Supporting the Mental Health Needs of Neurodivergent Students: Outcomes of a Mental Health Literacy Program for Primary School Educators

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Describe what the initials mhl mean on line 38, even though they are indicated in the title. also do it in the acronym of line 70.

indicate the site where the search was carried out for the 17 articles that were reviewed.

on line 215 add 3% of those who are school leaders

the authors acknowledge that there is a limitation or problem with the results due to the biased point estimation y7o of the participants, this may be attributable to the number of questions that were asked when there could have been more.

the results obtained by the authors coincide with some works, providing information on a topic that is not yet conclusive.

note during the method that the training program was a pilot study.

it is very important that the authors recognize that the analysis is retrospective and was not intended to gather information for a particular theory.

the authors acknowledge that ethical considerations of the impact of teacher training must be taken into account.

 

 

it is not mentioned in the text whether the study was approved by an ethics committee in research, if informed consents were applied to the participants.

Author Response

Comment 1: Describe what the initials mhl mean on line 38, even though they are indicated in the title. also do it in the acronym of line 70.

Reply 1: Thank you, done! Page 2, paragraph 5 of the introduction section (now on line 61 due to other changes)

Comment 2: indicate the site where the search was carried out for the 17 articles that were reviewed.

Reply 2: Thank you, sites used now included on pages 3-4, in paragraph 1 of the literature review summary (lines 95-100).

Comment 3: on line 215 add 3% of those who are school leaders

Reply 3: Some information seems to have been deleted from the statistics here, the figures have been restored including the 3% of school leaders on page 4, in paragraph of participants (lines 160-162). Please let us know if we have correctly interpreted the intention of this comment.

Comment 4: the authors acknowledge that there is a limitation or problem with the results due to the biased point estimation y7o of the participants, this may be attributable to the number of questions that were asked when there could have been more.

Reply 4: I hope we have addressed this point appropriately on page 11, in the first paragraph of the additional limitations section (lines 425-427).

Comment 5: the results obtained by the authors coincide with some works, providing information on a topic that is not yet conclusive.

Reply 5: We have now included this information on page 9, at the end of the third paragraph (lines 327-329)

Comment 6: note during the method that the training program was a pilot study.

Reply 6: Now included page 3, first paragraph of methods and materials section (line 137)

Comment 7: it is very important that the authors recognize that the analysis is retrospective and was not intended to gather information for a particular theory.

Reply 7: Are we correct in assuming this is a comment and not a suggestion? Please let us know if more explanation is required than the information given on page 11, in the first paragraph of the additional limitations section (lines 427-430).

Comment 8: the authors acknowledge that ethical considerations of the impact of teacher training must be taken into account.

Reply 8: Please now find this acknowledgement on page 11, in paragraph 2 of the ethical and practical implications and limitations section (403-409)

Note: The version uploaded here is the same as the version uploaded for both reviewers to reduce confusion in future revisions.

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Thank you for submitting this interesting paper. Before publication  I would like the authors to improve the contextualisation in the introduction - for example, what are the global concerns in relation to mental health in young people, why is there a need to upskill teachers in this area, is mental health adequately addressed on teacher education courses. What mental health needs are most prevalent in schools? Are there adequate mental health services to support young people? 

In the discussion, I would like the authors to discuss the implications for initial teacher education. I realise this paper addresses continuing teacher development but there is a need to ensure that new teachers are better prepared to address the mental health challenges that they will encounter in schools. 

Author Response

Comment 1: Thank you for submitting this interesting paper. Before publication I would like the authors to improve the contextualisation in the introduction - for example, what are the global concerns in relation to mental health in young people, why is there a need to upskill teachers in this area, is mental health adequately addressed on teacher education courses. What mental health needs are most prevalent in schools? Are there adequate mental health services to support young people?

Reply 1: Thank you for these suggestions, we have included additional statistics, rationale, and background information on page 1-2, in paragraphs 1-3 (lines 29-52)

comment 2: In the discussion, I would like the authors to discuss the implications for initial teacher education. I realise this paper addresses continuing teacher development but there is a need to ensure that new teachers are better prepared to address the mental health challenges that they will encounter in schools.

Reply: Thank you for this idea. We have included acknowledgement of this on pages 10-11, paragraph 1 of the ethical and practical implications and limitations section (lines 391-399). Please let us know if we have accurately interpreted the intention of this comment.

Note: The file uploaded here is the same as the file uploaded for the first reviewer to reduce duplications for future revisions.