With this issue, TheHUB will begin reporting on the research, symptoms, resources and treatment of mental and behavioral health issues associated with lead exposure in children. Many experts note a collaborative approach between parents, educators and licensed health providers as the most effective way to address lead-related health concerns. Today we begin a dialogue we hope will further promote hope, health and healing of Flint residents.
What, when and why to watch
Emotional and behavioral issues can result from exposure to lead. As blood lead levels increase in children, so do the problems, according to research funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health.
So it’s little wonder that Flint parents watch and worry about any signs of behavioral changes – both big and small – in their kids.
The big issues are easiest to spot in grade school-age children who must learn to focus and concentrate regularly in the classroom. Their performance, which is documented year-to-year, provides an important historical reference to behavioral shifts and academic performance.
It’s normal for children’s learning and behavior to change from year-to-year. It’s the dramatic shifts parents and educators need to watch, and then decide if additional observation and professional support are needed, according to research released by the American Psychological Association (APA).
Teachers see and interact with hundreds of students and can often provide guidance as to whether a shift in behavior is normal or may be cause for concern. Children who have had significant exposure to lead may have more difficulty following directions, be more hyperactive and lose ground in overall functioning than children with little or no lead exposure levels.
Some of the parents interviewed by TheHUB had very specific concerns.
Jaylon Tyson was suspended from school 58 times last year. He was in first grade.
Kennedy Luster was a wiz at math and English. Now, the 8-year-old’s math answers don’t make sense and she no longer understands phonics, a skill she mastered at age four.
Renee Lewis has become increasingly aggressive, frequently engages in fights and suddenly is writing perfectly, but it’s backwards and completely legible when held up to a mirror. He has been tested for autism, Asperger’s and dyslexia, but has not been diagnosed with a specific condition or learning disability. Now, he’s been expelled from school and his mother is searching for another school for the 10-year-old.
Why some students like Jaylon, Kennedy and Renee are experiencing challenges, while others — living within the same zip code populated by homes with similar exposure to lead, continue to advance and do not have reported behavioral or cognitive difficulties — requires additional testing, evaluation and action.
Moving forward, parents, school officials and medical professionals need to collaborate and communicate more regularly to identify, monitor and treat behavioral and academic shifts in children.
Trust is critical and for many parents, it is difficult in the wake of the activity following the identification of lead in the city’s municipal water supply.
“There are situations that are going to happen and coming into play with the lead,” says Corey Luster, mother of Renee and three other school-aged children. “and we don’t have anybody to ease what is happening.”
Other parents want to see evidence of action, too.
Last month, the ACLU announced a class action lawsuit that claims the educational system has failed to address the cognition deficiencies, special education and other needs of children exposed to high lead levels in Flint’s water system.
“All children can learn, but the ongoing water crisis in Flint creates urgent problems for Flint students, parents and teachers,” says Kary Moss, executive director of the ACLU of Michigan. “Tens of thousands of families in Flint have been exposed to toxic lead in their drinking water. Given the permanent damage lead can do to children, the water crisis can only exacerbate educational woes. That’s why this legal action is necessary.”
Bilal Tawwab, superintendent of Flint Community Schools, says he hasn’t noticed any obvious changes in the students in his district in data and has no anecdotal information.
“It’s really still hard to determine whether what we’re seeing or what we may see is due to water,” he says. “That’s why I’m so focused on just being proactive and making sure we are able to meet the needs of all kids who are impacted or not.
“That means we need to make sure we have counselors on hand. We have social workers in our buildings. We have health centers in all of our buildings. We are working with families. We have positive behavior systems and intervention in place. Those are the things I’m working on so that, no matter what we’re confronted with as it relates to a child, we already have a solid system in place and the resources in place to meet those needs.”
Additionally, he has placed a moratorium on school suspensions for the district’s 5,500 students.
“Kids need to be in school to learn,” he says. “Suspension should not be our first way to intervene or approach behavioral challenges.”
Instead, he says, positive behavior intervention and restorative practice is a more positive way to deal with situations and heal them.
Tawwab indicates the Michigan Department of Education has provided more than $3 million to support additional nurses, social workers and other staff.
Flint Community Schools is following guidelines and recommendations by the World Health Organization (WHO) for handling lead exposure, Tawwab says.
Children absorb four to five times as much lead as adults. Infants and young children, especially those younger than five, are most susceptible to lead absorption. Even at low, short-term levels of exposure, lead can lower the IQ and has been linked with Attention Deficit Disorder, aggression and many other health disorders, WHO reports.
The schools are supplying students with bottled water and providing nutrient-rich meals packed with calcium, iron, and Vitamin C, which help to protect against the absorption of lead in the body. The district has expanded free meals and snack programs and also serves only fruits that need to be peeled, such as bananas and oranges. At home, though, parents struggle with an array of issues associated with lead exposure.
Corey Luster’s sister Gina Luster, who lives in the 48504 zip code, which had the city’s highest lead levels, says her daughter Kennedy’s concentration seemed to lessen by the week. She used to be able to sit and watch a movie. Now, she can’t sit still longer than five minutes. That has carried over into her classroom.
One of her teachers was concerned and went along with the family to the doctor.
Mott Children’s Clinic suggested Kennedy needed a behavioral specialist, who she’s been seeing for a year.
“I don’t see where it’s helping,” Luster says. “Her teachers say her concentration is just not there. She goes off into space. I don’t know if it’s working. Maybe it is. I’m a parent and I want it to be an overnight change.”
Corey Luster has had challenges with each of her children, ages 15, 14, 11, and 10, but Renee seems to be struggling most. Last year, he was suspended from the charter school Greater Heights Elementary 22 times.
This school year, he’s already been expelled from the Linden Charter Academy for fighting and announcing that he hoped the school blows up. He was brought home in a police squad car.
“I’ve been trying to get him evaluated for special education,” his mother says. “I just don’t know what to do. They know these children have been exposed to lead, and they seem to not have anything in place to help them.”
Nakiya Wakes feels the same way about her children. Her teenage daughter became defiant, aggressive and afraid to use the water.
Now, the teen lives in Indiana with relatives. Her son Jaylon has been transferred to another school and is in a special education class. New issues have erupted there.
“He’s still having problems in school,” she says. “He’s hitting kids and others have hit him. They are cursing. I get so worked up about the schools. It seems they don’t care about these kids. They are getting money (to provide support), but they are not addressing their needs.”
Preventing additional exposure to lead, eating foods that limit lead from being absorbed into the body, minimizing stress as much as possible and providing plenty of healthy mental stimulation are all things parents can do now, says Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha, director of the MSU and Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative.
“There is no antidote for lead, but there are positive actions that everyone can take to mitigate exposure,” says Hanna-Attisha.
Editor’s Note: TheHUB’s publisher Jackie Berg, senior editor Eddie Allen and Health Writer Kimberly Hayes Taylor contributed to this story.
Photos by Paul Engstrom
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