A copy of the second edition of Dr. McGuire and Dr. Chicoine's book Mental Wellness in Adults with Down Syndrome: A Guide to Emotional and Behavioral Strengths and Challenges (2nd Edition), originally published by Woodbine House Publishing in 2021. After Woodbine closed in 2022, the publishing rights reverted to the authors. Dr. McGuire and Dr. Chicoine chose to make the book available to readers as a free PDF. Available in English and Spanish
Statewide resource for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities who have complex behavioral or mental health needs. TN START AST is a collaboration between the Tennessee Department of Disability and Aging and the Center for START Services. START (Systematic, Therapeutic, Assessment, Resources & Treatment) is a comprehensive model of service supports that optimizes independence, treatment, and community living for individuals with IDD and behavioral health needs.
LifeConnect Health offers pivotal Person Centered Behavioral Health Services to children and adults who experience behavior challenges. They are experienced in working with individuals with IDD, leveraging unique and highly specialized expertise and clinical tools with tailored supports for both the individuals and their existing systems of support, LifeConnect’s capacity for scale and access includes TeleHealth technology.
Mobile Crisis for Children and Youth. Youth Villages, Mental Health Cooperative, Frontier Health, and Helen Ross McNabb provide crisis services for children and youth in Tennessee. Emergency counselors (triage specialists) handle calls 24/7 through their regional hotline and determine an appropriate response. Throughout the state, specialized Crisis Services staff assess and evaluate children and youth, up to age 18, who are experiencing a psychiatric emergency. 24/7 STATEWIDE CRISIS LINE: 855-274-7471 (855-CRISIS-1)
Autism Tennessee exists to enrich the lives and experiences of individuals on the autism spectrum, their families, and their surrounding community through support, advocacy, and education.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has developed a page on their parents website with information pertaining to medical topics that affect physical health.
NDSS resource for families, professionals, direct caregivers or anyone concerned with the general welfare of an adult with Down syndrome.
David Stein, PsyD of the Developmental Medicine Center at Children’s Hospital Boston developed this guide to provide sound, practical advice for parents of children with Down syndrome. Recognizing that each child is unique but also that there are some common areas that can present challenges and also particular strategies that have proven successful.
The clinic provides comprehensive care and professional services to children and teens with Down syndrome. The clinic staff assists patients in finding therapeutic services and educational/behavioral support and providing a multidisciplinary approach to treatment.
The Home and Community Network of the Association of Positive Behavior Support is a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding and enhancing the application of PBS principles across home and community settings, contexts, and the lifespan for people with behavioral challenges and the systems that support them.
Social Stories™ are effective methods to provide guidance and directions for responding to various types of social situations. The stories are used to describe social situations specific to individuals and circumstances while promoting self-awareness, self-calming, and self-management. Social Stories™ are not meant to change behavior; rather, they are meant to clarify social expectations.
Dennis McGuire, Ph.D., two-time recipient of Global’s Award of Excellence—in Medical Outreach and Psychology—and co-author of Mental Wellness in Adults with Down Syndrome and The Guide to Good Health for Teens and Adults with Down Syndrome, shares three important takeaways regarding behavioral health in people with Down syndrome.
One page behavior support ducument adapted by Andrew Crim with permission from Supporting Positive Behavior in Children and Teens with Down Syndrome: The Respond but Don’t React Method by David Stein, PsyD and published by Woodbine House.
Response to Instruction and Intervention-Behavior (RTI2-B) offers a powerful, evidence-based approach for meeting the behavioral and social needs of students in Tennessee schools. RTI2-B is a framework for prevention and intervention within an integrated, three-tiered approach. Each tier of the framework involves careful reflection on the needs of students, the design of interventions matching those needs, and the collection of data to evaluate progress.
There is nothing scarier for a parent than losing their child, and for parents who have kids who wander, that fear is always in the back of our minds. This article on The Mighty discusses the best tracking devices for kids.