When a child is struggling with their mental or emotional health, it can be hard — and sometimes utterly terrifying — for parents to know how to help (and with added complications when they also have a developmental disability). How do we tell the difference between a crisis situation and emotions that are a normal part of growing up, especially when they’re constantly moving through changes in development and may not express their emotions the way a neurotypical child might? It’s hard enough accessing care and services for our kids, but with mental health, things can feel a lot harder.
On top of the challenges of just being a kid in the world, our kids face many unique stressors — from extra therapies at school to feeling misunderstood by friends, family, and providers. Learning how to support them during both crises situations and throughout the ups and downs of childhood (and those stressful teenage years) — when they may struggle to balance and cope with big emotions like sadness or anxiety in different ways — is one of the most important ways we can create protective factors around our kids.
May is Mental Health Awareness month, and we’ve put together these resources with the help of various professionals to help support our kids’ mental and emotional health— all in one place.
- Mental Health for Kids with Disabilities 101. Get an overview of mental health in kids with disabilities, co-occurring disorders, biases, identifying signs and symptoms of issues to address, diagnosis, building a mental health team, and more. Read the article here!
- Mental Health Treatment Options for Children and Teens with Disabilities. Explore treatment options that can support your child, including psychological assessments, therapy, emergency hospitalization, residential treatment, medication, and more. Read the article here!
- Supporting Kids’ Mental Health at Home and in Crisis. Read our parent tips and step-by-step instructions for addressing self-harm and suicide; crisis hotlines and resources; tips to support kids with depression, anxiety, and OCD; different ways to support kids’ mental health daily, such as conversation, positive coping strategies, recommended reading, and more. Read the article here!
- How IEPs and 504 Plans Help Support Mental Health in School. Learn more about navigating the school system, how to qualify for mental health services in IEP and 504 plans, types of mental health services offered at school, and more. Read the article here!
Here are some more resources to explore:
- Dr. Lauren Stutman, Psy.D, on How to Ease our Kids’ Anxieties: Part 1 and Part 2.
- Dr. Rita Eichenstein on Maintaining the Whole Family’s Well-being During Stressful Times.
- Marriage and Family Therapist Diane Simon Smith on How to Navigate Stress and Anxiety.
- Dr. Matt Biel on How to Help Our Kids Manage Their Fears and Worries.
Undivided Conversations: Dr. Lauren Stutman, Psy.D.
May is Mental Health Awareness and we’ve set out to get some resources for our kids who may be struggling with their mental health. In our new series, Undivided Conversations, we spoke with licensed psychologist and founder of CARE-LA, Dr. Lauren Stutman, to give us tips, advice, and answer our heavier questions. Watch the full video on our YouTube page!
Undivided Office Hours
Our next Office Hours speaker is Undivided Public Benefits Specialist Lisa Concoff Kronbeck! On Wednesday, May 31 at 2:00 p.m. PST, Lisa will be available to answer all of your questions about funding therapies and medical supplies through Medi-Cal, insurance, Regional Center, and more! Stop by for five minutes or the whole hour! Bi-weekly Office Hours are virtual Q&A sessions with experts that are open to Undivided members only, so if you’d like to attend, sign up here to begin your free Kickstart!
- How can parents help de-stigmatize mental health services for their kids? Dr. Lauren Stutman explains why it’s important to use a strength-based approach. Watch on YouTube→
- Curious about the differences between mental health care at school vs. private therapy? Learn about eligibility, cost, assessments, and more in this post. Watch the reel on Instagram→
- One parent in our private Facebook group shared some amazing research on how taking breaks helps reduce stress — which can come in handy when advocating for breaks in the IEP! Join the discussion→
- Undivided is looking for more part-time Navigators to support our families. We’d love to have you join our team! Learn more on LinkedIn→
- Get 1:1 support, community empowerment resources, and more when you jion Undivided. Start here →
This newsletter was originally sent to our subscribers on 5/25/23. Subscribe to our newsletter to get more resources like this in your inbox, or check out our full library of articles, templates, and videos at undivided.io/resources.
