Mental health affects how individuals think, feel, and behave. Biology, life experience, and family history influence mental health, and adolescence, life changes, stress, and uncertainty often trigger mental health issues. Educators must remain aware of their students’ needs and overall well-being during this time of transition.

To promote good student mental health, educators should build strong relationships with students and understand how stress affects their brains. Knowledge of neuroplasticity, the brain's ability to reorganize and change neural networks, is essential for educators, says Lori Desautels. This malleability has significant implications for healthy development, learning, memory, and recovery from traumatic brain injuries in adulthood. Educators can use this knowledge to create positive transition experiences that support healthy neural network development.

Educators who understand neuroplasticity can design activities that promote new neural connections, challenge students to think creatively and solve problems, and help students develop effective stress management strategies.

To improve your understanding of neuroplasticity, check out Lori Desautels’ articles linked below. To learn more about mental health disorders and help guide your transition students into a fulfilling postsecondary life, the Center on Community Living and Careers offers self-paced online courses in their new National Learning Academy. See below for course details and links to registration.

Resources 

• Lori Desautels: Revelations in Education—A thought leader in trauma-informed education. She shows you how to support student’s emotional regulation and create a supportive environment that allows learning.
• Edutopia: “The Power of Reframing to ‘Rewire’ Students’ Brains”
• National Learning Academy Mental Health Series:
  • Anxiety disorders— Dive into the types, risk factors, symptoms, treatments, and ways to help people with anxiety disorders reach their vocational goals.
  • Bipolar disorders—Learn the characteristics of bipolar disorders, related functional challenges, treatment options, and how people with bipolar disorder can become competitively employed.
  • Personality disorders—Explore the traits of personality disorders and how they can affect interpersonal relations. Learn about career counseling and planning and strategies to achieve successful employment.
  • Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders—Identify the basic elements of schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders. Discover effective employment practices and understand the challenges faced by youth during the transition process.

Bonus Tip

The Center for Health Equity (CHE) at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community (IIDC) at Indiana University is conducting a brief online survey to better understand the experience and thoughts of the disability community about getting vaccinations, like flu, COVID-19, and measles. Adults with disabilities, as well as family and paid caregivers of individuals (minor or adult) with disabilities in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, and Wisconsin can participate in the survey. 

The survey results will help us better understand how to improve vaccinations in the disability community. All responses will be released as part of group summaries, and individual responses will remain anonymous. The entire survey should take no more than 20 minutes to complete. All participation is voluntary.

If you are an adult with a disability or a caregiver of an individual (minor or adult) with disability, and are interested in participating, complete our survey at this link.

If you have questions, please contact CHE Director Don Dumayas via email or by calling (812) 855-2894.