News & Updates
April is Autism Awareness Month!
Sesame Workshop released new resources in honor of Autism Acceptance Month! These free bilingual resources are designed to empower autistic children and their families by helping them build confidence and self-determination skills. Join Julia and Rose on a heartwarming journey as they navigate everyday tasks and learn the importance of kindness. Engage in fun activities that promote focus and decision-making. Explore articles for parents and caregivers to discover playful ways to teach self-determination and goal-setting. Let’s celebrate and support the uniqueness of every child together! Explore these resources and more at sesameworkshop.org/autism.
8 Ways to Improve your Child’s Mental Health
Many parents understand the importance of healthy eating habits and staying active for their child's physical health. Now, with rates of mental health issues in children on the rise, more and more parents are realizing the value of supporting and nurturing their...
Real Leaders -Top Impact Awards
Since 2010 Real Leaders has been a Certified B-Corporation leadership platform creating an unstoppable movement of impact leaders. Their culture was founded on the principles of keeping it real. The Real Leaders Impact Collaborative is a leadership network that unites...
Counseling: Top Service for Adults with Autism
Researchers from the University of North Carolina have recently produced a study highlighting the need for improved access, quality, and outcomes of services for adults with autism. This new research indicates that there are an estimated 5.4 million adults with autism within the United States who need services.
Threats of Student Violence and Misbehavior Are Rising, Many School Leaders Report
As the pandemic drags on toward the end of its second year, many educators say they are facing an uptick in student misbehavior that appears to be associated with challenges related to the return to in-person learning after extended periods of remote or hybrid instruction.
Nearly half of all school and district leaders (44 percent) say they are receiving more threats of violence by students now than they did in the fall of 2019, according to the most recent EdWeek Research Center monthly survey.
Ohio’s child behavioral health system is at a ‘breaking point’
Waiting six months to a year for a child to see a mental health professional for ADHD, anxiety, depression or suicidal thoughts in Ohio is “unacceptable for sure,” says the Director of Ohio’s Mental Health and Addiction Services Lori Criss.
Mental health professionals across Ohio and across the country say their profession is at a “breaking point.”
The number of children seeking help for depression, anxiety, and suicide is overwhelming the system because there are not enough therapists to treat them. That’s despite the fact that over the past three years Ohio has dedicated more than $1.2 billion for student wellness.
With students in turmoil, US teachers train in mental health
As Benito Luna-Herrera teaches his seventh-grade social studies classes, he is on alert for signs of inner turmoil. And there is so much of it these days.
One of his 12-year-old students felt her world was falling apart. Distance learning had upended her friendships. Things with her boyfriend were verging on violent. Her home life was stressful. “I’m just done with it,” the girl told Luna-Herrera during the pandemic, and shared a detailed plan to kill herself.
Another student was typically a big jokester and full of confidence. But one day she told him she didn’t want to live anymore. She, too, had a plan in place to end her life.
‘A cry for help’: CDC warns of a steep decline in teen mental health
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning of an accelerating mental health crisis among adolescents, with more than 4 in 10 teens reporting that they feel “persistently sad or hopeless,” and 1 in 5 saying they have contemplated suicide, according to the results of a survey published Thursday.