Emotional Disturbance

by

Ellen Tschopp

What is Emotional Disturbance?

• The IDEA defines emotional disturbance as “a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree”

• An inability to learn which cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors.

• An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers.

• Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances.

• A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.

• A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems.

The IDEA definition addresses:

• Chronicity (“over a long period of time”)

• Severity (“to a marked degree”)

• Difficulty in school (“adversely effects educational performance”)

Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders new definition (2000)

• Applies to “emotional or behavioral responses in school programs so different from appropriate age, cultural, or ethnic norms that the responses adversely affect educational performance, including academic, social, vocational or personal skills”

• more than temporary, expected response to stressful events, consistently exhibited in two different settings, unresponsive to direct intervention in general education.

• “Includes such disability that co-exist with other disabilities”

• Includes schizophrenic disorder, affective disorder and anxiety disorder

Characteristics:2 Dimensions

• Externalizing– generally noncompliant

behavior.– does not follow

directions within a reasonable amount of time.

– Arguing, tantrums, fighting, rule breaking, disruptive, yells out, gets out of seat, destroys property, lies, steals

Characteristic #2

• Internalizing– Very little social

interaction– Seldom plays with

other children– Extremely fearful

without reason– Complains of being

sick– bouts of depression

Types of anxiety, mood and other emotional disorders

• Generalized anxiety disorder

• Phobias • Obsessive/compulsive

disorder (OCD)• Anorexia Nervosa• Bulimia Nervosa

• Post-traumatic stress disorder

• Selective mutism• Depression• Bipolar disorder• Schizophrenia• Tourette syndrome

Academic Achievement

• Perform one or more years below grade level

• Exhibit significant deficiencies in reading and math as well as study skills

• Deficits remain stable or gets worse as they grow older

• Have a high level of drop out rate from high school

Intelligence

• Score in low learner or mild intellectual disabilities range

• The average student actively attends to the teacher and work 85% of the time

• Students with EBD are on task only 60% of the time

Prevalence

• Estimates of how many children have EBD varies based on studies

• Different criteria are used to decide what constitutes EBD in children

Causes:Biological Factors

• Brain disorders – abnormal brain development or brain injury

• Genetics – the disorder with the highest link to genetics is schizophrenia

• Temperament – a persons behavioral style or typical way of responding to situations

Age groups of students with EBD served by IDEA

Environmental Factors

• Home – Their relationship with parents during early years is critical to behavior

• School – Usually identified with EBD in school. School can be a contributing factor

• Community – gang membership, drug and alcohol use, deviant behavior are part of anti-social behavior

Identification and Assessment

1. Identify who might need help

2. Who really does need help?

3. What kind of help is needed?

4. Is the help benefiting the student?

Screening Tests

• Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL)

• Behavioral and Emotional Rating Scale (BERS)

• Systematic Screening for Behavioral Disorders (SSBD)

Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA)

• The process of gathering information to understand why a student is engaging in challenging behavior

It is usually to get positive reinforcement for the behavior (attention), or to avoid or escape something (doing work)

FBA leads to a BIP

Behavioral Intervention Plan is the design of appropriate and effective steps to stop the undesired behavior.

It is part of the student’s IEP for all students who have disabilities with behavioral issues

Involves teachers, parents, psychologists, and counselors who know the child well

Educational Approaches

• Academic Skills – Systematic instruction in reading, writing, and arithmetic, are as important to students with EBD as are general ed. students.

• Slightly lower amount take science, and even less take a foreign language

• Social Skills – EBD students have

difficulty in social situations. They must have explicit instruction on how to:

1. Control temper in conflict situations with peers and teachers

2. Follow/comply with directions

3. Attend to teacher instruction

4. Easily transition from one task to another

Evidence Based Instructional Practices

• Teacher praise

• High rates of opportunities to respond during instruction

• Clear instructional strategies

• Positive behavior support including school wide, individual, and self-management plans

Positive Behavioral Supports

• Teach student self management skills

• Teacher praise

• Proactive, positive classroom management

• Peer mediation and support

• Focus on alterable variables (environment)

Challenges for EBD Students

• Ensuring that all students with EBD receives special education

• Early detection and prevention

• Advances in how educators apply tools that are available

• Improving success rates

SourcesBehavioral Disorders/Emotional Distrubances. Council for Exceptional

Children. http://www.cec.sped.org/AM/Template.cfm

Heward, William L. Exceptional Children: An introduction to Special Education. New Jersey: Pearson, 2009. 213-253

Marzano, Robert J. & Jana S. The Keys to the Classroom. Educational Leadership. 2003

RTI for Emotional/Behavioral Disorders Shows Promise. Council for Exceptional Children. http://www.cec.sped.org/AM/Template.cfm

Sayeski, Kristin L. & Brown, Monica R. Developing a Classroom Management Plan Using a Tiered Approach. Council for Exceptional Children, Teaching Exceptional Children. (2011) V. 44, 8-17

Canter, Lee. Assertive Discipline: More than Names on the Board and Marbles in a Jar. http://campus.dyc.edu/~drwaltz/FoundLearn Theary/FLT_readings/Cantor.htm