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NADD U.S. Policy Update (from the NADD Bulletin Volume XII Number 6)
Complete listing
School to Adult Transitions at Vanderbilt Program Description
Bruce E. Davis, Ph.D., LPC, SrLPE, BCBA, School to Adult Transitions
at Vanderbilt
The transition from adolescence to adulthood is a difficult process
under the best of circumstances. Decisions have to be made and
responsibilities have to be taken that may dramatically alter the
course of a person's life. The difficulty is magnified when the
person experiencing the transition has multiple or severe
disabilities. The failure to properly plan for and address
transition issues sets the stage for more intense difficulties later
in life.
Educational services for persons with intellectual disabilities end
between the ages of 18 and 22. The Individuals with
Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) 2004 requires
transition planning for persons with intellectual disabilities, but
many individuals leave school with no particular planning for the
future. When parents are unaware of their rights or the
consequences of their decisions, they allow students to graduate
early only to be relegated to an inactive and unstructured life at
home. This type of sedentary lifestyle fosters difficulties
including those associated with behavioral health problems and mental illness.
In the School to Adult Transitions at Vanderbilt (SAT-V) program, 93%
of persons aged 17 to 25 who enter services have significant problems
with self-esteem and few psychological strengths. When this
type of discouragement is projected into the future, it is no wonder
that people tend to develop difficult or unmanageable behavior.
One of the crucial needs for every adolescent with a disability is
the belief that they can have a meaningful life. Early
adulthood is the precise time of life when many people begin to lose
hope that many of their dreams will ever be fulfilled.
At the basis of any service structure must be some process by which
kids get the encouragement they need during this critical
period. Families are generally the source of this type of
encouragement, but they frequently don't have the information they
need to help their child be successful. Unfortunately, they too
are often discouraged about what their child can accomplish. In the
SAT-V program we address this issue through consultation with the
family. By meeting with them on a regular basis, we can make
them aware of the resources that exist for their child and help them
set a course for the future.
Another of the central issues faced by persons in transition is that
after the school years they are left without any productive daily
activity. Over 70% of the individuals coming to SAT-V have
difficulties with obtaining employment or even a structured day
activity. The question here should not be "whether" a
person with a disability can have a meaningful day, but rather
"how" a person can have a meaningful day. Families
frequently need assistance to know how their loved one can be
successful in a work setting. Competent professionals who know
the employment landscape for people with disabilities are an
essential component to identifying job opportunities and providing
job training.
Mental health services are also important for many persons in
transition. It is equally important that the services be
appropriate to the person's need. Most service systems still do
not have enough mental health practitioners who are skilled in
providing services to persons with intellectual disabilities.
The problem stems not just from failures of state agencies, but also
the failures of universities to provide adequate training.
Psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and professional
counselors often complete their courses of study with little or no
exposure to the problems of people with intellectual
disabilities. SAT-V has begun to address the problem by
offering internship opportunities for graduate students in psychology
and special education. This is a good start, but more must be
done to ensure that coursework and experience in intellectual
disabilities become more ubiquitous in university training.
Persons with disabilities experience gaps in services across the
developmental spectrum, but those experienced by persons in
post-secondary transition are some of the most glaring. The
movement from the educational system to other systems of support is
anything but seamless. As we set out to improve the service
system we must ensure that transition needs are addressed in
thoughtful and effective manner.
The School to Adult Transitions at Vanderbilt program is a joint
project between the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center and the Vanderbilt
University Department of Psychiatry. The program is funded by a
grant from the John Merck Fund.
For further information, contact Dr. Davis at bruce.e.davis@vanderbilt.edu.
The "U.S. Public Policy Update" is an ongoing column in The
NADD Bulletin. We welcome your comments and submissions for
this column. To learn more or to contribute to this column you
may contact Joan Beasley, Editor of the U.S. Public Policy Update at joan.beasley@unh.edu.
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Upcoming Conferences:
September
Ohio State 10th Annual MI/DD Conference , Mental Health Aspects
–Treatment & Support (September 18 & September 19, 2012)
Columbus, Ohio
October
NADD 29th Conference & Exhibit Show, (October 17 - 19, 2012)
Denver, Colorado
October 2013
NADD 30th Conference & Exhibit Show, Baltimore MD (October 23 -
October 25, 2013)
Complete Calendar |
New Educational Products:
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 Intellectual
Disability and Mental Health: A Training Manual in Dual Diagnosis
Sharon McGilvery, Ph.D. and Darlene Sweetland, Ph.D.
With the release of this book, Drs. McGilvery and Sweetland share
decades of experience working with individuals diagnosed with an
intellectual disability and co-occurring psychiatric disorders. Their
well-practiced approach takes into account the extremely complex
nature of working with dual-diagnosis. The authors provide
in-depth information about the diagnostic process, hands-on treatment
considerations, and their experience training thousands of people to
work passionately with these individuals. An important
contribution is their approach to addressing complicating factors in
identifying appropriate psychiatric diagnoses, as well as the problem
of the underreporting of psychiatric symptoms and disorders. Finally,
those working in a variety of contexts with these individuals will
benefit from the innovative approaches of looking at treatment and
intervention strategies that can be immediately implemented. 264 pages
Details:
ST11-053B
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 A
PRACTICAL GUIDE to Assessing Medical Issues Associated with
Behavior/ Psychiatric Problems in Persons with Intellectual
Disability – Revised in 2011
Ann R. Poindexter, M.D.
This book discusses medical/medication issues which may present as
behavioral/ psychiatric problems in individuals with intellectual
disability. Three self-directed instructional courses and
several illustrative case histories are included. 110 pages\
Details:
DA05-021BR
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Psychotherapy for Individuals with Intellectual Disability
Edited by: Robert J. Fletcher, DSW, ACSW
This book provides the reader with insightful and useful ways to
provide psychotherapy treatment for individuals who have intellectual
disability (ID). It brings together all three modalities
(individual, couple, and group), and a variety of theoretical models
and techniques are discussed. The first section, Individual
Therapy, offers a variety of approaches and techniques including
dialectical behavioral therapy, positive psychology,
mindfulness-based practice, and relaxation training. Also included in
this section are chapters on specialty populations including victims
of abuse, people who have Autism Spectrum Disorder, and people in
mourning. The second section is a chapter on group therapy addressing
trauma issues. The third section is on family and couple therapy. The
fourth section covers chapters on research, ethics, and
training. The individual authors are respected authorities in
the field of providing psychotherapy treatment for persons with ID
and all have contributed to the professional literature.
This book is a major contribution to the effort to make psychotherapy
available to individuals who have ID and should serve to further
stimulate interest in the provision of psychotherapy treatment for
individuals who have ID co-occurring with significant mental health problems.
NADD # CT11-051B Details
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 Comprehensive
Competence-Based Parenting Assessment for Parents with Learning
Dificulties and Their Children
Maurice Feldman, PhD, Marjorie Aunos, PhD
This book presents an innovative, empirically-supported approach to
assessing parenting capacity of parents with learning difficulties
that can lead to more humane, fair and accurate child custody
decisions. The authors are leading researchers and
practitioners in this field haing worked with hundred of these
families. Many professionals working with these families
recognize that the current parenting capacity assessment approaches
are based on outdatd and invalid assumptions and methods. This
book addresses the unique assessment needs of these families and
includes detailed background information, rationales and methods.
NADD # DA10-050B Details
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 Working
with People with Challeging Behaviors: A Guide for Maintaining
Positive Relation
Nathan Ory
The material in this book introduces general practices
and specific solutions to behavior problems that will work with
people who display difficult and challenging behaviors regardless of
who they are. It is especially suitable for working with
individuals who have developmental or intellectual disabilities
coupled with a behavior disorder. The methods also apply to the
person with emotional or psychiatric disturbances, or another serious
mental health problem. Finally, they are helpful in providing
support to elderly individuals who display challenging behavior.
NADD # ST10-049B Details
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Human Needs and Intellectual Disabilities: Applications for Person
Centered Planning, Dual Diagnosis, and Crisis Intervention
Steven Reiss, Ph.D.
Human Needs and Intellectual Disabilities identifies the 12 human
needs most relevant to the lives of people with intellectual
disabilities, autism and related developmental disabilities. It
includes detailed, practical suggestions for caregivers or parents
interested in the happiness, quality of life, and self-determintion
of their loved ones or consumers. The book includes detailed,
practical suggestions for reducing episodes of challenging behavior
and psychiatric symptoms in people with a dual diagnosis
(intellectual disabilities and mental illness). It shows how to
substitute the language of individuality (e.g., "friendly
person") for the language of disability (e.g., "person with
disability"). It also reduces the tendency of planners to
confuse their own value system for that of the consumer. The
book includes scholarly reviews of dual diagnosis literature on
mental illness, prevalence, and assessment.
NADD # DA10-048B Details
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Positive Identity Development
Author: Karyn Harvey, PhD
Positive Identity Development is an exciting new approach to
treatment for individuals with intellectual disabilities. This
book provides a new theoretical perspective on treatment along with a
variety of innovative tools. It rejects reducing adults with
intellectual disabilities to a mere compilation of their behaviors
and promotes the use of a positive, therapeutic approach to each
unique individual. Psychologists, social workers and therapists
should be able to use the tools presented in this book to directly
enhance the effectiveness of the treatment they provide to adults
with intellectual disabilities. This book promotes well-being on
every level and explores a broad range of issues relevant to the life
and mental health of adults with intellectual disabilities
Mbr Price: $34.95
Non-Mbr: $39.95
NADD #CT09-047B Details |
 Down
Syndrome: When to Worry about Mental Health and What to Do About It
Robin Friedlander, M.D. & Peter Johnson, Ph.D.
NADD # FI09-044B Details |
 Working
with People who have Intellectual Disability and Behavioral
Problems: A Self-Study Guide for Interdisciplinary Team Members
Ann R. Poindexter, M.D. & Paul D. Kolstoe, Ph.D.
NADD # ST09-045B Details |
Multi-Media CDs of NADD 25th Annual Conference Presentations
Presentations recorded at NADD 25th Annual Conference are available
as multi-media CDs. These CDs contain the video and Power Point
from conference presentations and are a great tool for training
yourself and your staff. To order, or for additional
information, click here.
Community Networks of Specialized Care: Building Community
Capacity through Training and Education Lisa Holmes, Liz
Froese, MSW, Rosanne Stein, LLB, BSc, Sandi Bricker
NADD Competency-Based Dual Diagnosis Certification Program Robert
Fletcher, DSW, ACSW, FAAIDD; Donna McNelis, PhD; John McGonigle,
PhD; Kathleen Olson, PhD; Jarrett Barnhill, MD
Autism Spectrum Disorders: Separating the Data from the
Myths Ann R. Poindexter, MD
Diagnostic Systems for Use with People with ID Luis
Salvador-Carulla, MD, PhD, Robert J. Fletcher, DSW, ACSW, FAAIDD,
Sally-Ann Cooper, MD
The price for the above multimedia is: Member:
$49.95 Non-member: $59.95
To order, or for additional information, click
here.
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