MANSFIELD — Students with mental disabilities often have a tough time learning in the classroom, but an unlikely relationship between the Mansfield City School District and a local behavioral health agency has helped them find success.
About three years ago, Miley Flannigan, 7, was diagnosed with Autism and ADHD.
“It’s been a challenge,” said Nikki Castodio, Miley’s mother. “She would always slam the doors when she was upset, she would spit and wouldn’t like hearing the answer, ‘no.'”
Things only got worse for Miley and her parents once she started school.
On her first day of Kindergarten at Prospect Elementary, Miley’s mother was called to the main office.
“She didn’t understand what was going on,” Castodio said.
Miley had bitten another student and was disciplined with a 10-day suspension.
“She couldn’t understand how to ask for help,” her mother continued. “That’s how she lashed out.”
Frustrated, her parents told the school of Miley’s special needs. Mansfield City School District told her there might be a solution.
The district had just started partnering with Silver Lining Group, located at 1033 Larchwood Road in Mansfield.
The local school district works to find creative ways to provide scientific behavior intervention for students with mental disabilities, said Jonathan Burras, director of pupil services/special education.
The district’s website said 777 students in the district – nearly 22 percent of total enrollment – are on individualized education programs (IEPs) as the result of special needs. Those needs range from speech therapy of perhaps 30 minutes each week to extensive care for multiple disabilities or orthopedic impairment.
Within that range also are students identified as developmentally delayed, visually impaired or autistic.
“Three years ago, we entered into a contract with Silver Lining Group,” said Burras, explaining that Silver Lining Group focuses on behavioral-based services where as a school is academically minded.
Before the relationship with Silver Lining Group and its investment in the district’s Behavior Analyst, Dahni Reynolds, they had limited means of providing scientific, evidence-based behavior intervention.
“Staff were doing the very best they could, but trying only goes so far,” Burras said. “They needed help and resources. With the addition of Mrs. Reynolds and the SLG crew, I now feel more confident than ever we can better meet the needs of our students and families.
“That’s very much a result of this partnership and ongoing collaboration.”
Burras explained the partnership was unusual, considering they had been in competition with outside groups.
“Traditionally, we compete with organizations like the Silver Lining Group. We compete with them and they compete with us (for students.) We had discussions about how we could work together instead of being in competition.”
Burras explained parents can choose to take their children to organizations for center-based services using an autism scholarship.
That money is taken directly from the school district’s funds, Burras said. In the case of the autism scholarship it’s about $27,000 that instead of going to serve students in our schools, is going someplace else.
Parents of the special needs students have chosen where to send their their child based on their interests as well as the services the organization or school can provide.
“We provide a vast array of services, but sometimes students require services that are beyond the scope of what we do well.”
For Castodio’s child, the behavioral issues kept her from being able to focus in class, making her a perfect fit for the Silver Lining Group.
“She is 7-years-old and she can’t write her name,” Castodio said. “She can write an ‘M’ but doesn’t know anything else.”
Silver Lining Group works to improve reading and writing skills, looking at them as human behavior, said Alisha Lawrence, behavior support coordinator at the Silver Lining Group.
She noted that Silver Lining Group is an approved provider for the Ohio Department of Education’s Autism Scholarship Program.
“We look at everything through a behavioral lens,” Lawrence said. “When you hear the word behaviors in the community, you think problematic behaviors. Behaviors that would be barriers for kids to be able to learn — non-compliance, aggression, those sorts of things.”
Silver Lining Group works to improve reading and writing skills, looking at them as human behavior, said Lawrence.
“We take the approach to reduce not only problematic behaviors but also increase other skills because it’s well known that people who have more skills have less problematic behaviors,” Lawrence said. “In the school environment, they have educational standards set in place. What we do is come along side and support the classroom teacher. Whether it’s modifying an approach to make a task less adverse to a kiddo to complete.”
The Silver Lining Group has worked with Miley for two years and Castodio said she has made significant progress.
“They helped figure out she needs a binder,” Castodio said. “It helps her tremendously. It tells her to do something for 15 minuets then take a break then do something else.”
Miley has been attending Prospect for half a day then going to the Silver Lining Group to finish the day. But due to her progress, she will now be staying one full day a week at Prospect.
“She’ll still have an aid in the classroom,” said her mother, “but it’s really important she gets an education.”
The relationship between the school and the behavioral health agency is crucial, both Burras and Lawrence said.
“As a society, we understand our mission is to intervene when we have a student struggling academically,” Burras said. “No excuses, it’s our job as educators to provide the child with the necessary tools to be successful.
“But teaching socio-emotional skills as a scientific approach is a real shift in thought. Our students and families are deserving of this work.”
