What does it take for a child with co-occurring intellectual, developmental, and mental health conditions to fully stabilize? Hope Services’ Mental Health team set out to find answers.

We are proud to share that Anna Fernandez, Sarah Grato, and the Hope Services Mental Health team presented a research poster at the 150th Annual Meeting of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) in Chicago.

Their poster, “Monitoring and Managing Outcomes in the Family, Children and Youth Program for Individuals with Dual Diagnosis Using the CANS Assessment Tool,” explores how the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) assessment can be used to track meaningful outcomes for children and youth living with co-occurring intellectual/developmental disabilities and mental health conditions.

A key finding: children who fully stabilized shared three common traits, manageable decision-making, strong natural supports, and consistent school attendance. These insights offer a practical framework to guide discharge planning and strengthen the care journey for the families we serve.

We are deeply grateful to the families, clinicians, and staff whose dedication made this research possible. It is an honor to contribute to the growing conversation around better outcome measurement in the dual-diagnosis field.