July 23, 2018, Salt Lake Tribune: This Utah school district plans to have a full-time psychologist in each of its 36 elementary schools by fall https://www.sltrib.com/news/education/2018/07/20/this-utah-school-district/ …The district intends to be one of the first in Utah to have a full-time psychologist in each of its 36 elementary schools. Its school board approved the mental health initiative last month as part of a $710 million budget, which includes more staff and training for students at all of its schools, including 10 middle schools and eight high schools and technical schools. Though new staff may not be fully in place by the time school starts in August — particularly with a nationwide shortage of school psychologists — the district has started hiring and will temporarily supplement with counselors. … “We can do so much more now in terms of prevention instead of just intervention,” said Fulvia Franco, who oversees guidance programs for Jordan School District. “We know that children can be taught the skills in terms of coping when things don’t go their way or helping them to calm down if they’re upset about something.” Strauss, who now oversees 12 elementary school principals for the district, said over the course of her 28-year career as a principal at multiple schools, she’s seen students feeling increasingly anxious or depressed. … The new mental health initiative is part of the district’s response to the loss of seven students, enrolled or recently graduated from Herriman High School, who died by suicide over the past year. The district has hired a suicide-prevention consultant to work districtwide.
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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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