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The Importance of the Biopsychosocial Approach in START
Thanks to Olivia Ayers, Clinical Director
and the Iowa START team for sharing this START Story
I-START began serving a young woman who presented with a drastic increase in seizure activity, depressive symptoms, and extreme levels of fatigue, impacting her ability to complete tasks of daily living. These symptoms resulted in high levels of systemic strain and led to a loss of placement resulting in her becoming homeless. Throughout this period of increase in seizures and the decrease in biopsychosocial functioning, the woman’s mother reported that this presentation was highly unusual for her daughter and that she was concerned about her physical health. The medical providers were not responding to these concerns and the mother was frustrated.
The I-START coordinator provided regular outreach with this young woman’s mother and heard her concern and fear for her daughter. The mother reported that seizures had been a rare occurrence (once a year) as opposed to the almost daily occurrence, that her daughter had always taken pride in her ability to care for herself, and that the signs of depression were very recent. She also reported she had been sharing her concerns with the neurologist and other medical and mental health professionals without a response. To address the biopsychosocial vulnerabilities, the I-START coordinator began outreach with the medical and mental health professionals and attended neurology appointments with the family.
I-START supported the mother to accurately document previous medication trials related to the seizure activity and created an environment where the mother and daughter were better heard. Through this support, the family was better able to share their daughter’s history and recent significant changes in her presentation.
As a result of this work, a referral to a new neurologist at a larger institution was made in order to assess the young woman’s change in functioning and increase in seizures. Through the assessments and advocacy provided, it was found this she has a rare genetic condition. Seeing her presentation through the lens of this genetic condition, led to a better understanding of the underlying biopsychosocial vulnerabilities and appropriate treatment. The neurologist explained that her current medications were likely contributing to cognitive clouding, not adequately addressing her seizure activity, and causing fatigue. The neurologist also educated the team that the places in her brain impacted by seizure activity could cause depressive symptoms to occur. Finally, the neurologist played a key role in educating the provider on how this genetic condition is impact impacting the young woman’s presentation, increasing the system’s empathy and overall capacity to serve her. The neurologist indicated that identifying this genetic condition which led to appropriate treatment was critical to the physical health of this young woman. Her story demonstrates that the biopsychosocial approach, a key principle of the START model, is an essential tool for the START team.
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Do you have a START Story you want to share? We want to hear from you! If you know of a START team member(s) or an individual receiving services who are putting START values and principles in action, let us know and you might be featured in News & Views. Contact your project facilitator or marketing manager Jackie Drake at jacquelyn.drake@unh.edu.
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A Guide to Making Friends for People with Disabilities
By Kevin Fox
One of the hardest realities of life for everyone is that so much of life is random.
We often have no control over whether the parents we have will be effective, raise us in the right way, and give us the support we need. We have no control over whether our school experience will be great or poor. In adulthood, we even have little control over whether the job we have will be a great fit. Very often, people with disabilities have exceptionally bad luck when it comes to making friends, due to no fault of our own.
However, because we tend to have less luck socially, that makes it very important that we take the initiative to make friends ourselves. Every single person in this world has a group they can fit into. Everyone belongs, and we all crave the validation of finding other people just like us.
If you’re looking for friends, here are a couple options of places you can join to get you started on the right path.
Internet communities. The Internet can often be an easy first step, especially for introverts like me. There is a community online for everything. If you like any band, or any TV show, or any hobby, there’s a community online for it, and it can usually be found through a quick Google search. Finding the right people to connect with, naturally, takes time. For me I like to lurk and just read for a few days or so, and maybe test the waters by replying to a topic I’m particularly interested in, while also trying to notice if there are any community members that seem like potential friends. I’ve developed so many in-person relationships from meeting people online using this method.
In-person community events. In-person community events are a bit of a bigger step, but they’re out there. Thankfully, I can also find a lot of these by looking online using either Google or social media. Examples of in-person events that I’ve found online include everything from an autism support group to Scrabble club and Dungeons and Dragons nights. There are many, many groups out there willing to take any new members. The best thing about these interactions is that if you go to one of them and it doesn’t work out, you don’t have to go back. They don’t follow you around for years like your high school or college interactions maybe did. You can just move on to the next group.
To wrap up, it is so easy to get bogged down in the randomness of life. But there are ways out of it. If you take initiative, you may find making friends to be easier than you think. Just ask yourself: What about me makes me interesting? What am I passionate about? Then type that into Google, and the number of people you can find with a single click just might surprise you.
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Kevin Fox is a writer, online content editor, and autism advocate. He lives in Chattanooga, TN, and enjoys playing piano, going to concerts, and attending regular local autism conferences and support group meetings. Read more on Kevin's blog.
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Training & Professional Development
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Positive-Interactive Behavioral Therapy (P-IBT) Training Canceled
This in-person training course (originally scheduled for March 13-17, 2023) has been canceled and is being reconfigured to maximize the number of people across the country who can participate. New dates and details will be posted soon.
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The 2023 START National Training Institute will take place from May 1-3, 2023 in Austin, Texas. This year's theme is "Building Connections & Activating Strengths: 35 Years of START." Check the SNTI webpage for updates regarding program schedule, continuing education, and featured speakers. Registration will open in January 2023. We can't wait to see you in Austin!
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IDD-MH Professional Development Series
Registration for Spring 2023 Now Open!
The IDD-MH Professional Development Series is designed to build expertise in professionals through evidence-based instruction and best practices. These courses are targeted to specific roles within human service delivery to enhance the ability to provide effective services for people with intellectual/developmental disabilities and mental health needs. All courses consist of six live webinar sessions facilitated weekly via Zoom (exact dates provided during registration).
Direct Support Professionals Course begins February 7
Care Coordinator Course begins March 7
Mobile Crisis Responder Course begins April 4
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Suicide Screening for People with ASD-IDD/MH
Training for 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Counselors
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This online, asynchronous (on-demand) training enables 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline screeners/counselors to provide improved support and assistance to people with intellectual/ developmental disabilities (including Autism Spectrum Disorder, ASD) and mental health needs who contact the Lifeline seeking help.
While originally designed for 988 counselors, it is highly relevant for any professional who is interested in learning more about providing support and assistance to people with ASD-IDD/MH in crisis.
Upon registering you will immediately receive an email with all course links and information necessary to complete the entire training at your own pace.
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National Research Consortium
Request for Research Project Proposals
The National Research Consortium on Mental Health in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (MH-IDD) is seeking innovation research grant applicants with a focus on improving the health and well-being of individuals with MH-IDD service needs. The application must clearly articulate how the project meets the National Research Consortium's mission. The National Research Consortium prioritizes four areas of grant funding:
- Expanding the use of positive psychological methods;
- Developing and scaling evidenced-based interventions;
- Expanding capacity and reducing service disparities; and
- Revising and/or developing accessible measures.
Additional information about the National Research Consortium can be found on our website. This year, the National Research Consortium will prioritize applications that also address racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic disparities.
The National Research Consortium will fund grants up to $35,000. Applications that request less funds are welcome. Applications require an institutional match, often represented as coverage of effort/salary. For other information about grant requirements, please visit the National Research Consortium webpage. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
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Have a healthy and happy week,
National Center for START Services
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