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Preparing For Tomorrow: CFS Provides a TIP to Youth with Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties

Congratulations to CFS's Rusty Clark and his team, who have just received a three-year, $538,918 Federal Grant from the US Dept of Education - OSERS to further develop his model related to the transition of youth with emotional and behavioral challenges.

"The journey into adulthood for youth with emotional and behavioral difficulties (EBD) is a challenging one," said Rusty. "Overwhelming evidence shows that these youth are at significant risk for poor outcomes in education, employment and community life, at a high cost to themselves, their families and communities."

The new project, Transition to Independence Process (TIP) Study: Preparing and Facilitating Transition into Adulthood for Students with EBD, will be a collaborative effort among CFS, three high schools within the Pinellas County Public School System, and the Boley Centers for Behavioral Health Care, Inc. Funding from the grant and the Pinellas School District will enable staff to examine the implementation and effectiveness of the TIP system in preparing students with EBD for improved progress and outcomes during their transition into adulthood. The three main objectives are:

A total of thirty to forty eligible students from each school will be selected randomly. They will be interviewed at the beginning of the study to secure baseline data and quarterly thereafter to assess their emotional/behavioral status, progress across each of the transition domains, services received, and their satisfaction with the helpfulness of the services.

"As part of our efforts over the past eight years, the TIP system has been refined," said Rusty. "We have drawn from the research and program literature, conducted research, collaborated with others throughout Florida and the nation working on the issue of transition for this population, and pilot-tested the TIP system in several sites."

Along with Rusty, serving as principal investigator, additional CFS staff members include Nicole Deschenes, coordinator for TIP case studies and personnel training, and Paul Greenbaum, consulting statistical analyst. A data manager, graduate research assistant, interviewers, and transition facilitators will also join the team.

"Nicole and I are delighted with the enthusiastic response and support from our Pinellas County partners," said Rusty. They are: Jan Rous, Assistant Superintendent of the Pinellas County School District; school principals Jim Haley, Mary Sakoff and Bill Corbett; Curtis Anderson of the Boley Centers; and Khush Jagus with SEDNET.

"I would like to thank Margie LeHeup, Nicole Deschenes, Beth Granucci, David Baker, Alyssa Voss and Mary Irwin, who played an extremely helpful role in the grant preparation," Rusty added. "Also, Paul Greenbaum, Al Duchnowski, and Krista Kutash were very instrumental in the conceptualization of the design and analysis."

To kick off the new initiative, Khush Jagus and her associates are hosting a Transition Institutes For Pinellas County starting on July 30th. For additional information regarding the TIP system, contact Rusty Clark at 974-6409 or Nicole Deschenes at 974-4493. Support (DARES) within the Department of Child and Family Studies (CFS) to study three inclusive early childhood programs. The study, Ecological Support for Young Children with Challenging Behavior, Their Peers, and Teachers, will examine how young children, with and without disabilities, learn work and play together. It will focus on developing an understanding of how children with challenging behaviors can best learn to participate positively with peers and teachers in a classroom setting.

The Department of Child and Family Studies (CFS) is a department of the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute, University of South Florida. The faculty and staff of CFS are committed to enhancing the development, mental health and well-being of children and families through leadership in integrating research, theory & practice.

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