The Necessity of Seamless Care in Improving Education: Insights from Dr. Dana Battaglia

Rising Mental Health Needs and Emotional Disabilities

Mental health conditions and diagnosed emotional disabilities have been on the rise, Dr. Battaglia notes. She sees literacy disorders leading to addiction as a means to cope with academic stress. COVID-19 has also created spotty, inconsistent education and classroom experiences, causing some students to fall behind socially and academically. 

Due to increased need, students who experienced sexual assault and abuse encounter long waiting lists for more intensive therapeutic environments. General mental health care often bumps into the same problem—unmet demand and wait times. 

Resources and Help Where Students Need It Most

Partnerships with clinics, psychiatrists, state programs, and community resources actively meet the needs of students with mental health conditions and learning disabilities. Though wait times and incongruent care can delay treatment, it is available and often highly effective. Asking for help is the first and most vital step. Dr. Battaglia says,

“What I have said to families is that in my 25-plus years of practice, I have never, ever seen a child die from an extra evaluation. Or getting extra therapy that maybe they didn’t need.”

Schools can offer help through on-site counseling and academic support, creating individualized education plans. They can also refer students to outside treatment to connect them to more effective and fast care. School staff and psychologists conduct home visits to ensure student safety, provide in-home instruction, and provide other forms of support to care for their students, including Parent Training and Consultation programs.

Support for Families

Parents have resources available to them, too. Parent Training and Consultations equip families with essential tools to support their children’s educational needs and treatment goals. Family groups connect parents and offer a space to share encouragement, which schools can connect parents to.

Solutions in a Dream World: Seamless Care 

Dr. Dana Battaglia envisions seamless, integrated care in all schools and for all students. Each school would have psychologists, psychiatrists, social workers, speech pathologists, and special education instructors. Attentive care would identify mental health and learning challenges before they disrupt academics and a student’s overall well-being. Translators would be available for students of different cultures and countries, helping them assimilate into the classroom and new cultural expectations. Dr. Battaglia says,

“I would love to see a world where a teacher has opportunities to collaborate with a literacy specialist and a speech language pathologist, embedded in their day, with counseling support.”

Overall, students wouldn’t rely on a school’s limited resources and referrals to get treatment. Therapeutic treatment would instead take place where students already spend most of their time—at school. The first line of defense, though straggled now, would become more robust and capable of handling rising demands. 

With continued government support, this dream may soon become a reality, especially as educators and treatment professionals continue to advocate for their students’ well-being.