1-1 Discussion: Early Detection of Mental Health Issues in Children
Hello all, my name is Brynne Nicholas. I am 32 years old and from Baton Rouge, Louisiana. This
past December, I graduated from Baton Rouge Community College with an associate degree in Liberal
Arts and now am looking to complete my bachelor’s degree in General Studies with a concentration in
Psychology here at SNHU. I am currently employed as a special education paraprofessional and plan to
complete an alternative special education teacher certification program offered through my school
district once I obtain my bachelor’s degree.
Based on my experience as a special education paraprofessional, I believe that early detection
and diagnosis of mental health issues in children offers more benefit than harm to school-aged children.
I have witnessed children who should have been in a special education classroom but were placed in
general education because there was no diagnosis or even attempted observation for potential mental
health issues. These children who are inappropriately placed in a general education setting struggle
tremendously in the classroom with their coursework and with behavior issues. Not only are they
struggling with keeping up with their peers on learning, but they also become a "behavior problem" to
that teacher and a distraction to their peers. The behavior problems tend to come from not being able
to keep up with their peers and because most children with mental issues need to be with teachers and
staff who are trained in working with behaviors and learning of those mental health issues. According to
Mental Health America, "early identification, accurate diagnosis and effective treatment of mental
health and substance use conditions can alleviate enormous suffering for young people and their
families dealing with behavioral health challenges. Providing early care can help young people to more
quickly recover and benefit from their education, to develop positive relationships, to gain access to
employment, and ultimately to lead more meaningful and productive lives." It is unfortunate to see a
child struggle because they are not provided with the appropriate classroom setting and instruction they
need.
Ethically, with early diagnosis, there can be issues with overdiagnosis and misdiagnosis.
Additionally, once a child is labelled with a disorder or disability, there seems to be limitations and
restrictions that are automatically placed upon that child. These limitations and restrictions usually
come from those outside of the classroom and include the teachers and staff outside the classroom as
well as the child's peers and parents. This can be avoided; however, if they are placed in a classroom
where the teacher places high standards on the child and tailors the instruction to fit the child's needs.
The child's teacher needs to observe and establish instructional strategies for the child and work in
conjunction with the child's parents, so it is carried over at home as well.
Understanding abnormal child behavior can be extremely complex and sometimes contradictory
due to the overlapping and degree of variations of symptoms and characteristics displayed from
different disorders. For example, with autism spectrum disorder, there are a variety of symptoms and
severity levels. Some characteristics of ASD may overlap with other disabilities such as ADHD or the child
may even have both. Being able to appropriately identify the main cause of such characteristics can be
challenging.
References:
"Position Statement 41: Early Identification of Mental Health Issues in Young People." Children's Issues.
Mental Health America. Retrieved August 29, 2022, from
