Family Services
Oakstone Academy, a family focused program, offers a holistic
intervention approach for families and their children with autism
related disorders. The center based program offers inclusive
educational placements for children with autism related disorders and
their peers enhancing meaningful social interaction between all
children by increasing their awareness and tolerance for individual
differences, while also developing academic competency.
Autism is a disorder that greatly affects the entire family. Having a
child with a severe disability, such as autism, places the family in a
crisis situation that can potentially result in mental health issues.
Family members feel helpless, frustrated, isolated, and too often,
hopeless. They experience different stages of grieving and may require
mental health support from professionals qualified to deal not only
with the child’s issues, but family mental health issues as
well. Indeed, as parents and siblings grapple with the complexity of
this disorder, it is paramount that the emotional/educational needs of
the family as a unit are embraced in an effort to improve and enhance
the quality of life of the family as a whole.
Thanks to the Henry E. Coyle Fund of The Columbus Foundation, the
psychiatric clinical nurse specialist is able to offer a variety of
programs/services to our families at Oakstone Academy as well as to the
community. This individual holds a master’s degree in
Psychiatric Mental-Health Nursing from The Ohio State University and
has practiced in related fields of nursing (i.e. critical care,
emergency medicine, women’s health, and consultation/liaison
psychiatry) for 24 years.
The objectives of the following programs are:
-
To improve the mental health status of Oakstone Academy families as they move through the grieving process
as it relates to having a child with a disability
- To expand services to include families with children with autism in the central Ohio community, whose
children are not enrolled at Oakstone Academy.
- To expand services to enhance the emotional well being of the Oakstone Academy students with Autism
Spectrum Disorder and for typically developing peer models.
- To evaluate and disseminate information regarding the effectiveness of the programs to increase the
knowledge base in our community in the treatment of families and children with autism.
Family Support services currently offered at Oakstone Academy include:
- *Sibshops
- Support and intervention in a recreational context for children with brothers and sisters with
special needs (not limited to autism).
- Collaboration with families regarding the issues children face when having a sibling with a disability
- Individual and Family Counseling
- Crisis Intervention
- Grief and Loss issues
- Anger Management
- Depressive/Anxiety related disorders
- Medication management and follow-up
- Other psychosocial issues, such as marital discord and financial challenges
- Referrals to community professionals as indicated
- Classroom and Home based consultation
- Assessment on students for mental health issues
- Medication management and follow-up
- Liaison between staff, parents, and professionals regarding medications
- Providing information relating to mental health issues (i.e. general information regarding
medication rationale/side effects/outcomes; signs and symptoms of depression,
anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder, etc.).
- Parent/Family Connections
- Facilitates parent committees
- Facilitates parent/family volunteers
- Liaison between families, school staff, and other related professionals, including
phone contacts and office visits
- Provides home-based services
- Networking and linkage with relevant constituents
- Liaison between disciplines to coordinate care and develop comprehensive treatment plans
for families and children (including psychologist, psychiatrist, family practice
physicians, social workers, and allied health professionals)
- Collaboration locally, state, and nationally
- Linkage to community professionals based on individual needs.
*These programs are offered to Oakstone Academy families as well as to
families in the central Ohio community that do not have children
attending our school.
For further information on any of these programs or services, please contact Nanci Morris @ (614) 890-7854.
