:1 if in frequent trouble due to their
symptoms
 Extra support for transitions
 Peer interactions
 Getting started and staying focused on
tasks
For more suggestions for Accommodations and Modifications for
children with Emotional, Behavioral or Mental Disorders, please
refer to the following articles in Section Section 2 of
the NAMI Resource Manual:
 “List of Appropriate School-Based
Accommodations and Interventions”
 “Accommodating Students with Mood Lability”
 “Interventions for Chronic Behavior Problems”
 “Pitfalls in School-Based Behavior Modification
Plans”
Brain Disorders
Are a disease of the brain
Are not caused by poor parenting
Are not a defect in character
Are chronic
But…
Brain Disorders are Treatable
For further information about this
resource or other available resources
from NAMI, please contact
NAMI Indiana
(317) 925-9399
(800)677-6442
www.namiindiana.org