Why B.E.S.T.?
Nearly 1 in 5 teens with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) experience depression or anxiety.
Untreated depression and anxiety in teens with IDD may negatively impact health outcomes and transition to adulthood.
There is a need to develop care coordination models that include mental health care and prevention.
What is B.E.S.T.?
B.E.S.T. is a free and voluntary virtual program for teens with IDD (aged 13-20 years). B.E.S.T. was developed by mental health professionals and researchers to understand if care coordination that includes mental health programming is better than care coordination that does not. B.E.S.T. may help teens with IDD learn coping skills to manage feeling sad or having a down mood.
Is my teen eligible to participate in B.E.S.T.?
If all the below statements describe your teen, GREAT NEWS, they may be eligible to participate in B.E.S.T. Your teen…
- Is between 13 and 20 years old.
- Has an intellectual or developmental disability.
- Receives care coordination from the University of Illinois Division of Specialized Care for Children (DSCC) or from Service Inc. of Illinois. DSCC is a statewide Illinois program that serves children and teens with special healthcare needs and their families, by providing free care coordination services. DSCC develops a personalized plan of care for each teen and connects families to services and resources. Service, Inc. provides free service coordination and advocacy services for around 55,000 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities in 22 different counties in Northern Illinois.
- Reads at a 4th grade reading level (or higher).
- Reads and speaks English. You as a caregiver read and speak English or Spanish.
- Has access to a computer, tablet, or smartphone and the internet, and can participate via Zoom.
- Has your permission (if under age 18) to participate.
What happens if my teen decides to participate?
If your teen is eligible and chooses to participate in B.E.S.T.:
- They will complete a phone interview and answer questions about their mood and how they are feeling.
- Then, they will be randomly (like flipping a coin) placed into one of two groups. Your teen has the same chance of being in each group.
- If your teen is placed in Group A, they will receive care coordination exactly like they do right now.
- If your teen is placed in Group B, they will receive care coordination exactly like they do right now, as well as mental health programming from the B.E.S.T. study team. Depending on your teen’s mental health needs, they will receive one of three levels of mental health support.
- Level 1 is an online, self-paced depression and anxiety prevention program. This program teaches teens with IDD how to manage feeling sad or down. There is also an online, self-paced program for caregivers. Teens in all Group B levels will receive access to these programs.
- Level 2 is an online, group mental health program for teens with IDD called TEAMS (Teens Achieving Mastery over Stress) Prevention. This group will meet once a week for 10 weeks, and then once a month for 6 months. Teens with IDD will learn strategies to cope with negative thoughts, to manage conflicts with friends and families, and to plan for major life changes. TEAMS has been found to prevent depression in teens.
- Level 3 is an online, group mental health program for teens with IDD called TEAMS Treatment. Like in Level 2, this online group will meet once a week for 10 weeks, and then once a month for 6 months. The group will teach similar strategies, with a greater focus on mental health treatment (versus prevention).
- Your teen will receive calls from the study team after 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years. We will ask them to answer questions about their mood and how they are doing.
- Your teen will also complete surveys about how they are doing.
Remember that if your teen participates in B.E.S.T.:
- They do not have to talk about things they don’t want to talk about.
- They should always seek help from their care coordinator or their doctor if you feel they may be experiencing depression or anxiety. To contact your DSCC care coordinator, call 1-800-322-3722. To contact your Service, Inc. service coordinator, view this page: https://www.svcincofil.org/contact/.
- They can stop participating at any time.
- They do not have to pay anything.
- Their participation and/or decision to stop participating will not affect their DSCC care coordination services.
- You and your teen will be paid for your time.
Are there any benefits to my teen participating?
- Your teen will have regular depression and anxiety assessments. If we discover your teen is having thoughts about suicide or any unmanaged major mental illness, we connect you to your service/care coordinator. Your service/care coordinator will assist you and your teen by providing referrals for treatment of mental health symptoms and by finding any needed follow-up care.
- If your teen is in Group B, they may learn coping and communication skills to help them manage feeling sad or having a down mood.
- If your teen is in Group A, they will have access to the Level 1 online, self-paced depression and anxiety prevention program once the study is completed.
- This study may help us improve care coordination systems and mental health care screening and treatment for teens with IDD.
Contact us to learn more
To learn more about B.E.S.T., email beststudy@uic.edu or call us Toll Free at 1-833-732-5778.