Introduction for CMH

Which of the following is NOT a main challenge professionals are faced with in diagnosing children?

1. Children don't always have the verbal or comprehension skills to describe their issues like adults do, so they are often reliant on others to make interpretations.
2. Because children are young and their symptoms are emerging, diagnosis may change over time.
3. Children lie all the time, and it can be very hard to tell when they are making things up.
4. The child might not have a medical or family history available to give details or clues to the mental health professionals involved.

True or False: It's important for foster parents to share cultural information with mental health professionals as part of their diagnostic assessment.

1. True
2. False

Which of the following should NOT be used to help diagnose a child with a mental health disorder?

1. Child’s report of their symptoms
2. Reports from others who know the child and have observed their symptoms
3. Your neighbor's opinion, after seeing your foster child once when he dropped over
4. Mental Health Professional's opinion of the symptoms

True or false, a child can function at different ages cognitively, socially, and emotionally than the age they actually are.

1. True
2. False

What is ADHD?

1. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. A disorder where the brain is overstimulated resulting in the child having behavior problems.
2. Attention Download Helplessness Diagnosis. A disorder where the child will starve themselves or reduce their food intake drastically in order to lose weight.
3. Alert Desensitivity Hybrid Disorder A disorder where the child purposefully acts out to get a need met.
4. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. A disorder where the brain is under stimulated, resulting in the child seeking out mental and/or physical stimulation.

Neurobehavioral Disorder Associated with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (ND-PAE) impacts how the brain and body function. Which of the following DOES NOT describe the developmental and behavioral issues that are common to children with ND-PAE ?

1. Have difficulty with their behavior ranging from learning and remembering things, to applying what they have learned to everyday experiences.
2. Are able to easily slow down, so they can stop and think about their choices and how those decisions may impact them before they act.
3. Often have cognitive, emotional, and/or behavioral difficulties that cause them to act like children at a younger developmental age.
4. Are often impulsive and have a difficult time controlling emotions and urges.

True or False: If you think your child or foster child has depression, it' important to give them their privacy and space to let them try to work it out for themselves.

1. True
2. False

Markus has been in foster care for the past six months with his uncle. Markus just started his freshman year of high school. Markus was sometimes teased in Middle School because he identifies as bi-sexual, but this didn’t seem to upset him, and he had friends and activities he enjoyed. Since starting High School, Markus is more self-conscious, moody, disinterested in extra-curricular activities, and spends a lot of time in his room. His uncle was concerned but chalked it up to Markus needing to find his place in high school, and his co-worker told him to expect this kind of behavior in teenagers. Markus did mention he was getting harassed more at school about his sexual identity, but the uncle knew Markus was talking to his therapist about it. However, an officer just called him and said they had picked Markus up. Markus was walking on the outside ledge of a bridge. He told the officer that he just wanted to see what it would be like to come that close to death, it wasn't like he was trying to kill himself. What do you think the best course of action is for Markus' uncle?

1. He should call his co-worker for more advice.
2. He needs to let Markus figure it out; this is a phase that will pass and he’ll work through it on his own.
3. Let the officer know that he’ll contact the crisis line for Markus' therapist and see what they recommend.
4. Teens who take unnecessary risks respond to anger; he should let Markus know how disappointed he is that Markus would do this, and that he should never pull that kind of stunt again.

Which of the following correctly fills in the blanks in the following sentence? In anxiety disorders, worries become ____________ and ____________.

1. Common, normal
2. Large, easy
3. Overwhelming, intrusive
4. Inexplicable, mundane

True or False: Heather is often late for school because her morning routines keep her from leaving on time. On top of meticulous bed making and teeth brushing, Heather explains to her aunt that she has to check the entire house in a particular order before she leaves for school, so she knows her aunt is safe there. Heather’s aunt is tired of her niece being late to school so much, so she tells Heather to stop worrying about her and the house and to just get to the bus. This is the correct course of action to take with a child who has Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

1. True
2. False

Which of the following statements is True about Bipolar Disorder:

1. Bipolar Disorder is a serious mental illness characterized by recurrent episodes of depression, mania, and/or mixed symptom states.
2. Bipolar Disorder is where a child’s perception is twisted and they believe that what they see and hear is reality.
3. Bipolar Disorder is a minor mental illness easily treated with therapy alone.
4. Bipolar Disorder is a personality disorder, where the person has an inflated ego and brags about themself.

Bulimia is an eating disorder where a person will starve themselves or reduce their food intake drastically in order to lose weight.

1. True
2. False

Which statement below best describes the impact of prolonged trauma on the brain?

1. The child's ability to survive will strengthen their brain and help them be more thoughtful and in control.
2. The physical brain is unaffected by trauma.
3. The brain stem will be most affected by trauma.
4. The brain will change based on this continued use of the emotional and instinctive areas of the brain, leaving the child to feel constantly under a sense of threat.

What is one thing you do not want to do to help your child overcome food hoarding/anxiety?

1. Include them in meal planning and preparation.
2. Allow them to have an approved stash of food somewhere.
3. Use food as a reward.
4. Have consistent meals and meal times.

Which statement below best describes how to encourage rather than praise a child?

1. Give approval for good behavior. Make sure they know that their behavior is considered good by other people's standards.
2. Tell the child they did a good job and that you value what they do.
3. Help a child to notice the things they value, their progress towards goals and their strengths. Teach them to be proud of themselves.