Using the universal design for learning framework to improve child and adolescent mental health.

Poor mental health in childhood and adolescence has a significant impact on both physical and mental health throughout life. However, growing evidence suggests that current levels of child and adolescent mental health (CAMH) care are insufficient to meet the needs of many children and adolescents in the United States as evidenced by increasing rates of mental health problems, inequities in diagnosis, and inaccessibility of services. This article provides a discussion of current problems in CAMH and school mental health services and emphasizes a developmental perspective of CAMH, including the co‐occurrence of school difficulties and mental health concerns. A universal design for learning framework for school‐wide mental health programs is suggested as a means of addressing barriers to care and promoting prevention and early intervention in CAMH. Practitioner Points: Mental health inequities and barriers to access make it difficult for children and adolescents to receive needed services.School mental health (SMH) services have been shown to improve educational and health‐related outcomes for students but there is room for improvement.An SMH program that employs a universal design for learning framework would benefit students, their families, and educators by increasing the accessibility of information for individuals across levels of ability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]