Successfully navigating the K-12 academic years is important for setting your child up for their future. It’s a joint effort between parent and child that comes with many challenges. It’s even more complicated when there are special circumstances impacting your child.
In this article we will discuss how mental health diagnoses present unique variables to your child’s education, and more importantly, what you can do as a parent to support them.
Stage 1- Evaluation
During this stage, focus is on identifying presenting mental health conditions and being correctly diagnosed. As parents, you are uniquely positioned to identify early concerns as the child develops. Parental intuition is imperative to early diagnostics. Routine visits to your child’s primary care provider can help detect abnormal variances early on. When concerns arise, your child might benefit from evaluation by a mental health care specialist. Examples of this would be a Counselor, Therapist, Psychologist, Psychiatrist, or an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner). These professionals are highly skilled in the field of mental health and can guide or refer you to resources.
Input from your child’s school can be useful during this stage. Communicate your concerns with your child’s teachers to receive feedback on what they have observed. Information on the child’s social/academic/emotional progress at school provides additional information on how they respond and cope in different settings.
Financial planning for healthcare is important. If you are anticipating more frequent office visits for the new diagnosis, now is the time to familiarize yourself with your insurance coverage. Some health care plans will require a referral from your PCP prior to visiting a specialist, so check with your insurance company to find out if this will be necessary. You will also want to verify coverage terms if you are not familiar with them. Contacting your insurance carrier is the one way to do this. Most companies will have a benefits guide accessible online if you do not currently have one. You can also call the insurance company directly for further information. You can typically find the phone number printed on the back of the card. There could be additional resources available through the community at little to no cost.
Once your child has been evaluated, you will have access to these results. You can obtain these verbally from the provider during the appointment time. You can also request a copy of your child’s medical record, which will contain all current diagnoses. It may be important to have a copy of their medical record, as many schools will require this if accommodations are requested.
Stage 2- Treatment Plan
During this stage, you will develop and implement the treatment option you and your child’s provider decided on. You are an important part of this team, and your insight will be valuable in determining the best plan. Be sure to ask any questions you have, to ensure confidence and understanding before proceeding forward.
If the provider comes to a diagnosis, they will inform you of possible next steps. The provider will review available treatment options and discuss the risks and benefits of each. This helps you make an informed decision regarding the best plan for your child. Make sure you have enough time and space to consider all options before coming to a decision. You can take as long as you need and don’t have to decide during the appointment. If you have questions, write them down and take the list with you as a reminder to the follow-up visit.
If the child will be taking medication during the school day, you will need an order from the provider stating this. You can use the prescription label for this purpose. The school will require a separate supply of medication to keep in the medical office and will not allow your child to administer it themselves or transport it back and forth from school. The pharmacy can give you a separately labeled medication bottle to give to the school nurse. School staff can keep a small supply of medication at the school, to be administered as prescribed. Track the amount of medication they have on hand and supply them a refill when necessary.
Stage 3- Continuation and Monitoring of Progress
It’s a good idea to continue communication with your child’s school during this stage. The school can update you on any progress or setbacks they’ve noticed during this time, and you can provide them with treatment plan updates after follow-up visits. You might find it helpful to schedule individual conferences with their teachers periodically, in addition to routine check-ins, like meet-the-teacher and open house. As your child progresses through grade levels, make sure new teachers are advised of the treatment plan and have your direct contact information. This promotes a team dynamic to support your child.
Depending on your child’s personality, they may or may not want to share their mental health journey with peers. Help them with a plan to address questions from classmates, if they should arise. Attending local support groups is one way to connect them with people their own age who manage similar diagnoses, without the need for sharing with peers they interact with daily. Help them identify individuals who can act as positive social supports. These can include parents, siblings, teachers, coaches, pastors, church members, neighbors, mental health providers, and friends.
If your child has a complicated case that requires special accommodations, a more specialized 504 plan or IEP (individualized educational plan) might be necessary to provide an optimal education experience. Once approved by the school, your child would have extra assistance or privileges to support their learning. Some examples of what can be included in these plans are extra time to complete assignments, the ability to remove themselves from the classroom, more frequent bathroom breaks, easy access to school counselors, and excused absences from school related to mental health.
To initiate the process of establishing a plan, contact your child’s school and request a meeting to discuss your concerns and suggestions. Public schools are required to provide accommodations for students with mental health conditions that impact their academics. Work with your provider to make suggestions on the type of accommodations that would be most helpful in your child’s case. Get a full copy of your child’s medical records, including current diagnoses. It can be helpful for your provider to supply the district with a letter laying out why accommodations are necessary and what those would specifically be. Plan to be present for these meetings to supply information and preferences.
Ask you provider for guidance on which plan would be the best fit for your child’s needs. If approved, some of these educational plans can extend into college years with accommodations available at the university level. You will likely need to meet yearly with the school district to continue and update the plan. If you do not get approved, you can apply again.
Summary
You have the desire to help your child, which is great. Thankfully, there are many resources available to support you in this process. Keep in mind this article is not exhaustive. The best option for your family is one that uniquely addresses your top concerns. Speaking with your providers will help you narrow down specifics for your child’s case. Learning how to navigate the school and healthcare systems will make you better able to help your child. Mental health professionals are dedicated to educating you to become equipped information necessary to make the best decisions for your family.
