Mental health experts say it is important for adults from all backgrounds to know how to assist children with disorders.

Parents, school staff, and human service workers took a Mental Health First Aid course at Contact Community Services in Syracuse. They learned the challenges children face and how to respond before a situation worsens.

Specialists say anxiety, depression, and disruptive disorders are the most common illnesses among children as young as three-years-old. Trainees say it is crucial to intervene early on and help the child develop.

"This is our future and we don't want them having more stress [from] dealing with a mental illness," said Cait Bartman, a Residential Life coordinator. "It's not their fault. We just need to make sure we can support them and continuously get them to a better spot in life." 

Contact is holding another Mental Health First Aid Class on April 23.