Pubdate: Wed, 18 Oct 2006 Source: Hillsdale Daily News, The (MI) Copyright: 2006sThe Hillsdale Daily Contact: http://www.hillsdale.net/contact/editor/ Website: http://www.hillsdale.net/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/4324 Author: Jan Bellamy, Staff Writer RESCUE MISSION Conference Offers Tips to Those Who Work With Youth Dealing With Drug, Alcohol Abuse Probate Court Judge Michael Nye sees good things happening in Hillsdale County, particularly to benefit the young and vulnerable facing issues of drug and alcohol abuse. Nye, an innovator who brought the national program "Juvenile Drug Court" to Hillsdale, led off a two-day conference in Hillsdale Monday and Tuesday. He welcomed those who help youngsters meet their challenges and succeed to the best of their abilities. "We're addressing the struggles of the bottom 20 percent of our youngsters," said Nye. "Part of what Juvenile Drug Court does every Tuesday is help youngsters in trouble address problems with their drug use and truancy issues. We reward them for passing their drug tests, for staying in school. "If you can help a child overcome a 41-percent absence rate from school, maybe they'll start feeling better about themselves." The conference featured presentations by two people who specialize in targeting specific groups. Dr. Mark A. Sloane of Kala-mazoo introduced the conference participants to a wider perspective on the impact of fetal alcohol syndrome on youth. "Some of the expectant mothers who come into our clinic, the Center for Behavioral Pediatrics, show a blood-alcohol level of 0.28 in the daytime," said Sloane. "That's the level at which they function 'normally'." The impact on their children shows up in various ways as they grow and begin to fail to develop as expected. "Fetal alcohol syndrome can be present and affecting a child's growth and development without showing the facial expressions and other symptoms professionals are typically looking for," Sloane said during Monday's session. On Tuesday morning, the topic turned to issues related to student attitudes and behaviors. Dr. Richard Dolinski, of the Legacy Center for Students Success in Midland, took a look at the overall external and internal assets of young people. He further identified indicators for whether a child is operating at a deficit or may be thriving, in addition to risk-taking behaviors. In the end, Dolinski said, "A community needs to start and continue a good discussion about what support struggling youngsters need and sometimes innovative approaches come out of that discussion." Dolinski described one approach in Midland. "We started a 'boot camp' for kindergartners," he said. "It's called 'Jump into Kindergarten'. "For several weeks before kindergarten actually starts, we took 150 children into a five-day-a-week, five-hour-a-day program for several weeks and taught them the basic behaviors that will help them deal with kindergarten." Dolinski said the skills taught to 4-year-olds include how to line up, how to use an "indoor voice versus an outdoor voice," and how to carry their lunch trays. "We're following this group for four years against a cohort that didn't attend the boot camp," said Dolinski. "We will then be able to judge whether the approach helped. We'll also compare their MEAP scores at the third-grade mark." In closing remarks, Nye expressed excitement that the conference and continuing Juvenile Drug Court program will prove a long-term asset to Hillsdale County. "We are looking at all areas, helping directly as well as focussing on enhancing industrial and other job opportunities ultimately in Hillsdale County," he said. "We want to remove the roadblocks and encourage our youth to remain in and contribute positively to our community." - --- MAP posted-by: Elaine