September 27, 2013 The Dispatch/Maryland Coast Dispatch Page 31 Worcester Youth Plans Larger Social Help Program By TRAVIS BROWN STAFF WRITER Regional Digest FROM PAGE 30 law, will be required to apply for and obtain a handgun qualification license before attempting to purchase a handgun. BERLIN – In time for national Adult Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) awareness month, Worcester Youth and Family Counseling Services (WYFCS) is looks to premiere an expanded version of a program they launched over the summer. Called Social Help in a Nurturing Environment, or SHINE, the program seeks to teach often overlooked basic peer interaction skills to children with social difficulties. The original SHINE debuted over the summer and met with great success, according to Dr. Jennifer Leggour, clinical director at WYFCS. Riding that momentum, the new version of SHINE will run for two additional weeks, eight instead of six, will add another age group and a simultaneous parents’ program. “What we had noticed here was that a lot of kids were struggling socially and in individual therapy or family therapy it’s very hard to do skills training and to work with kids one-on-one,” said Leggour. “So getting them into a group really helped because socially is where they struggle anyway.” The new SHINE will be for children in the 5- to 8-year-old age range as well as 9- to 12-yearolds. Participants tend to have one of several behavior-affecting men- tal diagnoses, such as ADHD or falling somewhere on the autism spectrum. If the program has enough interest, it will launch in October, said Leggour, which is fitting since that is national ADHD awareness month. ADHD is a common issue and one that is in need of widespread understanding, asserted Leggour. “It’s diagnosed much more today than it was even 10 years ago, for a number of reasons. But raising awareness is something that has come up over the last couple of years because it’s such an internal struggle for people,” she said. “Any time you have a mental health disability that you can’t see it’s helpful to raise awareness so that people are sensitive and don’t mislabel that person.” Though more attention is being given to ADHD than in years past, Leggour said that it is still common for people to just chalk up the signs to bad behavior when it is not the child’s fault. “It’s not an intentional thing that these kids are doing. It’s very brain-based, very chemical,” she said. There are three archetypes of ADHD: the first is pronounced hyperactivity, the second is a struggle to focus and remain attentive and a third type is a combination of the hyperactivity and inattentiveness. Many adults struggle with it for their entire lives and go undiag- nosed. They’re able to get by, Leggour acknowledged, but without medication and therapy have a much more difficult time performing even simple tasks. A typical treatment for ADHD involves combined therapy, where both medication and counseling are used. Because ADHD can cause social difficulties, Leggour said that SHINE would be a useful tool for any parent looking to help their child hone their social interaction skills. With the parents, Leggour added that this autumn’s SHINE would like to include a concurrent program for adults. “Parents drop their kids off for group and they’re sitting in the waiting room. Many of them are stressed and our trying to help their kids anyway, so we would like to offer that time for them to sit in a group together and learn about what their kids are learning about. But then also be able to express some of their frustrations and their thoughts and feelings about what is happening,” Leggour said. Leggour is looking for about 10 participants for each group -- both age brackets and the parents’ program. If the interest is there, which she finds likely given the popularity of the first SHINE, then this new project will launch in the next 30 days and meet once a week in the evenings. For more information, contact Leggour at 410-641-4598. Insurance Hotline Launched BERLIN – Residents of the three counties of the Lower Shore now have access to a public hotline to learn information on and apply for affordable health insurance options through the state health insurance exchange, or Maryland Health Connection. The Worcester County Health Department has launched a public hotline at 855-445-5540 to help residents in Worcester, Wicomico and Somerset counties obtain affordable health insurance. The local hotline is a convenient way for Lower Shore residents to get personal oneon-one help with applying for health insurance options and financial assistance to make health care coverage plans affordable. Local residents may enroll in affordable health care plans through MarylandHealthConnection.gov or by calling or meeting with local trained staff of the Worcester County Health Department. Enrollment is open from Oct. 1 through March 31, 2014. The hotline will be staffed from 8 a.m.-8 p.m. on Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday, and 8 a.m.-2 p.m. on Sunday. Health Department employees will also hold regular office hours at various locations in Worcester, Wicomico and Somerset. The health department was awarded a grant from the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange to operate the health insurance assistance program on the Lower Shore. Cohort Program Popular Among Teacher Prospects SALISBURY – Students on Maryland’s Mid- and Upper Shore interested in pursuing an elementary education degree from Salisbury University continue to enjoy the option of the Elementary Education Cohort Program offered at the Eastern Shore Higher Education Center (ESHEC) on the campus of Chesapeake College in Wye Mills. Most students enrolled in the cohort program have completed an Associate of Arts in Teaching (A.A.T.) at Chesapeake College and have been accepted into the Professional Teacher Education Program at SU. This fall, 11 Mid- and Upper Shore area residents enrolled to comprise the eighth cohort. They include Catherine Coleman-Brice, Hannah Gowe and Jessica Warner of Preston, Md.; Robin Coulter of Cambridge, Md.; Chelsea Davenport and Kelsie Miller of Stevensville, Md.; Kaleigh Davis of Trappe, Md.; Julie Fleming and Allison Sandrock of Easton, Md.; Sheryl Germann of Millington, Md.; and Alianna Walbert of Centreville, Md. They are scheduled to graduate in spring 2015. Faculty and staff at SU and Chesapeake College support the cohort program. SU faculty and ad- Suicide Walk Slated OCEAN CITY – The 2nd Annual Out of Darkness Suicide Awareness Walk is set for tomorrow, Saturday, Sept. 28, on the Boardwalk in Ocean City. The second annual event is a fundraising and outreach effort to support the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the leading national non-profit organization exclusively dedicated to understanding and preventing suicide through research, education and advocacy. The ceremonial walk, which begins on the Boardwalk at Caroline Street at 10 a.m. on Saturday, will feature memorial activities, local exhibitors and guest speakers. Senator Jim Mathias will give the opening speech for the event and the public is invited. The event will be hosted by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Atlantic General Hospital, the Life Crisis Center, the Jesse Klump Memorial Fund, the Worcester County Youth Suicide Awareness and Prevention Program and other local partners. Pictured, front row, from left, are Jessica Warner, Alianna Walbert, Allison Sandrock and Chelsea Davenport; and, back from left, Catherine ColemanBrice, Kelsie Miller, Julie Fleming, Hannah Gowe, Robin Coulter, Kaleigh Davis and Sheryl Germann. Submitted Photo junct instructors travel to the ESHEC each semester to provide methods instruction to cohort members. Sara Elburn, lecturer at SU, is the university’s liaison to the cohort. She works closely with Deborah Urry, executive director of the ESHEC, along with Dr. Deanna Stock of Chesapeake College.