AICAFMHA:
promoting mental health for young Australians
Australian Infant, Child, Adolescent and Family Mental Health Association Ltd
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Welcome to rtcUpdates for February 2004!

rtcUpdates are brought to you by the Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children's Mental Health. Subscribers to rtcUpdates receive occasional email messages from the RTC containing information about the RTC's recent research, publications, and other activities, as well as information about developments in the field of Children's Mental Health.

Feel free to forward this message to friends and colleagues. If this email was forwarded to you, you will need to subscribe to rtcUpdates in order to receive future emails. To subscribe to rtcUpdates, go to the RTC home page at http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/ and click on the "Join our List!" link.

CONTENTS OF THIS UPDATE:
** 2004 BUILDING ON FAMILY STRENGTHS CONFERENCE--Registration
** FORUMS--Families as Evaluators
** RTC PUBLICATIONS & PRODUCTS--Recently Produced & Newly Available Downloads
** DATA TRENDS--Recent Research Summaries
** FROM THE WEB--Online Information and Sites of Interest

** 2004 BUILDING ON FAMILY STRENGTHS CONFERENCE--Registration

You've already marked your calendar; now you can make your mark with online registration for our annual conference. The 2004 Building on Family Strengths Conference, featuring a keynote address from noted children's advocate Jane Knitzer, will be held May 6th-8th, 2004 in Portland, Oregon.

Registration information, an online registration form, and a preliminary agenda will be available this week at the conference website (http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgConference.shtml). Printed conference brochures will be mailed (and available for downloading in .pdf format at the conference website) by early March. Deadline for early registration is April 5th.

Accommodations information will be available at our website soon. The Portland Hilton's toll-free reservation line is 1-800-HILTONS; ask for the Building on Family Strengths conference rate.

In addition to Dr. Knitzer's opening address, entitled "Children's mental health: Looking back, looking forward," plenary presentations are scheduled by Dr. Robert Friedman ("Creating iInformed choice for families: The link between individualized care, data-based systems of care, and evidence-based practice"), Dr. Andy Pumariega ("Cultural competence in systems of care: The evidence-base for its rationale and effectiveness"), and Dr. David Arredondo, attorney Kurt Kumli, and Judge Ray Davilla, who will present a panel discussion of "Juvenile offenders with mental illness: What can be done," describing the country's first juvenile mental health court. More than 80 breakout sessions are scheduled over the course of the conference, along with our traditional Friday evening poster session and reception. Special events for children, youth, and families are being planned as well.

Questions? Please contact Lyn Gordon, Conference Coordinator, at 503-725-4114 or via e-mail at gordonl@pdx.edu. See you in May!

For more information about the Building on Family Strengths Conference, visit our Conference web pages at http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgConference.shtml

** FORUMS--Families as Evaluators

In this month's featured discussion, RTC staff invite contributions of ideas and experiences from families and evaluators who have been involved in participatory evaluations. We are interested in learning about the challenges facing evaluation teams and how these challenges can be resolved.

We invite you to post your ideas in this month's featured discussion. http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgFeaturedDiscussions.php

** RTC PUBLICATIONS & PRODUCTS

Enhanced Online Search Feature The RTC has an enhanced publications search and order form. Search by key phrases, type of publication, author, date of publication, and more. http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgPublications.php

* Publications Recently Produced:

NEW Jivanjee, P., Schutte, K., & Robinson, A. (2004). Families as evaluators: Annotated bibliography of resources in print. Portland, OR: Research and Training Center on Family Support and Children's Mental Health, Portland State University. AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD FOR FREE from our publications page
http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgPublications.php (search by author or title)

NEW Kruzich, J. M., Jivanjee, P., Robinson, A., & Friesen, B. J. (2003). Family caregivers' perception of barriers to and supports of participation in their children's out-of-home treatment. Psychiatric Services, November 2003, 54(11), 1513-1518. Single copies of reprints now available. Order from our publications page
http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgPublications.php (search by author or title)

* More Publications Available in PDF Format:
The RTC has added over two hundred "PDFs" of our publications to our main publications page. Now you can download and print out more of our Conference Proceedings, Monographs, Focal Point articles, Data Trends, and other publications for free. http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgPublications.php

** DATA TRENDS--Recent Research Summaries Include:

* Depictions of Mental Illness in Children's Media (#92)
* The Implications of Incarceration for Families and Children (#91)
* Exposure to Violence, Stress, Protective Factors, and Well-being (#90)
* Stress Reduction Interventions for Parents as Treatment Enhancement (#89)
* Barriers and Supports to Family Participation in Out-of-Home Treatment (#88)
* Promoting Social, Emotional, and Academic Learning in Schools (#87)

Visit our "Data Trends" web page at http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgDataTrends.shtml

You can also search for and download all Data Trends from our Publications web page http://www.rtc.pdx.edu/pgPublications.php
Search Tips:
* For a list of all Data Trends, choose "Data Trends" as Publication Type and click "Get"
* For specific Data Trends topics type a keyword or phrase in "Phrase" and click "Get"

** FROM THE WEB--Online Information and Sites of Interest

** Beyond Olmstead and Toward Community Integration: Measuring Progress and Change
Researchers at the George Washington University recently released this resource paper on community integration issues affecting people with chronic illnesses and disabilities. A copy of the report is available at the Center for Health Care Strategies website.
http://chcs.org/publications/beyond_olmstead.html

** School Reform and Inclusion
The July 2003 National Center on Secondary Education and Transition (NCSET) institute (held in conjunction with the 2003 Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Research Project Directors' Conference) provided researchers with an opportunity to engage in reflective dialogue around issues of reform, inclusion, and the intersection of reform and inclusion at the high school level. The proceedings are now available.
http://www.ncset.org/institutes/proceedings/2003_07.asp

** Improving Validity of Large-scale Tests: Universal Design and Student Performance
This paper from the National Center for Educational Outcomes (NCEO),reports the theoretical background and research results for a study conducted using Universal Design of assessment features. Results of this experimental research demonstrated that students scored significantly higher on the universally designed test. Findings have implications for the validity of testing students with disabilities and English language learners.
http://education.umn.edu/nceo/OnlinePubs/TechReport37.pdf

** A National Study on Graduation Requirements and Diploma Options for Youth with Disabilities
This report from NCEO updates the status of graduation policies nationwide and examines states' perspectives on the intended and unintended consequences of various graduation policies. The report also makes recommendations to help guide state and local district decision-making when adopting state graduation requirements and alternative diploma options.
http://education.umn.edu/nceo/OnlinePubs/TechReport36.pdf

** Scholarships for Foster Youth
Casey Family Programs has once again teamed with the Orphan Foundation of America (OFA) to offer the Casey Family Scholars Program for 2004-2005, which provides scholarships of up to $10,000 for young people who spent at least 12 months in foster care and were not subsequently adopted.
www.orphan.org/programs/casey.html

** Realistic Expectations Found Key to Positive Outcomes in Special Needs Adoptions
A recent study of families who adopted children with special needs found parental expectations had a significant impact on parents' satisfaction with the adoption, the quality of the parent-child relationship, and the perceived overall impact of the adoption on the family. These findings underscore the need to adequately prepare families adopting children with special needs and provide post-adoption services that are accessible, affordable, and available to families throughout a child's lifetime.
http://cbexpress.acf.hhs.gov/articles.cfm?article_id=767&ref=htmlEml

** Families Left Behind: The Hidden Costs of Incarceration and Reentry
This policy brief from the Urban Institute Justice Policy Center discusses the impact of parental incarceration on children and on the family unit as a whole. It emphasizes the need for social service agencies to collaborate in order to adequately address the unique needs of these families both during incarceration and re-entry.
http://www.urban.org/UploadedPDF/310882_families_left_behind.pdf

** The State of the Union Address and the Budget Proposal
While President Bush's recent State of the Union address did not specifically address initiatives pertaining to persons with disabilities, you can find a roundup of issues addressed that are pertinent to the developmental disability community in a special issue of the Legislative News In Brief by the Association of University Centers on Disabilities.
http://www.aucd.org/in_brief/jan2104SOU.htm
Also on this site, just posted, is an analysis of the President's fiscal year 2005 budget request.
http://www.aucd.org/in_brief/Feb304.htm

** Improving Schools
Revisiting Learning & Behavior Problems: Moving Schools Forward offers suggestions for making schools more effective. This document from the UCLA School Mental Health Project provides a great resource for in-depth staff development or pre-professional teaching.
http://smhp.psych.ucla.edu/pdfdocs/contedu/revisitinglearning.pdf

** Grief and Crisis Counseling
Two recent articles in general circulation criticize prevailing approaches to counseling right after tragedies occur. The New Yorker's Jerome Groopman, (January, 2004) discusses what the author refers to as the "grief industry" and asks: How much does crisis counseling help or hurt?
http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/?040126fa_fact
Another article, "Rethinking Trauma Talk", appears in Youth Today (Dec./Jan., 2004).
http://www.youthtoday.org/youthtoday/story1.html
Both articles highlight recent research that suggests, "The techniques practiced by most American grief counselors to prevent PTSD are inert" and that crisis intervention teams "do little or no good" in reducing PTSD symptoms.

** Head Start Reauthorization
Congress has not yet completed its Head Start reauthorization. The Center on Law and Social Policy provides an overview summary of the provisions of the Senate bill (S. 1940), an in-depth section-by-section analysis, and a brief comparison with the House-passed bill (H.R. 2210).
http://www.clasp.org/DMS/Documents/1074882262.41/S1940_analysis.pdf

** Special Education and Standards-based Accountability
Although the progress of students with disabilities on standards-based accountability tests has been noteworthy, states continue to face challenges to improving (and documenting) this achievement. This annual survey of state special education directors found that more students with disabilities are participating in statewide assessments and accountability systems. The majority of special education directors also reported improved performance. Disabled students' ability to achieve proficiency on state assessments remained the most often-cited concern.
http://education.umn.edu/nceo/OnlinePubs/2003StateReport.htm

** Youth Transition--From Correctional Facilities to the Community
The latest issue of EDJJ Notes, published by the National Center on Education, Disability, and Juvenile Justice, includes a report on research on the transition of youth from a correctional facility to the community. The research highlights barriers to successful transition.
http://www.edjj.org/edjjnotes/

** Substance Abuse and Mental Health
This issue of NIDA Notes, from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, addresses the challenge of comorbid substance abuse and mental disorders and the need for a better understanding of the origins and progression of comorbidity. NIDA and the National Institute of Mental Health are supporting research to increase fundamental knowledge of these dual disorders, advance efforts to prevent their destructive combination, and treat those already afflicted.
http://www.drugabuse.gov/NIDA_Notes/NNVol18N5/index.html

** Training Institutes June 23-27, 2004 in San Francisco
Developing Local Systems of Care for Children and Adolescents with Emotional Disturbances and their Families: Early Intervention. In-depth, practical information on how to develop, organize, and operate coordinated, community-based, family-focused, culturally competent systems of care for children and their families and how to provide high quality, effective clinical interventions and supports within them. For more information, contact the National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health at Georgetown University, 3307 M Street, NW, Suite 401, Washington, DC 20007, (202) 687-5000, or email institutes2004@mindspring.com, or visit the website.
http://gucdc.georgetown.edu/

** Do You Know a Youth with Leadership Experience?
The 2004 National Youth Leadership Conference, 'Learning, Living, Leading: Youth with Disabilities Continuing the Legacy,' will be held July 24 ­ 27, 2004 in Washington, DC. Approximately 65 young leaders will be chosen to participate. Transportation, lodging, and meals will be provided. The application deadline is March 17, 2004.
http://www.nyln.org/apply/2004conference.html

** Early Childhood Mental Health
The following resource links are from the current issue of the Early Childhood Education E-Newsletter which focuses on issues related to educating and supporting young children with special needs and providing their families with resources they can access to better support the educational environment for their child.
http://www.nwrel.org/cfc/cfnewsletters.asp

Online Resources for Early Childhood
The National Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center (NECTAC) supports the national implementation of the early childhood provisions of IDEA. Funded by OSEP, their web site includes links to state and local services, conferences and training opportunities, and a huge clearinghouse of publications, documents, and resources.
http://www.nectac.org/default.asp

Parent Advocacy Website
The mission of Parent Advocacy Coalition for Educational Rights (PACER Center) is to expand opportunities and enhance the quality of life of children and young adults with disabilities and their families, based on the concept of parents helping parents. PACER provides assistance to individual families, workshops, materials for parents and professionals, and leadership in securing a free and appropriate public education for all children.
http://www.pacer.org/

Parent Training and Information Centers
Funded by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Parent Training and Information Centers in each state provide training and information to parents of infants, toddlers, school-aged children, and young adults with disabilities and to the professionals who work with them and their families. This web address offers a list of programs within each state, and links to a page that tells more about that state's program.
http://www.dssc.org/frc/TAGuide/pti.htm

Regional Resource and Federal Centers Network
The six Regional Resource Centers (RRCs) are specifically funded to assist state education agencies in the systemic improvement of education programs, practices, and policies that affect children and youth with disabilities. The RRCs help states and U.S. jurisdictions find integrated solutions for systemic reform, offering consultation, information services, and technical assistance, training, and product development.
http://www.dssc.org/frc/rrfc.htm

Cool Website for Kids
"Zigawhat!," The website of the National Information Center for Children and Youth with Disabilities is designed for children and youth with disabilities. It provides links to other web sites where youth can learn about their own special needs (in appropriate language and activities for them), get tips on how to be terrific in school, make great friends, and better deal with life. Kids can write their own story as well.
http://www.nichcy.org/kids/

Funds to support this activity come from the Child, Adolescent and Family Branch, Federal Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and from the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, U.S. Department of Education.

The Research and Training Center makes its products accessible to diverse audiences. If you need a publication or product in an alternative format, please contact the Publications Coordinator: 503.725.4175, rtcpubs@pdx.edu.

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Back to AICAFMHA Homepage / News in Brief Index / Issue #4.03

Last Modified: 28-02-2004 14:46:43