The principle behind universal screening is straightforward: it is impossible to proactively help individual students unless school personnel take the time to ask the students how they appraise both the negative and positive aspects of their life experiences...they have to watch, care, ask, and respond in support of students (Dowdy et al., 2015).

 

Approximately one in eight schools have adopted universal screening procedures (Eklund & Rossen, 2016; Bruhn, Woods-Groves, & Huddle, 2014).

 

Purpose of Mental Health Screenings

• Universal screening can lead to system-level change that aims to improve students’ behavioral and emotional health (Dowdy et al., 2015), which may ultimately influence school safety practices.

• Universal screening is an essential first step to mobilize school-level resources and identifying which students might benefit from preventive or early intervention services (Dowdy et al., 2015; Severson et al., 2007).

 

Process of Mental Health Screenings

• Universal screening procedures typically include assessing an entire population (e.g., all students) about a specified concern through short and efficient surveys and/or uses teacher nominations (Eklund & Rossen, 2016).

• All students are...provided with the same opportunity for potential early identification and service provision (Dowdy et al., 2015; Dowdy et al., 2013).

 

Examples of Mental Health Screeners

• BASC-2 Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BESS) (Dowdy, Ritchey et al., 2010)

• Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC) (Dowdy, Furlong et al., 2010)

• Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) (Dowdy, Furlong et al., 2010)

 

Proponents & Opponents to Mental Health Screening

Proponents

• Screening provides an opportunity to support students by connecting them to effective resources before problems worsen (Center for Mental Health in Schools, n.d).

• Early identification from screenings may lessen the cost of intensive interventions (Center for Mental Health in Schools, n.d).

• Schools are an accessible avenue to provide screening (Center for Mental Health in Schools, n.d).

Opponents

• Limited research currently exists on the use of universal screening to monitor and inform children’s mental health (Dowdy, Ritchey et al., 2010).

• Some behaviors (i.e., internalizing) are more difficult to identify using mental health screening (Dowdy, Furlong et al., 2010).

• There is concern about the cost (funding allocated for screening rather than treatment) and possible over-identification of mental health concerns (Center for Mental Health in Schools, n.d).

• If screening becomes mandatory, a family’s right to privacy, consent, and parental control would need to be addressed (Center for Mental Health in Schools, n.d).

• Some argue that mental health concerns should be addressed outside of the school, as resources (e.g., time, funding, etc.) in the school should be used in other capacities (Center for Mental Health in Schools, n.d).

 

Best Practice

• Universal screening should be embedded into system-level practices already used by the school (Dowdy, Furlong et al., 2010)

• While universal screening for mental health should be completed by a mental health professional, this process needs to be a team approach (Dowdy, Furlong et al., 2010)

• Screeners should include strengths and at-risk behaviors in order to highlight mediating factors and avoid over identification of need (Dowdy, Furlong et al., 2010)

 

 

 

References

Bruhn, A. L., Wood-Groves, S., & Huddle, S. (2014). A preliminary investigation of emotional and behavioral screening

     practices in K-12 schools. Education and Treatment of Children, 73, 611-634.

Center for Mental Health in Schools. (n.d.) Screening Mental Health Problems in Schools: A Center Policy Issues

     Analysis Brief. University of Southern California.

Dowdy, E., Furlong, M., Eklund, K., Saeki, E., & Ritchey, K. (2010). Screening for mental health and wellness: Current

     school-based practices and emerging possibilities. Handbook of youth prevention science, 70-95.

Dowdy, E., Furlong, M., Raines, T. C., Bovery, B., Kauffman, B., Kamphaus, R. W., ... & Murdock, J. (2015). Enhancing

     school-based mental health services with a preventive and promotive approach to universal screening for complete

     mental health. Journal of Educational and Psychological Consultation, 25(2-3), 178-197.

Dowdy, E., Kamphaus, R., Twyford, J., & Dever, B. (2013). Culturally competent emotional and behavioral screening. In

     M. Weist, N. Lever, C. Bradshaw, & J. Owens (Eds.), Handbook of school mental health. New York, NY: Springer

Dowdy, E., Ritchey, K., & Kamphaus, R. W. (2010). School-based screening: A population-based approach to inform

     and monitor children’s mental health needs. School Mental Health, 2(4), 166-176.

Eklund, K. & Rossen, E. (2016). Guidance for Trauma Screening in Schools: A Product of the Defending Childhood

     State Policy Initiative. National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice.

Essex, M. J., Kraemer, H. C., Slattery, M. J., Burk, L. R., Thomas Boyce, W., Woodward, H. R., & Kupfer, D. J. (2009).

     Screening for childhood mental health problems: Outcomes and early identification. Journal of Child Psychology

     and Psychiatry, 50(5), 562-570.

Severson, H. H., Walker, H. M., Hope-Doolittle, J., Kratochwill, T. R., & Gresham, F. M. (2007). Proactive, early

     screening to detect behaviorally at-risk students: Issues, approaches, emerging innovations, and professional

     practices. Journal of School Psychology, 45, 193–223. doi:10.1016/j.jsp.2006.11.003