HFAA NEWSLETTERS
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MAY IS CHILDREN'S MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH!
May is Children's Mental Health Awareness Month! HFAA will be collaborating with the various Family Guidance Center's and the Mental Health Transformation Grant Committees to promote Children's Mental Health Awareness across the State. May 8th is the official day for Children's Mental Health Awareness, so please see our attached 2008 MHA Flyer for specific details all across the State of Hawaii.
NATIONAL LEGISLATIVE OUTLOOK FOR 2008
HFAA is the State Chapter for the National Federation of Families for Children's Mental Health. The NFFCMH's headquarters is located in Washington, D.C. and one of the organizations mission's is to advocate on behalf of children and families who are living with mental health issues, being the 'voice of families' on Capitol hill. They are at the forefront of enacting policy changes that will benefit families and children affected by mental health. The upcoming year will concentrate on youth driven directives and outcomes. The sad truth is that the largest provider of mental health services is the Juvenile Justice System and we feel that the issue has to be resolved before our youth end up in their facilities. Once the youth enter the Juvenile Justice system, the services they are receiving pales in comparison to what they could have received had they been given the opportunity. It's about being pro-active and providing services, supports and necessary treatments to our youth to avoid them being put into the system.
Here are some of the bills and related information for the upcoming 2008 session:
Juvenile Crime Reduction Act:
Mental Health in Schools Act:
Keeping Families Together Act:
Garret Lee Smith Memorial Act:
Child Health Care Crisis Relief Act:
PLEASE CHECK BACK PERIODICALLY TO SEE WHAT LOCAL LEGISLATIVE EFFORTS HFAA IS SUPPORTING VIA COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIPS WITH OTHER COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS AND STAKEHOLDERS!!
NEW ARTICLE "PARENTING AS THERAPY FOR CHILD'S MENTAL DISORDERS"
A new article published in the New York Times 12/22/06 issue, states that Parenting may be a therapy for children with mental disorders. In the article, Benedict Carey discusses mental health treatment for children and youth that does not include medication. Carey explains, "In recent decades, psychiatry has come to understand mental disorders as a matter of biology, of brain abnormalities rooted in genetic variation. This consensus helped discredit theories from the 1960s that blamed the parents - usually the mother-for problems like neurosis, schizophrenia and autism. By defining mental disorders as primarily problems of brain chemicals, the emphasis on biology also led to an increasing dependence on psychiatric drugs, especially those that entered the market in the 1980s and 1990s."
To read the full text of the article, go to the link below:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/22/health/22KIDS.html?th=&emc=th&pagewanted=print
PRESIDENT BUSH SIGNS THE 'LIFESPAN RESPITE CARE ACT' INTO LAW
On December 21, 2006, President Bush signed the Lifespan Respite Care Act (H.R. 3248) into law. The final version of the Lifespan Respite Care Act provides $30 million in the first year and upwards of $300 million over five years for competitive grants for states and local agencies to increase the availability of respite care services for family caregivers of individuals with special health care needs regardless of age. It is estimated that family caregivers provide eighty percent of all long term care in the US, this unpaid care is valued at more than $300 billion a year.
The Epilepsy Foundation was instrumental in the passage of this act, for more information please visit the Epilepsy Foundation of America's website at http://www.epilepsyfoundation.org
PRESIDENT BUSH SIGNS THE 'COMBATING AUTISM ACT' INTO LAW
December 19, 2006 - President Bush signed the 'Combating Autism Act of 2006' into law. This Act authorizes expanded activities related to autism research, prevention and treatment through FY 2011. It is estimated that there are more than 1.5 million cases of autism in the United States.
Among other activities, the Act authorizes Research under the National Institutes of Health to address the entire scope of the Autism Spectrum Disorder. The Act also authorizes activities to increase public awareness of Autism and to improve the ability of health care providers to use better early screening techniques to diagnose Autism as well as utilize evidenced-based interventions.
For more information, please visit http://www.combatautism.orgOr go to www.combatautism.org
MSNBC Mental Health
MSNBC has recently updated their web offerings to provide news and resources on children's mental health. Some recent news articles include information on Depression, Autism, Genetic studies, Schizophrenia and Suicide. Please visit MSNBC for information and resources on children's mental health issues as well as many other useful articles and information.
Click on the link below, or go to www.msnbc.msn.com
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3034566/
HFAA IS LOOKING FOR FAMILIES FOR THE 'HO'OMOHALA PROJECT'
HFAA in collaboration CAMHD and Wai Aka has started a pilot project called Project Ho'omohala on Oahu and is currently looking to enroll families from the Kalihi/Palama area on Oahu. For more information about the program, please contact Jonni Adaniya at the HFAA office at (808) 487-8785. The project assists families who live in the above community and has many great outings and fun community events planned.
HFAA WILL SOON BE OFFERING NEW WORKSHOPS TO HELP FAMILIES
HFAA Parent Partners will soon be offering new workshops that include training on an overview of the service array, or programs and services, currently offered for children and youth who receive services from the State's Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division as well as emergency disaster preparedness that will focus on how to be prepared in the event of a natural disaster or emergency.
300.5, 300.6 Definitions of Assistive Technology Device and Assistive Technology Service Clarify that medical devices such as those used by students for breathing, nutrition, and other bodily functions are assistive technology devices that are covered under assistive technology services.
300.8 Definition of Child with a Disability - Maintain the use of the word "students" in other areas of the regulations. Individuals with disabilities over the age of 18 are not children and are included in these provisions. It is inappropriate to refer to adults as children.
300.34 Definition of Related Services. (b) Clarify that medical devices such as those used by students for breathing, nutrition and other bodily functions are included as devices that the school must provide services to ensure the device is working properly and support is provided as necessary while the student is involved with education and other school-related activities. (C)(16)(iii) Remove the term "special transportation". The term is redundant and gives the impression that adapted buses are used for a separate and different transportation system.
300.156 (b) Personnel Qualifications - Maintain current regulations that require related services providers to meet the highest State standard applicable to the profession.
300.320 (a)(4) Peer-reviewed Research - Describe "Peer-Reviewed research" as it relates to the statement of special education and related services and supplemented aids and services.
300.322 Parent Participation - Maintain section 300.345 (e) stipulating that accommodations such as interpreter for "parents with deafness of whose native language is other than English".
300.324 (a)(1)(iii) Development, Review and Revision of the IEP - Maintain the current requirement that the IEP team consider the student's "Performance on State or District wide Assessments".
300.324 (a)(6) Amendments to the IEP - Amend the proposed regulation to require that a copy of the revised IEP be provided to the student or their parent. At a minimum, the student and/or parent should be provided with notice that they have the right to receive a copy of the revised IEP.
300.517 (a) Attorney Fees - Clarify in the regulation that if the parents are the prevailing party, attorney's fees can be awarded to the parents if the State Education Agency's or Local Education Agency's actions are frivolous, unreasonable, without foundation or were presented for improper purpose such as to harass, to cause unneccessary delay, or to needlessly increase the cost of litigation.
PARENTS REPORT ESTIMATED 2.7 MILLION CHILDREN WITH EMOTIONAL AND BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS
"A special feature in the report, America's Children: Key National Indicators of Well-Being 2005 shows that nearly 5 percent – or an estimated 2.7 million children – are reported by their parents to suffer from definite or severe emotional or behavior difficulties, problems that may interfere with their family life, their ability to learn, and their formation of friendships.... This indicator reports that 65% of parents of children with definite or severe difficulties had contacted a mental health professional or general doctor, or that their child had received special education services, for emotional or behavioral problems..." 7/20/05. Federal Interagency Forum on Child and Family Statistics. Http://www.nichd.nih.gov/
ALL PARENTS NEED A LITTLE ADVICE NOW AND THEN .Get the lowdown on parenting basics like discipline, homework help, and how to talk to your child about tough subjects, like sex, tobacco, and alcohol. Plus, find out where you can turn for help and support.
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