Blog

No matter how long they’ve been in the K–12 space, many a professional gets a dose of anxiety on Sundays. Do you spend the day worrying that you’re not truly ready for the week? Maybe you’ve got emails, intervention plans, and IEP reports hanging over your head. Perhaps it’s the fear of the unknown that really sends you into a tailspin. Whatever it is that has you sweating over Monday morning, these tips can help you tame the “Sunday Scaries”!

You don’t have to look far to find an article detailing the state of student achievement these days. Math and reading scores are down from where they were pre-pandemic and educators and parents alike are scrambling to find ways to close the gap. Unfortunately, academic scores aren’t the only concern in need of attention; an extraordinary percentage of our students are facing mental health challenges — many of them dire.

Strong reading comprehension is fundamental to success in today’s information age. From academics to professional pursuits to personal growth, the ability to understand, analyze, and interpret written material at a high level plays a pivotal role in achievement.

Efficient diagnostic tools can better address mental health in patients — and providers. Today, about one in four adults experiences a diagnosable mental health disorder in a given year. Many of these adults are your patients. And many others are your healthcare staff. This leaves healthcare organizations in the position of supporting patients who may struggle to get the care they need and supporting staff who may struggle to deliver proper care.  

When used responsibly, social media can provide a means for social connectedness, support, information, and entertainment for teens, all of which can be beneficial to their mental health and well-being. However, social media can also expose teens to anxiety, depression, body image issues, cyberbullying, peer pressure, racism, prejudice, sleep disorders, and addiction. These effects may be related to the amount and type of social media use, as well as the developmental stage of each teen.

“Rare Genetic/Monogenic Disorders & Co-Occurring Conditions in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities”

Each year, Gatlinburg brings together numerous behavioral scientists from around the world to discuss their research and collaborations in related fields such as intellectual and developmental disabilities. While it is a smaller conference, the attendees represent all professional levels and include students, post-docs, support and research staff, professors, and researchers. Our Pharma Services team also attended, excited to learn about the important and ground-breaking research being conducted in the IDD sphere.

You don’t need to go far to hear about the staffing woes in our schools, and the most critical needs are within the special education and school psychologists' departments. These education professionals and their peers, including SLPs and reading specialists, need to assess more students than ever to identify the students who need instructional, speech, and mental health support — with less time and fewer resources at their disposal.

Presenters: Lynsey Psimas, PhD and Paul Williams PsyD

Growth Scale Values (GSVs) have a long 50-year history within research. However, GSVs are only now gaining traction as an alternative and more precise way to measure outcomes in clinical trials.