MHBA-02 — Child & Adolescent Mental Illness

Child & Adolescent Mental Illness is the recognition module of CareCertify's CTSS behavioral-aide series. It equips mental health behavioral aides to recognize how common mental health conditions present in children and adolescents — so they can support a child and know when to escalate, without ever stepping into diagnosis. The course explains why mental illness looks different in children (distress shows up through behavior and development), and walks through anxiety and depression, ADHD and behavior/conduct patterns, trauma-related presentations, and autism and developmental context. At its center is the idea that behavior is communication of an unmet need, and the trauma-informed shift from "what's wrong with this child?" to "what happened to this child?" The course covers warning signs that require immediate escalation — talk of suicide or self-harm, threats to others, sudden major changes, disclosures of abuse, and substance use — and models person-first, stigma-free, strengths-based language with children and families. This module is one of the five pre-service topics required by Minn. Stat. 245I.05, subd. 3(c), and is recognition-level only: diagnosis and treatment belong to the qualified professional. Built for mental health behavioral aides in Children's Therapeutic Services and Supports.

Learning Objectives

• Explain why mental illness looks different in children than in adults
• Recognize common child and adolescent mental health conditions
• Understand behavior as communication of an unmet need
• Describe how symptoms shift across ages and stages
• Support a child without diagnosing, and know when to escalate
• Use accurate, stigma-free language with children and families