Jan 31, 2018, Jacksonville, FL, WJXT: Clay County introducing program to give at-risk students additional support https://www.news4jax.com/news/clay-county-introducing-program-to-give-at-risk-students-additional-support Addressing emotional and behavioral health issues in schools, Clay County is rolling out a new program to help keep kids on track. Last year, the I-TEAM revealed alarming statistics showing Clay County had one of the largest spikes in children being hospitalized under the Baker Acted, meaning their hospitalization was due to an involuntary psychiatric evaluation. [Baker Act allows the involuntary institutionalization and examination of an individual. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florida_Mental_Health_Act "What's happening here as a precursor to dealing with a child's behavior, children are being Baker Acted," said Julio Avael, president, Motivational Coaches of America. In 2015, more than 350 kids in Clay County were hospitalized with an involuntary psychiatric evaluation -- a nearly 40 percent jump over the past five years. … "Junior high school is where students mentally drop out, and they physically drop out in high school, so if we can be proactive and address our learners at an earlier stage, we can put them on a path to success," Davis said. That's why Clay County Schools is partnering with Motivational Coaches of America -- to give students the resources they need. "Trained licensed mental health professionals on school campuses," Avael said. "We refer to them as motivational coaches because we need to change the dialogue built around mental health." Coaches will be on campus all day to provide mental and behavioral health services and treatment plans. … MCUSA takes care of all the costs related to the program. The Clay County school district is launching the program at three middle schools this month with plans to expand the program to all middle schools by next fall.
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Childhood Lost
Children today are noticeably different from previous generations, and the proof is in the news coverage we see every day. This site shows you what’s happening in schools around the world. Children are increasingly disabled and chronically ill, and the education system has to accommodate them. Things we've long associated with autism, like sensory issues, repetitive behaviors, anxiety and lack of social skills, are now problems affecting mainstream students. Blame is predictably placed on bad parenting (otherwise known as trauma from home).
Addressing mental health needs is as important as academics for modern educators. This is an unrecognized disaster. The stories here are about children who can’t learn or behave like children have always been expected to. What childhood has become is a chilling portent for the future of mankind.
Anne Dachel, Media editor, Age of Autism
http://www.ageofautism.com/media/
(John Dachel, Tech. assist.)
What will happen in another 4 years? How can we go on like this? This is a national (and international) problem of monumental proportions. We have an entire new class of children who cannot be accommodated by the system: many are manifestly neurologically impaired. Meanwhile, the government and the medical profession sleep on regardless.
John Stone,
UK media editor, Age of Autism
The generation of American children born after 1990 are arguably the sickest generation in the history of our country.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
It seemed to me that with rising autism prevalence, you’d also see rising autism costs to society, and it turns out, the costs are catastrophic.
They calculated that in 2015 autism cost the United States $268 billion and they projected that if autism continues at its current rate, we’re looking at one trillion dollars a year in autism costs by 2025, so within five years.
Toby Rogers, PhD, Political economist
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