Our mission is to advance the use of innovative, preventative, and multi-tiered intervention practices to improve the social, emotional, behavioral, and academic outcomes of children and youth.
At MTSN, we encourage the philosophy of working smarter and not harder. What we know- that for children and adolescents there are a limited number of prevalent risk factors occurring at specific developmental periods that can significantly interfere with healthy development. For example, delays in speech/ language development, vision/ hearing acuity, or acquisition of early literacy skills are common in early childhood. If allowed to persist, these difficulties have the potential to disrupt children’s academic and social development. However, with routine screening, timely identification, and early intervention the potential effects of these risk factors are commonly negated.
Similarly, up to 20% of children and adolescents will suffer from diagnosable levels of mental and behavioral health disorder. The developmental course of these difficulties is predictable starting with children in PreK and primary grades displaying challenging, aggressive, and noncompliant behaviors consistent with externalizing disorders. Later in childhood and adolescence the prevalence of internalizing difficulties increases including anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts/ behaviors. The same preventative practices (screening, early identification, and intervention) described above can effectively reduce the impact these difficulties yet historically schools and other childcare organizations have been reluctant to address children’s mental health. Barriers to adopting more effective practices included stigmas associated with mental health, concerns related to liability or lack of adequate resources, and a lack of effective and available programs to alter existing practices.
Recently however, there is a growing community of dedicated individuals representing schools, community organizations, and families who are overcoming historic barriers and demonstrating how to best support students’ social-emotional and mental health. Increasingly, schools are implementing universal screening procedures for students from pre-K to 12 to identify difficulties early when they can best be addressed. Schools, community organizations, and families are coming together to implement tiered intervention programming including social emotional learning, mental health literacy instruction, positive behavior supports for all, and psychoeducational and therapeutic supports for those in need. They are effectively using data to identify effective approaches and to document improved outcomes. At the secondary level, schools and mental health organizations are using student self-ratings during screening to save the lives of young people previously lost to suicide.
We applaud these efforts, admire the bravery and tenacity of the individuals pioneering this work, and appreciate the contacts, connections, and collaborations developed while undertaking these initiatives.
Multi-Tiered-Systems Network was developed to connect, inform, and learn from the dedicated individuals implementing these innovative practices in their schools and communities.
why mtsnetwork?
What is the value of one life saved?
An estimated 1 in 5 of school-aged youth suffer from debilitating mental health disorders, a staggering number that has led to the crisis being labeled as a “silent epidemic.” Additionally, suicide has become the third leading cause of death in teenagers. However, only 10% of this demographic has been screened to detect these concerns, and therefore many go undiagnosed.
Dr. James McDougal
MTSN Owner, Supporter of Students,
Senior Author of BIMAS-2 Assessment
Dr. James McDougal is the Director of the School Psychology Program at the State University of New York at Oswego. Dr. McDougal teaches courses in assessment and intervention for academics and behavior, consultation, and supervises field based practicum and internship experiences. He is the former Mental Health Coordinator for the Syracuse City School District where he integrated mental health services in the schools and provided consultation services to over forty schools and programs.
Dr. McDougal has 30 years of experience as a practicing school psychologist, consultant, trainer, and professor. He and has conducted hundreds of training seminars in the areas of academic and behavioral assessment, intervention, and implementing Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) in the schools. His recent conference presentations include the National Conference of the Council of Administrators of Special Education and National Association of State Directors of Special Education in Louisville, KY; the National Center for School Mental Health Annual Conference on Advancing School Mental Health, in Austin, TX; and the International Conference on Positive Behavior Support, in Washington, D.C
Dr. McDougal is senior author of the Behavior Intervention Monitoring and Assessment System- second edition. The BIMAS-2 is a brief, change sensitive measure, for screening school-aged students for social-emotional/ behavioral difficulties and progress monitoring their response to multi-tiered interventions. This system is currently being used for MTSS screening and data-based decision making in districts across the nation including the Comprehensive Behavioral Health Model being implemented in over 70 Boston Public Schools.
Dr. McDougal also has two published books in the areas of Functional Behavioral Assessment and Response to Intervention. In addition, he has published over 30 peer reviewed articles on behavioral assessment/intervention, RTI, and implementing multi-tiered system of support in School Psychology Review, School Psychology Quarterly, Psychology in the Schools, School Psychology Forum, Journal of Applied School Psychology, the Canadian Journal of School Psychology, Journal of Psycho-Educational Assessment, and others.
At Multi-Tiered Support Network, (MTSN), we believe that more resources and collaboration are needed to address the mental health and social emotion health needs of children to allow them the best chance to thrive. Our team is made up of like-minded professionals from both the K-12 and university spheres who are dedicated to helping school districts improve their intervention programming to better invest in the mental health of their students.
We believe in educating other professionals about best practices for improving the lives of students. Whether that means assisting districts with intervention programs that are already in place or incorporating the BIMAS-2 as a new tool, our goal is to work together with schools and parents to care for their children.