Revolutionizing treatment for
child mental health
N
ationwide, 20 percent of children suffer from at least one mental health disorder. The struggles can tear families apart. Many school systems are overwhelmed. The monetary cost to our society is in the tens of billions of dollars. But researchers at FIU’s Center for Children and Families (CCF) are giving hope to those living this reality. Through research and clinical work, they are revolutionizing treatments for child mental health and behavior disorders including ADHD, anxiety, depression, addiction and more. They are studying brain development and cognition. One research team is working on the National Institutes of Health’s largest ever effort to examine adolescent brain development and child health in the United States. Programs throughout the country designed to treat ADHD and other disorders often are based on the science developed by FIU’s researchers. As the fastest-growing clinical and research center dedicated to child mental health in the United States, CCF has helped more than 7,000 families since its founding in 2010. Its signature Summer Treatment Program has been replicated at many sites worldwide. In just eight weeks, children receive 360 hours of treatment — the equivalent to seven years of weekly one-hour sessions. The CCF summer camp setting has proven effective in treating ADHD and other less known disorders like selective mutism — an anxiety disorder that can hinder a child’s academic achievement and socialization. A recent study led by William E. Pelham Jr., psychologist and CCF director, shows children treated first with behavioral modification do significantly better than those who are medicated first. However, in the United States, medication is the first line of treatment for 90 percent of children with ADHD. A separate study by CCF researchers showed treating behavior first was also more cost-effective at approximately $700 less per child annually — a national savings of more than $4.5 billion a year in ADHD health care costs. CCF also offers infant and early childhood services, family and couples counseling, parent training, video teleconferencing therapy, school-based services, and customized treatment for children and adolescents. There are 18 million families with children suffering from mental health problems in this country. With support, CCF can continue to expand the availability of and access to effective, evidence-based treatment for those who need it most.
Eleven-year-old Aylani Suazo had not spoken to anyone in school since age 7. She and her family traveled from North Carolina to participate in CCF’s selective mutism summer program. For Aylani, the program proved to be transformative.
Researchers at the FIU Center for Children and Families are leaders in developing clinical treatments for ADHD, autism, anxiety, aggression and adolescent substance abuse. Using telemedicine, they help children directly affected by natural disasters and terrorist attacks. CCF helps hundreds of children every summer and trains more than 400 educators a year, but the need is much greater. Support is needed to continue research, provide treatment scholarships to children in need, train the next generation of mental health researchers and professionals and ensure evidence-based practices are implemented nationwide. To learn how you can support these efforts, contact givetocase@fiu.edu | 305-348-4349.