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Mental Health Disabilities. Accommodations and Supports. Dr. Valerie Cherry, Humanitas Debbie Jones, Humanitas. Reasonable Accommodation Committee (RAC) Considerations. Preparing to accommodate. Accommodation Considerations?.
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Mental Health Disabilities Accommodations and Supports Dr. Valerie Cherry, Humanitas Debbie Jones, Humanitas
Reasonable Accommodation Committee (RAC) Considerations Preparing to accommodate
Accommodation Considerations? • How do we know what accommodations an applicant or student needs to access the Job Corps program? • Remember that many applicants/students will not know much about the types of accommodations they previously received in school and they may not specifically know what to ask for in the Job Corps program. • So, what do you do? • What do you do if there are accommodations requested or needed that are not on an IEP?
Examples of Accommodation Documentation Sources • IEPs • 504 plans • Medical records • Psycho-educational evaluations • Neuro-psychological evaluations • Psychological evaluations • Center staff and clinician recommendations • Interviews and review of history/documentation • Applicant and/or family
Testing Guidance • Providing educational and psychological testing is NOT considered part of the routine tasks of the CMHC and is NOT accounted for in the 5 hours per 100 students. • Students who need educational and psychological testing to document a suspected disability should be referred to vocational rehab or other appropriate agency. • If appropriately licensed and trained CMHCs are involved in testing, they must conduct an evaluation to document the disability that can be used to secure accommodations and/or services in and outside of Job Corps. • The following is based on community practice standards and the GED Accommodation Guidelines.
Learning and Other Cognitive Disabilities • Primarily CMHCs who are Psychologists • Measure of Intelligence • IQ screening measures (e.g., WASI, K-BIT, etc.) and older editions of the WAIS are NOT acceptable • Measures of Academic Achievement • At least 2 measures • Additional Neuropsychological tests, if appropriate • Language • Perceptual-motor skills • Coordination • Attention • Memory
ADHD • Primarily CMHCs or Center Physicians with special training in ADHD assessment • Meets ADHD Criteria in DSM-IV TR • Rating Scales • Results from Specific Objective Tests • Attention-related functioning (e.g., the Test of Variables of Attention or Connors’ Continuous Performance Tests) • Attention-related tasks (e.g., Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System or Stroop Color-Word Test) • Functional impact of attention deficits on timed or untimed achievement tests (e.g., Woodcock-Johnson PsychoeducationalBattery-III)
Emotional/Psychological/Psychiatric Disability • Primarily CMHCs or Center Physicians with special training in psychological and/or psychiatric assessments • Documentation and assessment tests must: • Include a clear diagnosis based on DSM-IV TR • Document the history of impairment • Provide information on current functional limitations • Confirm that the symptoms are not due to another disorder, such as a learning disability or ADHD
Sample Scenario • 18 year old applicant has a history of conflict with peers which has resulted in verbal altercations in the past. • No history of physical aggression, but has demonstrated dramatic and impulsive behavior with one hospitalization for suicidal attempt about 2 years ago. • Currently applicant is unemployed, but has worked at two jobs in the past year – Burger King and WalMart.
Sample Scenario • Applicant reports that the people at the jobs were not fair and treated employees badly. Applicant quit both jobs after about 3-4 months each. • Has a therapist who reports present behavior as stable on medication. • Medication side effects of morning grogginess, dry mouth • Therapist also indicates that applicant can function in a residential group setting, but needs to continue in outpatient treatment to work on managing anger and improving self-esteem. • Applicant has a diagnosis of borderline personality.
Definitions and Types Mental Health impairments and Functional Limitations
Mental? Mental Illness? Mental Disorder? Mental Disease? Mental Disability? Mental Impairments? 13
Mental Health Impairments • Mental health impairments, refer collectively to all diagnosable mental health disorders characterized by alterations in thinking, mood, or behavior (or some combination thereof) associated with distress and/or impaired functioning. 1 1Goldman, H.H., Rye, P., & Sirovatka, P. (Eds.) (1999). Mental health: A report of the surgeon general.
Common Mental Health Impairments • ADHD • Anxiety Disorders • Generalized Anxiety • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder • Obsessive Compulsive Disorder • Bipolar Disorder • Depression • Asperger’s Syndrome
Common Mental Health Impairments (cont’d) • Personality Disorders • Cluster A: Odd or eccentric behavior • Schizoid Personality Disorder • Paranoid Personality Disorder • Cluster B: Dramatic, emotional or impulsive behavior • Antisocial Personality Disorder • Borderline Personality Disorder • Cluster C: Anxious fearful behavior • Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder • Schizophrenia
Functional Limitations Definition: The inability to perform an action or a set of actions, either physical or mental, because of physical or emotional restriction2 • Time Management • Organization and Prioritization • Social Skills • Concentration • Memory • Communication • Stamina • Responding to Change • Screening Out Environmental Stimuli • Managing Stress 2Brodwin, M., Tellez, F., Brodwin, S. (1993). Medical, Psychosocial and Vocational Aspects of Disability. Athens, GA: Elliott and Fitzpatrick, Inc.
Mental Health Impairments and Functional Limitations • Screening Out Environmental Stimuli • An applicant with ADHD reports being easily distracted may not be able to work in a large group. • Concentration • An applicant reports having Depression and has trouble focusing on tasks for extended periods. • Stamina • Student with a diagnosis of Schizophrenia reports not having energy to do residential chores in the morning and combating drowsiness in the afternoon due to medications.
Mental Health Impairments and Functional Limitations • Change • A student with Anxiety Disorder may take longer to learn new routines, or feel stressed when new students arrive in the dorm. • Managing Stress • An applicant with a personality disorder indicates that when stressed by deadlines and workload has a hard time managing emotions and sometimes gets into verbal conflicts with peers. • Social Skills • A student with Asperger’s does not talk much with other students during down time in the dorm and has trouble reading subtle social cues in a group setting.
Accommodations and Supports How Can we help Outside the classroom
Accommodations:Screening Out Environmental Stimuli • Help arrange the student's environment • Redesign space • Minimize auditory/visual distractions • Reduce clutter
Accommodations: Maintaining Concentration • Help arrange the student’s schedule • Prioritize tasks/activities/assignments • By day, week, month, etc. • Identify student’s patterns in activity • Example: “you do this 3 times each week” • Emphasize due dates on calendars • Develop a color-coded system (each color represents a task, or event, or level of importance) • Ensure accuracy of entries on calendar or I-Phone
Accommodations: Maintaining Stamina • Arrange for longer/more frequent breaks between activities • Help student pace their workload and social activities • Develop substitution strategies (for times when a student cannot keep their obligation to the event or activity)
Accommodations: Managing Change (Transition) • Recognize that change can be difficult (physically/mentally) • Maintain special channels of communication during transition period (hotline, on-call personnel) • When appropriate, share your own experiences with transition • Re-fresh skills learned in orientation (such as directions through the building, doing laundry, etc.) • Offer peer mentorship
Accommodations: Managing Stress • Reinforce time management techniques • Identify support personnel • Teach money management skills • Invite therapy animals organization onto site for visit
Accommodations: Exhibiting Appropriate Social Skills • Develop simple and appropriate code of conduct for environment: • Acceptable verbal language or gestures • Engaging in debate or discussion • Acceptable student interaction • Environments might require different codes of conduct: • Classroom/career technical • Lunchroom • Dorms or common areas • Recreation • Out in the community
Accommodations: Exhibiting Appropriate Social Skills • Practice appropriate social skills • Role play • Video demonstration • Encourage all students to model appropriate social skills • Use a peer, tutor, and/or mentor to reinforce appropriate social skills • Reward/praise student engaging in appropriate behavior
Accommodations: Exhibiting Appropriate Social Skills • Identify the “out” for those times when the student cannot demonstrate appropriate skills • Hand gesture, word, or signal • Where to go to regain composure • How to return/re-engage in environment
Accommodations: Communicating with Others • Adjust method of communication • One-on-one • Face-to-face • In the presence of another • Teach/model appropriate communication skills • Addressing person by name or title • Waiting to speak (not interrupting others) • How to enter another group’s conversation
Sample Scenario • 18 year old applicant has a history of conflict with peers which has resulted in verbal altercations in the past. • No history of physical aggression, but has demonstrated dramatic and impulsive behavior with one hospitalization for suicidal attempt about 2 years ago. • Currently applicant is unemployed, but has worked at two jobs in the past year – Burger King and WalMart.
Sample Scenario • Applicant reports that the people at the jobs were not fair and treated employees badly. Applicant quit both jobs after about 3-4 months each. • Has a therapist who reports present behavior as stable on medication. • Medication side effects of morning grogginess, dry mouth • Therapist also indicates that applicant can function in a residential group setting, but needs to continue in outpatient treatment to work on managing anger and improving self-esteem. • Applicant has a diagnosis of borderline personality.
Accommodation Suggestions • What accommodations might be indicated? • REMEMBER: You must consider accommodation needs throughout the center environment. • Water bottle in class, in testing, and in dorm. • What could you do if refillable water bottles are prohibited for drug/alcohol use concerns? • Schedule adjustments • For therapy appointments, later start to class day, change in time medication is taken so adjustment to dorm schedule • Frequent breaks (for movement and to re-organize self) • Positive Peer Mentor (particularly during meal times) • Chunking assignments - why?
Contact the Job Accommodation Network! (800) 526-7234 (V) (877) 781-9403 (TTY) www.askjan.org
Additional Resources • Health and Wellness Website (Citrix) • CMHC Desk Reference Guide • Attachment I - Sample Accommodations for Students with Mental Health Disabilities • Attachment P -Mental Health Chronic Care Management Plans • APA Guidelines for Assessment of and Intervention with Persons with Disabilities • http://www.apa.org/pi/disability/resources/assessment-disabilities.aspx • GED Test Accommodations for Candidates with Disabilities • http://www.acenet.edu/Content/NavigationMenu/ged/test/take/Accommodations_Disab.htm
Regional Mental Health Specialists • Region 1 Dave Kraft, MD, MPH dkraft@external.umass.edu Maria Acevedo, PhD mmacevedo@onelinkpr.net • Region 2/Lead Valerie Cherry, PhD vcherryphd@aol.com • Region 3 Suzanne Martin, PsyD, MPH SUZANNEM@aol.com • Regions 4 and 6 Andrew Berger, PhD headoc@aol.com Vicki Boyd, PhD vdelboyd@aol.com • Region 5 Helena MacKenzie, PhD helena.mackenzie530@gmail.com
Regional Disability Coordinators • Lisa Kosh – Boston Region • lisa.kosh@humanitas.com • Nikki Jackson – Atlanta and Philadelphia Regions • nikki.jackson@humanitas.com • Sylvia Domagalski – Dallas Region • sylvia.domagalski@humanitas.com • Kim Jones – Chicago and San Francisco Regions • kim.jones@humanitas.com