Introduction
Nearly 475,000 students 6–21 years of age in the United States received services for emotional or behavioral disabilities in the 2000-2001 school year, or about 8% of all students with disabilities in U.S. schools (U.S. Department of Education, 2002). The official label for this group of students was formerly “serious emotional disturbance”; it was changed to “emotional disturbance” in the 2004 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (PARA 2014).
This disorder is tremendously variant and is only narrow in scope in terms of Bower’s five characteristics and the fact that these individuals have an educational need (Smith, et al. 194) The only consistency amongst the group of students who shares this disorder is they experience difficulty in adjusting to one or more important aspects of the school environment (Smith, et al. 197).
The following generalizations have merit describing students who struggle with EBD:
a) Student shows high rates of inappropriate behavior in comparison to lower rates of positive inappropriate behavior.
b) academic difficulties related to or potentially caused by behavior difficulties.
c) social difficulties.
d) Serious, multiple and complex problems having a wide range of disabilities such as: anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, psychosis, ⅔ have ADHD, ¼ have learning disabilities, oppression disorders. All of the material stated above is published within Teaching Students with Special Needs in Inclusive Setting (Smith, et al. 202). Emotional and behavioral disabilities cover a range of conditions, including affective disorders, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and conduct, attention, or adjustment disturbances (National Association of School Psychologists, 2002).
Steps to intervention
Many times, children with emotional disturbance are difficult to identify, and there seems to be a reluctance to label children as having an emotional disorder. Teachers and parents work together to measure observed behaviors indicating the types of behavior exhibited (Mastropieri, 2010).
1) Student will be identified as showing possible signs. The teacher’s awareness is critical to the identification process. Educators are encouraged to create a behavioral checklist. The teacher's role is to notice, initiate process, and intervention.
2) Formal assessment: forms, clinical interviews, observations, rating scales, personality testing, neurological examinations.
3) Functional behavior assessment: consideration of specific behaviors and behavior patterns within a specific environmental context. All of the material stated above is published within Teaching Students with Special Needs in Inclusive Setting (Smith, et al. 197).
Six Major Subgroups of Students with Emotional Disturbance
1) Conduct disorder
2) Socialized Aggressions: defiant and truant.
3) Attention Problems: immaturity and impulsive behavior.
4) Anxiety Withdrawal: Self- conscious, reticent, and unsure. Has very low self- concept, and retreats from activities, is anxious and frequently depressed.
5) Psychotic Behavior: hallucinations, lives in fantasy world, or exhibits bizarre behavior.
6) Hyperactivity: Difficulties sitting still, listening, and keeping attention focused. All of the material stated above is published within Teaching Students with Special Needs in Inclusive Setting (Smith, et al. 195-203).
Under IDEA section 300.8:
Emotional disturbance means a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child's educational performance:
(A) An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors.
(B) An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers.
(C) Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances.
(D) A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.
(E) A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems.
(ii) Emotional disturbance includes schizophrenia. The term does not apply to children who are socially maladjusted, unless it is determined that they have an emotional disturbance under paragraph (c)(4)(i) of this section.
As taken from
http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/,root,regs,300,A,300%252E8,
Causes
Although a specific cause of emotional and behavioral disorders has been yet to be discovered, environmental and neurological factors are the known leading causes.
Risk Factors: Biological, ie autism, substance use, antisocial, academic difficulties, low intelligence, neuro-psychological difficulties.
Family: Maternal Stress, depression, having a large family, divorce, antisocial parents, ineffective behavior management, abuse, harsh/ coercive parenting.
School: insufficient training, high student to teacher ratio, poor instruction, maladaptive work conditions, poor behavior management, inconsistent expectations, and having little academic emphasis where the bar is set low.
Culture: Low S.E.S., lives in a high crime neighborhood, has negative peer relationships, gets rejected by peers, and cultural expectations.
This disorder is tremendously variant and is only narrow in scope in terms of Bower’s five characteristics and the fact that these individuals have an educational need (Smith, et al. 194) The only consistency amongst the group of students who shares this disorder is they experience difficulty in adjusting to one or more important aspects of the school environment (Smith, et al. 197).
The following generalizations have merit describing students who struggle with EBD:
a) Student shows high rates of inappropriate behavior in comparison to lower rates of positive inappropriate behavior.
b) academic difficulties related to or potentially caused by behavior difficulties.
c) social difficulties.
d) Serious, multiple and complex problems having a wide range of disabilities such as: anxiety, bipolar disorder, depression, psychosis, ⅔ have ADHD, ¼ have learning disabilities, oppression disorders. All of the material stated above is published within Teaching Students with Special Needs in Inclusive Setting (Smith, et al. 202). Emotional and behavioral disabilities cover a range of conditions, including affective disorders, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and conduct, attention, or adjustment disturbances (National Association of School Psychologists, 2002).
- Students in this category are predominantly male, disproportionately African American, and likely to take psychotropic medicine such as stimulants, antidepressants, and anti-anxiety drugs (Bradley, Henderson, & Monfore, 2004).
- Boys outnumber girls in this category by about 3.5 to 1 (Oswald, Best, Coutinho, & Nagle, 2003).
Steps to intervention
Many times, children with emotional disturbance are difficult to identify, and there seems to be a reluctance to label children as having an emotional disorder. Teachers and parents work together to measure observed behaviors indicating the types of behavior exhibited (Mastropieri, 2010).
1) Student will be identified as showing possible signs. The teacher’s awareness is critical to the identification process. Educators are encouraged to create a behavioral checklist. The teacher's role is to notice, initiate process, and intervention.
2) Formal assessment: forms, clinical interviews, observations, rating scales, personality testing, neurological examinations.
3) Functional behavior assessment: consideration of specific behaviors and behavior patterns within a specific environmental context. All of the material stated above is published within Teaching Students with Special Needs in Inclusive Setting (Smith, et al. 197).
Six Major Subgroups of Students with Emotional Disturbance
1) Conduct disorder
2) Socialized Aggressions: defiant and truant.
3) Attention Problems: immaturity and impulsive behavior.
4) Anxiety Withdrawal: Self- conscious, reticent, and unsure. Has very low self- concept, and retreats from activities, is anxious and frequently depressed.
5) Psychotic Behavior: hallucinations, lives in fantasy world, or exhibits bizarre behavior.
6) Hyperactivity: Difficulties sitting still, listening, and keeping attention focused. All of the material stated above is published within Teaching Students with Special Needs in Inclusive Setting (Smith, et al. 195-203).
Under IDEA section 300.8:
Emotional disturbance means a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child's educational performance:
(A) An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors.
(B) An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers.
(C) Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances.
(D) A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.
(E) A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems.
(ii) Emotional disturbance includes schizophrenia. The term does not apply to children who are socially maladjusted, unless it is determined that they have an emotional disturbance under paragraph (c)(4)(i) of this section.
As taken from
http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/,root,regs,300,A,300%252E8,
Causes
Although a specific cause of emotional and behavioral disorders has been yet to be discovered, environmental and neurological factors are the known leading causes.
Risk Factors: Biological, ie autism, substance use, antisocial, academic difficulties, low intelligence, neuro-psychological difficulties.
Family: Maternal Stress, depression, having a large family, divorce, antisocial parents, ineffective behavior management, abuse, harsh/ coercive parenting.
School: insufficient training, high student to teacher ratio, poor instruction, maladaptive work conditions, poor behavior management, inconsistent expectations, and having little academic emphasis where the bar is set low.
Culture: Low S.E.S., lives in a high crime neighborhood, has negative peer relationships, gets rejected by peers, and cultural expectations.
The Center for Children's Health and Emotional and Behavioral Disorders has published an article titled
Tips for Teachers, Principals, and School Support from Students with Mental Health and Behavior Disabilities
This is a great article written from the perspective of the student. http://www.pacer.org/parent/php/php-c148.pdf