Student Support Services Flashcards

A student who has been receiving SAC services for anxiety is transitioning to high school. Which action BEST supports continuity of care?

Answer: Collaborate with the receiving school's SAC and provide a summary of services with appropriate consent

Coordinating with the receiving school's SAC and sharing a service summary with proper consent ensures continuity and prevents service gaps.

A SAC working with a student who has autism spectrum disorder (ASD) should prioritize which type of support during unstructured school time?

Answer: Providing structured social skills coaching and peer-mediated support during breaks

Students with ASD benefit from structured social skills coaching and peer-mediated strategies during unstructured times when social demands are highest.

A student confides to the SAC that a peer is planning to harm another student tomorrow. The SAC's obligation under the duty-to-protect principle requires:

Answer: Warning the potential victim and notifying school administration and law enforcement

Duty-to-protect obligations require SACs to break confidentiality and warn identifiable potential victims when there is a credible, imminent threat of harm.

Which strategy is MOST effective for engaging resistant parents of students receiving support services?

Answer: Build trust through consistent, strength-based communication before addressing concerns

Building trust through consistent, strength-based communication reduces defensiveness and creates the foundation for collaborative partnerships.

A SAC is asked to co-lead professional development on recognizing early signs of student mental health concerns. Which topic is MOST critical to include for general education teachers?

Answer: Observable behavioral and academic indicators that warrant a referral to the SAC

Teachers need to recognize observable warning signs and know the referral pathway, not diagnostic criteria or therapeutic techniques outside their scope of practice.

Which element is MOST essential when designing an evidence-based early intervention for students showing early signs of substance use?

Answer: Selecting a program with demonstrated efficacy data for the target population and age group

Selecting programs with empirical efficacy data for the specific population ensures interventions are grounded in evidence rather than intuition.

A SAC discovers that a student's grades have declined significantly following a bereavement. The MOST appropriate initial intervention is to:

Answer: Connect the student with grief support resources and notify teachers for temporary academic accommodations

Providing grief support alongside temporary academic accommodations addresses both the emotional and academic impact of bereavement in a coordinated way.