Children and Youth with Special Health Needs (CYSHN)
Diseases and Conditions: Resources and Links
On this page...Minnesota Department of Health Resources
Other Disease / Condition Specific Resources
Mental Health Resources
Oral Health Resources
MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH RESOURCES
Health Condition Fact Sheets Children and Youth with Special Health Needs has developed a series of fact sheets for some of the most common birth defects. The fact sheets provide information such as a general description of the condition, prevalence, common associated conditions, short and long-term treatment and outcomes, common complications and implications for children's development.
Newborn Screening: After Diagnosis If your child has been diagnosed with a medical condition or has been identified as deaf or hard of hearing during the newborn screening process, you may have many questions and concerns. Parents often tell us the diagnosis was simply “overwhelming” and they are concerned about what their next steps should be. You have many resources, and the Newborn and Child Follow-up Unit is available to help you navigate the healthcare system and guide you in these “Next Steps.”
Autism Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) continue to be an important public health concern. ASDs are a group of developmental disabilities that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. The Minnesota Department of Health is committed to continuing to provide essential data on ASDs and develop resources that help identify children with ASDs as early as possible.
Minnesota Asthma Program The Minnesota Asthma program focuses on improving the lives of individuals with asthma and their families. The programs plan is to implement changes to improve the quality of life for those living with asthma through awareness, education, public policy, and data and surveillance.
- Asthma Action Plan (AAP): If you have a child with asthma (an estimated 85,000 Minnesota children have asthma), the National Institutes of Health (NIH) guidelines recommend that you have a written plan (AAP) for your child and share a copy of the plan with the child's school health office, daycare provider, coach, or others who may care for your child. Improved self management of asthma reduces asthma hospitalizations and emergency room visits, thus both reducing health care costs and improving the quality of life for people with asthma and their families.
- Asthma Education: An Integrated Approach - Ideas for Elementary Classrooms: Contains lessons created by teachers and tested in their elementary classrooms. Each lesson plan is compatible with existing traditional elementary curricula for math, science, health, or language arts. The teachers designed the lesson plans to be simple and easy to use. The lesson plans provide an opportunity to teach all children how to monitor their own health and to teach children who have asthma how to play a role in the management of their condition.
Newborn Screening Some babies who seem healthy at birth may have a hidden rare disease. If a disease is found and treated early serious health problems may be prevented.
OTHER DISEASE / CONDITION SPECIFIC RESOURCES:
- Asthma in Children and Adolescents Knowledge Path: This knowledge path has been compiled by the Maternal and Child Health Library at Georgetown University. It offers a selection of current, high-quality resources about asthma in children and adolescents; its management; and its impact on homes, schools, and communities. The path also identifies tools for staying abreast of new developments in pediatric asthma research. Separate sections identify asthma information for families as well as resources about asthma management in school and asthma and environmental triggers. This knowledge path is aimed at health professionals, program administrators, policymakers, educators, community activists, and families.
- Autism - Sound Advice: To answer parents' questions about autism spectrum disorders, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) offers a collection of interviews with pediatricians, researchers and parents.
- Autism Spectrum Disorders Knowledge Path: This knowledge path about autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has been compiled by the Maternal and Child Health Library at Georgetown University. It offers a selection of current, high-quality resources about ASD screening and diagnosis, treatment and intervention, communication, education, vocational challenges, and impact on family life. Separate sections identify resources that address early identification, early intervention and education, concerns about vaccines, environmental health research, and inappropriate use of seclusion and restraints. This knowledge path is for health professionals, educators, researchers, policymakers, and families.
- Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Division (DHHSD), a division in the Minnesota Department of Human Services: If you have a deaf or hard of hearing child, you can get information about the many education and communication options for you and your child. The Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services Division offers a variety of family services including: information and referral, family resource packets, telephone equipment distribution (TED) program, help with finding other services and more.
- Diabetes in Children and Adolescents - Knowledge Path Edition: The Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Library released a knowledge path edition about diabetes in children and adolescents that includes resources about the types of diabetes, its prevalence, treatment and care, and lowering the risk of complications. This electronic resource guide also identifies tools for staying abreast of new developments in pediatric diabetes research. The knowledge path is intended for health professionals, program administrators, educators, and researchers, and a separate section identifies resources for families.
- Family Village Family Village is a site produced and maintained by the Waisman Center at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. The site offers information for parents of children with disabilities. Contains numerous links to resources on diagnoses, adaptive products, education, disability-related media and literature and more. Also includes discussion and chat rooms.
MENTAL HEALTH RESOURCES
- Children's Mental Health Children's Mental Health staff at the Department of Human Services help children and adolescents with severe emotional disturbance. They work with counties and Children's Mental Health Collaboratives to establish a comprehensive, integrated, and accountable mental health delivery system that meets the mental health needs of children and youth and helps people become as self-sufficient as possible.
- Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Resources from the Minnesota Department of Health The Minnesota Department of Health promotes mental health through a number of activities including mental health promotion policy and practice development, suicide prevention, and mental health and emergency preparedness planning.
- Mental Health Association of Minnesota The Mental Health Association of Minnesota helps individuals to access services, or problem-solve a situation, on a one-to-one basis.
- Minnesota Association for Children's Mental Health A statewide education and advocacy organization and a resource for children's mental health.
- NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) of Minnesota a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of adults and children with mental illness and their families. NAMI Minnesota offers education, support and advocacy. NAMI Minnesota vigorously promotes the development of community mental health programs and services, improved access to services, increased opportunities for recovery, reduced stigma and discrimination, and increased public understanding of mental illness.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA's) Resource Center to Address Discrimination and Stigma Associated with Mental Illness features information and advice to help individuals and organizations counter discrimination and stigma associated with mental illness.
ORAL HEALTH RESOURCES
The National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center (OHRC) has produced two new resources -- a policy brief and an online learning tool -- to assist professionals working to improve oral health services for children and adolescents with special health care needs.
- Promoting the Oral Health of Children with Special Health Care Needs -- In Support of the National Agenda (policy brief) provides suggestions for oral health promotion activities that are consistent with the National Agenda for Children with Special Health Care Needs. The brief addresses the six critical indicators of a comprehensive system of care identified by the Maternal and Child Health Bureau: (1) medical home, (2) insurance coverage, (3) screening, (4) organization of services, (5) family roles, and (6) transition to adulthood. The brief is available at http://www.mchoralhealth.org/PDFs/CSHCNPolicyBrief.pdf (PDF: 4 pages / 266KB).
- Special Care: An Oral Health Professionals Guide to Serving Young Children with Special Health Care Needs is a Web-based curriculum developed to provide oral health professionals (dentists and dental hygienists) with information to ensure that young children with special health care needs have access to health-promotion and disease-prevention services that address their unique oral health needs in a comprehensive, family-centered, and community-based manner. The curriculum includes five modules: (1) An Overview of Children with Special Health Care Needs, (2) Providing Optimal Oral Health Care, (3) Oral Health Supervision, (4) Prevention of Oral Disease, and (5) Behavior Management. The curriculum is available at http://www.mchoralhealth.org/SpecialCare.
