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Region 10 - Seattle

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Region 10 and Alaska Native Training and Technical Assistance
Early Head Start (EHS) Conference Call
May 18, 2005
"Meth Awareness and Working With Families"

There were approximately sixty-five participants representing about twenty grantees or program sites from Region 10 or AIANPB Early Head Start and/or Head Start on the conference call. Grantees included:

Alaska

  • Tlingit and Haida Tribes Central Council (Laurie Krupa, Andrea Early, Sandy Churchill, Donna McKay, Bonnie Page – 7 participants)
  • Kenaitze Head Start (Debbie Shuey – 1 participant)
  • Southcentral Foundation (Gertrude "Jay" Cloud, Kim Robinson, Tanya Dolchok – 3 participants)
  • Bristol Bay Native Association (Bonnie Page – 1 participants)
  • Fairbanks Native Association EHS (? – 1 participant)

Idaho

  • Lewis Clark Early Childhood Program (Susan Bier, Nancy Smith, Alan Heasley, Darcy Kincaid – 4 participants)
  • Western Idaho Community Action Program (? – 1 participant)

Oregon

  • Umatilla-Morrow County (Cathy Wamsley – 17 participants)
  • Harney ESD XVII (Vickie Matson – 1 participant)
  • Portland Public Schools (Carol Lowry – 11 participants)

Washington

  • Children's Home Society of Washington-Walla Walla EHS (Nancy Beekman – 1 participant)
  • Children's Home Society of Washington-Auburn EHS (Elaine Bauman – 1 participant)
  • FAME Child and Family Center (Jane Davies – 1 participant)
  • Olympic Community Action Program (Vickie Becker, Donna Dignam, Chris Borchers – 3 participants)
  • Chelan Douglas Children Services Association (Jennifer Andrade – 7 participants)
  • Olympic ESD 114 EHS (Linda Segur – 1 participant)
  • Puget Sound ESD EHS (Wendy Jans – 3 participants)

Region 10 T/TA Network

  • Meagan Anderson-Pira (TA Specialist)
  • Pat Brinkman (TA Specialist)
  • Ed Yonamine (Child Development Content Specialist)

(NOTE: If your name/program is missing or incorrect names are on list, please forward corrections to yonamine_edwin@bah.com or eyonamine@acf.hhs.gov. Inadvertently, we may not have all of the names of people participating and/or misspelled names — we apologize.)

Presenters:

Ms. Sharmon TauDebrie-Sinclair
Ms. Linda Rueckl
Chemical Abuse Resources Education Center (CARE)
Metropolitan Development Council
Tacoma, Washington
Phone: (253) 284-7821 (Main Line)
Emails: Lrueckl@mdc-tacoma.org (Linda); Sharmon@mdc-tacoma.org (Sharmon)
Web Home Page: http://www.caretacoma.org/

Ms. Dawn Sly, MSW, LCSW
Mental Health and Disability Service Coordinator
Community Services Consortium, Head Start
Phone: (541) 270-4660
Email: dsly@csc.gen.or.us
Web Home Page: http://www.csc.gen.or.us/

The EHS conference call began with the Child Development Specialist reviewing the protocols for using a conference call format. This was followed by a brief introduction of the three featured speakers.

To begin the presentation on methamphetamine (meth) use, Sharmon and Linda provided a community perspective on the use of meth in the Pierce County, Washington area, what the drug is, and how to spot signs of meth use or production:

  • Pierce County is rated number one in meth crimes in the United States.
  • Meth is a synthetic drug that affects the central nervous system. It produces dopamine that takes over the natural dopamine in the body creating an extreme high that can last over eight hours or more.
  • Symptoms can include:
    • Showing no emotions
    • Exhibiting a sense of losing self
    • Displaying paranoia
    • Having frequent nosebleeds
    • Having lack of sleep
  • Recipes for making meth can easily be found on the internet. The materials needed for manufacturing meth includes:
    • Pseudoephedrine
    • Acetone
    • Alcohol
    • Coffee filters
    • Lithium batteries
    • Propane (in tanks)

Sharmon and Linda told a story about a local Radio Shack retail store given an award for selling the most lithium batteries. The store did not realize what their accomplishment meant to the general community. When they learned what the lithium batteries were used for, Radio Shack began limiting the number of batteries that one person could purchase from their stores. The awareness of meth use among retail businesses have led to other restrictions such as limiting the sale of pseudoephedrine. Currently, it is sold behind-the-counter and the buyer must provide identification and sign for it.

Why is this drug used? Users include young girls trying to lose weight and individuals trying to avoid problems. Signs of chronic usemay include:

  • Being bone thin
  • Having sunken eyes
  • Having sores and abscesses
  • Having infected gums and rotting teeth

However, some users are able to maintain normal functions but most users get extremely agitated, are unable to focus, and exhibit excessive caution about their environment — windows are darkened, home is messy, and individuals are not seen by their neighbors. Users often do not take baths because they believe the sweat holds meth residues and if they wash it off the high will go away.

Children's rooms are often used to "cook" the meth because producers believe that law enforcement will not look there. Children exposed to meth in their homes often have chronic colds and upper respiratory problems.

Meth labs are becoming mobile by using recreational vehicles, cars, and vans.

Lastly, Sharmon and Linda pointed out to participants what to look for when reporting or suspecting methamphetamine use:

  • Family has children but there are changes in the family. (This sentence is a little confusing – what kinds of changes?)
  • Children are neglected.
  • Blinds are always closed.
  • Smell of nail polish remover or animal urine is apparent.
  • There are excess activities at all hours.
  • Odd or "out-of-normal" behaviors are exhibited.
  • The house is messy and yard is littered with trash.
  • There are excess amounts of discarded boxes of Sudafed lying around.
  • There are excess amounts of old cans or bottles containing a greenish-turquoise residue lying around.

The second featured speaker, Dawn Sly, provided a practitioner's perspective to the rising trend of meth use in Oregon's Early Head Start and Head Start families. Ms. Sly reported that seventy percent of Oregon's foster care children are from families using methamphetamine (meth). She reminded participants that there is no classic profile of a child affected by meth use, but they can have extreme behavioral problems. However, there are considerations that program staff, especially home visitors should be aware of. They include:

  • Home environment is often chaotic with lack of rules and routines, and people coming in and out of a child's home.
  • The child's environment is disruptive, stressful, and often physically and emotionally abusive. A child may be at risk to trauma and domestic violence.
  • Children are taught not to trust, to fear the police, and to fear foster parents.
  • Parents using meth often lack effective parenting skills.
  • Children are unsupervised in a dangerous environment that may include weapons, aggressive dogs, and pornography (due to hyper-sexuality of users which can lead to sexual abuse).

Dawn outlined the impact of meth exposure to a child's development:

  • A child can test positive for meth because of secondhand exposure.
  • Brain development can be delayed because the child is not being stimulated.
  • Infants can develop stress responses that can stay with them throughout their brain development — they can't tell when people are happy or sad and have difficulty trusting. This places them at-risk for attachment disorder.

Children exposed to meth or to a "users-environment" can easily be at-risk for developmental delays that almost always include social and emotional delays. Possible issues include:

  • Cognitive processing disabilities or delays
  • Sensory integration problems
  • Hyper-vigilance, under-reactivity or passive behavior due to being left in car seats or cribs
  • Poor physical growth
  • Language and speech delays
  • Control, eating and eating trauma, toileting, and sleeping issues.
  • Attachment issues (leading to flat affect, lack of empathy, and rage)
  • Core boundaries issues
  • Self-regulation issues
  • Anxiety attacks
  • Disassociative behaviors
  • Parentify behaviors
  • Low-esteem issues
  • Social skills issues

The above-mentioned possible issues can lead to various mental health and health diagnoses such as attention deficit disorder, anxiety, post-traumatic stress, tourettes syndrome, or autism.

In her therapeutic work with drug-affected children, Ms. Sly, pointed to two strategies that serve as her foundation to her work:

  • Having a stable environment
  • Following the four "Bs" — be safe, be kind, be a good listener, and be responsible

This is underscored by an enhanced service model (includes staffing for identified families) using an assessment tool and treatments. They include:

  • The Comprehensive Developmental Assessment
  • Play therapy
  • Attachment therapy
  • Small-group experiences for skill development
  • Long-term ongoing support

This concluded the presentation portion of the conference call and a question and answer portion immediately followed. Sharmon and Linda were asked how EHS and HS programs could approach addressing this rising concern in their communities. They replied that communities begin to address their situation with community education on meth awareness, working with organizations like Safe Streets or their Neighborhood Watch groups, and to begin networking with Child Protective Services (CPS) and local law enforcement agencies.

Cathy Wamsley, Director for Umatilla-Morrow County (UMCHS), reported on their three-year work with a "Free-to-Grow" substance abuse and child abuse grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. She reports positive community mobilization efforts to make their community healthy and safe for children.

[NOTE: Check out the "Free-to-Grow" web site (http://www.freetogrow.org/index.htm for further details on the national demonstration project involving EHS/HS grantees. The Umatilla-Morrow County Head Start's (UMCHS) involvement and news articles related to community efforts focusing on making environments safe and healthy for children are found at: http://www.freetogrow.org/org_profile3381/org_profile_show.htm?attrib_id=5563

{UMCHS is the only Pacific Northwest site and Region 10 EHS/HS grantee to have this demonstration grant in the fifteen sites across the United States. The nearest project sites are Wailuku, Hawaii (to the West); El Modena in Orange County, California (to the South) and Lincoln, Nebraska (to the East).]

Alan Heasley, Disabilities and Mental Health Coordinator for Lewis Clark Early Childhood Program, mentioned that a recent series in Lewiston's news daily reported on the rising meth use in their community.

Vickie Becker, Family and Community Partnership Manager for Olympic Community Action Program, highlighted their urgent need for parents who are in recovery or in need of support and treatment. Apparently, different counties and/or municipalities have different processes such as waiting periods, etc. It is a critical issue for ongoing family support.

Lastly, the featured speakers were acknowledged for their contributions and expertise on the topic. It was announced that supplemental materials were retrievable at the ACF web site. Currently, it is located at an ARCHIVE site: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/region10/news/calendar_archive/region_10_events_2005_may.html#tta_ehs

In addition, the conference call minutes will be located on the ACF web site. The EHS Conference Call ended at 3:00 p.m.

Post-Conference Call Resources:

From Sharmon TauDebrie-Sinclair and Linda Rueckl:

  • Chemical Abuse Resources and Education: (253) 572-2273
  • Meth Watch Program/Spokane Meth Action Team Contact – Greater Spokane Substance Abuse Council's Prevention Center: (509) 922-8383
  • Division of Alcohol & Substance Abuse (DASA)/Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS): (877) 301-4557
  • Washington State Patrol: (360) 478-4646
  • Washington State Meth Hotline: (888) 609-6384
  • Alcohol/Drug Hotline: (800) 562-1240
  • Washington State Department of Health: (360) 236-3381

From Dawn Sly:

TTA Network Resource Links:

http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0503/p03s01-ussc.html (Christian Science Monitor, May 3, 2005 – "A growing force against meth use: Major corporations are joining legislative efforts to curb the drug’s spread".)

http://cadca.org/CoalitionsOnline/article.asp?id=554 (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America - Coalitions Online News, October 12, 2004 – "Oregon Coalitions Curb Meth Use Behind the Scenes")

http://web.kitsapsun.com/meth/partycrashes.html (Kitsap Sun, 2002 - An eight-month award-winning series (The Meth Toll) on meth use in Kitsap County, Washington. Start with article entitled "When the party crashes" and read on.)

http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2005/04/11/gvsb0411.htm (AMNews, April 11, 2005 – "Limits on legal drug help curb meth abuse". An online service to physicians from the American Medical Association)

http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1500303/04182005/id_0.jhtml?headlines=true (MTV.com News, April 18, 2005 – "Meth Use On The Rise Among Teens")

http://www.uky.edu/CommInfoStudies/IRJCI/reports/reportsmeth.htm (A special report - "Covering the meth epidemic in rural America" using a blog format that includes links to various rural newspaper and reports related to Rural America and meth use. This web site is sponsored by the Institute for Rural Journalism and Community Issues located within University of Kentucky.)

http://www.oregonlive.com/special/oregonian/meth/ (A five-part special investigative report series on meth use by The Oregonian entitled "Unnecessary Epidemic".)