Youth with Behavioural or Emotional Risk: Early Detection and Prevention

Youth behavioural health detection work can be traced to at least the 1960s. This session will provide strategies for implementing an early detection and prevention program in schools, including offering a conceptual framework for the identification of youth with subsyndromal psychopathology, research on the efficacy of preventive intervention, and addressing the practicalities of implementing an early detection and prevention program (e.g., screener selection, staffing, funding and controlling costs, parental and teacher engagement, integration and coordination with existing Tier 1 and Tier 2 services, selection of interventions, and evaluation and continuous improvement). Case studies will be offered. 

1. Participants will demonstrate knowledge of the prevalence of youth who are at-risk for behavioural and emotional health disorders.
2. Participants will identify the key differences between focused symptom checklists and multi-symptom screeners that assess risk for developing a behavioural or emotional health disorder.    
3. Participants will explain the different utilities of national and local, or subgroup, norms for identifying risk.  
4. Participants will identify the difference between active and opt out parental consent procedures.  
5. Participants will identify at least three secondary (i.e., general, evidence-based, preventative) interventions.