Identifying social-emotional and behavioral challenges as early as possible is the key to improving student outcomes. The sooner we know about a mental health struggle, the sooner we can implement steps to educate and care for that child, giving them a better chance of overcoming the challenge.

But when should screening be implemented for students to best identify these issues as early as possible? 

Externalized Behaviors

Two primary outcomes can result from social-emotional and behavioral struggles; externalized and internalized. Externalized refers to observable behaviors such as irritability, learning issues, etcetera. These outcomes can be observed at a very young age, as young as kindergarten in some cases. Teacher rating systems work well for this younger age group because the behaviors are easily observable, so a response can be initiated to support that particular child.

Internalized Outcomes

This is where screening gets tricky. Internalized outcomes such as anxiety and depression do not tend to occur until late adolescence. Typically, middle schoolers and high schoolers can self-report these challenges through the BIMAS-2 assessment system. For this reason, we recommend that BIMAS-2 for self-reporting is only used for ages 12 and above.

Self-Reporting at Age 12

For the most effective screening schedule, the BIMAS-2 self-reporting assessment can start being used for students ages 12 and up. While externalized behaviors can be identified by teachers, parents, and other school staff in elementary school and even kindergarten, these internalized outcomes are not prevalent until middle school and high school. Elementary students are unlikely to have the emotional intelligence needed to self-identify these social-emotional challenges, so the resulting data could be unhelpful.

Ask MTSN About Implementation

The most difficult step in adopting the BIMAS-2 and other intervention programming is implementation. Building a structure within the district that will support these tools is crucial. If you have questions about adopting new interventions to support children’s mental health, contact MTSN to start a dialogue about improving student outcomes in your schools.