Research supports the use of multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) for meeting student academic, behavioral, and socioemotional needs. MTSS is viewed as an ideal model to deliver school-based mental health (SBMH) services to students. However, limited research has examined what this framework for service delivery looks like in practice. Utilizing…

In the fall of 2021, experts declared a national emergency in children's mental health, urging organizations to put in place school-based mental health care services to reduce barriers and increase access to care. This paper describes implementation and acceptability of an innovative school-based model to deliver group art therapy that is…

Universal screening is an essential practice in any multi-tiered system of support, but without understanding the demographic makeup of students in studies that inform current practices, the effectiveness in which instruments and screening approaches work best for students of demographically diverse backgrounds cannot be assessed. In this…

Student mental health needs continue to rise across the United States and many students and families rely on schools to provide services to meet these needs. Yet, an overwhelming number of available frameworks and approaches to school mental health (SMH) and overlapping terminology surrounding SMH supports like trauma-informed (TI) approaches,…

Sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY) experience more significant mental health concerns compared to their cisgender and heterosexual peers, especially within recent years, as a result of the relentless political attacks on the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, and asexual+ (LGBTQIA+) community. Given that youth…

As students' emotional self-regulation impacts their engagement in learning, as well as their mental health, researchers have called for schools to implement systems of emotional support. However, because school resources are limited, and the demands on teachers' time continue to grow, identifying emotional self-regulation interventions that…

Suicide is a complex, multifaceted crisis affecting children and adolescents, and has become a major public health concern. While there is a plethora of research on this topic among neurotypically developing youth, much less is known about the nature of suicidality in autistic individuals. Autistic youth show an increased vulnerability for…

School-wide positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) is a multi-tiered system of supports that promotes a safe and equitable school environment by supporting the social, emotional, and behavioral needs of all students, including those with extensive support needs (ESN). Research suggests not all students with ESN access and…

This paper examines the ethical and legal considerations in providing services to multilingual learners (MLs) before special education evaluations, focusing on the decision-making process within Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). Legal mandates require districts to ensure MLs have equitable access to the general education curriculum and are…