Myles L. Cooley - A Practical Guide to Mental Health & Learning Disorders for Every Educator: How to Recognize, Understand, and Help Challenged (and Challenging) Students Succeed

A Practical Guide to Mental Health & Learning Disorders for Every Educator by Dr. Myles L. Cooley is just that: a comprehensive resource that is invaluable for all educators. New teachers will benefit from the range of topics such as setting up an effective classroom using PBIS strategies, to learning how to incorporate social-emotional learning approaches within the classroom structure, to unpacking popular education buzzwords such as grit and growth mindset . Veteran teachers and administrators will learn new tangible interventions rooted in best practices that can be immediately implemented to help address the ever-changing social-emotional needs of students with mental health challenges. As a school psychologist and former school counselor, I am most excited about the well-thought-out interventions and reproducible forms that I plan on using in both individual and group counseling settings. If you are looking for help in navigating the growing social, emotional, behavioral, and mental health demands that are being placed on educators, then this is the book for you.

Jennifer D. Beardslee, M.Ed., Ed.S., NCSP, elementary school psychologist in Wakefield, Massachusetts

Dr. Cooley provides educational professionals with a down-to-earth guide to understanding mental health disorders in adolescents. A Practical Guide to Mental Health & Learning Disorders for Every Educator is a comprehensive collection of forms, statistics, and anecdotes. Beyond that, Cooley offers what other publications on this topic have failed to provide: He dispenses valuable information on culturally responsive pedagogy and disproportionality in disciplinary practices for minority students. I highly recommend this guide to every educator and teacher-preparation program.

Ruba Monem, Ed.D., K12 educator in Miami, Florida

When it comes to finding effective strategies to help with behavior and academic difficulties in the classroom, every teacher longs for a go-to reference. That is what you get with A Practical Guide to Mental Health & Learning Disorders for Every Educator . Part one provides interventions that are proactive, preventative, and beneficial to all students. Dr. Cooley guides readers in effectively creating classroom policies and procedures as well as fostering cultural awareness. He stresses that early intervention is equally important for children with mental health disorders as it is for children with learning disorders, and he shares sensible approaches to help teachers communicate with parents as well as collaborate with school personnel. Part two of the book contains descriptions of mental health and learning disorders. Dr. Cooley starts by defining each disorder and then presents behaviors and symptoms that school staff may observe. Next, he provides strategies and interventions to try in the classroom, followed by appropriate professional treatments. Teaching is one of the most challenging professions, but with a book like this at their disposal, teachers can be confident that they have a tool to help them be successful.

Amy Peters, M.A.Ed., elementary special education teacher in Sioux City, Iowa

This book is a must-have resource for any educator! Not only does it discuss many learning differences faced by todays educators, it also lists behaviors and symptoms to look for as well as provides practical strategies and interventions for educators to use in the classroom. This book speaks the educators language and provides us with a tool that can be used in any grade.

Dana Smith, 504 coordinator and high school English teacher in Hot Springs, Arkansas

Text copyright 2018, 2007 by Myles L. Cooley, Ph.D.

The first edition of A Practical Guide to Mental Health & Learning Disorders for Every Educator was published in 2007 under the title Teaching Kids with Mental Health & Learning Disorders in the Regular Classroom.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Cooley, Myles L., author.

Title: A Practical Guide to Mental Health & Learning Disorders for Every Educator : How to Recognize, Understand, and Help Challenged (and Challenging) Students Succeed / Myles L. Cooley, Ph.D.

Other titles: Teaching kids with mental health & learning disorders in the regular classroom

Description: Revised and updated edition. | Minneapolis, MN : Free Spirit Publishing, [2018] | Revised and updated edition of : Teaching kids with mental health and learning disorders in the regular classroom : how to recognize, understand, and help challenged (and challenging) students succeed / Myles L. Cooley. c2007. | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2018021377 (print) | LCCN 2018002530 (ebook) | ISBN 9781631981760 (paperback) | ISBN 1631981765 (paperback) | ISBN 9781631983412 (Web PDF) | ISBN 9781631983429 (ePub)

Subjects: LCSH: Children with mental disabilitiesEducationUnited States. | Learning disabled childrenEducationUnited States. | Inclusive educationUnited States. | BISAC: EDUCATION / Special Education / Learning Disabilities. | EDUCATION / Special Education / Social Disabilities. | EDUCATION / Special Education / Mental Disabilities.

Classification: LCC LC4031 .C663 2018 (ebook) | LCC LC4031 (print) | DDC 371.92dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018021377

Free Spirit Publishing does not have control over or assume responsibility for author or third-party websites and their content. At the time of this books publication, all facts and figures cited within are the most current available. All website URLs are accurate and active; all publications, organizations, websites, and other resources exist as described in this book; and all have been verified as of April 2018. If you find an error or believe that a resource listed here is not as described, please contact Free Spirit Publishing.

Edited by Douglas J. Fehlen and Christine Zuchora-Walske

Cover and interior design by Emily Dyer

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Dedication

To the thousands of kids Ive tried to help, who have taught me much of what I know today.

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank Free Spirit Publishing for the opportunity to write a revised and updated edition of this book. Christine Zuchora-Walske edited this edition and was invaluable in the writing process. She is responsible for much of the accuracy and readability of this book. Thanks also to the thousands of children and adolescents Ive seen over the years, who have taught me more than all the books on my bookshelf have.