The purpose of this chapter is to provide the reader with information
concerning current definitions of the term Severe Emotional Disturbance, a brief history
of public care provisions for children with Severe Emotional Disturbance, a historical
review of the System of Care movement defining the model as a Best Practices Model
of service delivery for children with Severe Emotional Disturbance, and an example
case study utilizing a System of Care model. Also, the most common mental health
conditions typically diagnosed in school-aged children are discussed. It is hoped that
dialogue regarding students with the highest level of need, will provide the reader with a
broad perspective on the mental system of care resources available for children and
adolescents. Creative collaboration among involved—and other potential system of care
members—can be tantamount in pursuit of effective mental health promotion provided
that participants adhere to principals discussed previously in this text and avoid
detrimental philosophy and intervention strategies such as coercive control techniques.
Keywords: Diagnosis, disorders, most in need, severe emotional disturbance
(SED), system of care.
