CEC | Behavior Disorders/Emotional Disturbance

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Behavior Disorders/Emotional Disturbances

Students who have emotional and behavioral disturbances exhibit significant behavioral excesses or deficits. These terms refer to patterns of behavior that depart significantly from the expectations of others. In recent years, "behavioral disorders" has gained favor over "emotional disturbance" as a more accurate label leading to more objective decision-making and fewer negative connotations.

IDEA defines serious emotional disturbance (SED) as "a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree, which adversely affects educational performance: 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 federal definition includes children who are diagnosed as schizophrenic, but excludes socially maladjusted children "unless it is determined that they are seriously emotionally disturbed."

WHAT ARE TYPICAL PATTERNS OF DISORDERED BEHAVIOR?

There is considerable agreement about general patterns or types of disordered behavior. Achenbach suggests two discrete patterns that he calls "externalizers" (aggressive, disruptive, acting out) and "internalizers" (withdrawn, anxious, depressed). Quay identifies the following dimensions: CONDUCT DISORDERS (aggression, disobedience, irritability); PERSONALITY DISORDERS (withdrawal, anxiety, physical complaints; IMMATURITY (passivity, poor coping, preference for younger playmates); and SOCIALIZED DELINQUENCY (involvement in gang subcultures).

WHAT ARE THE EDUCATIONAL IMPLICATIONS?

Multidisciplinary educational teams, including parents, must design programs to meet the individual behavioral and academic needs of identified SED students. Most students can benefit from supportive treatments provided in regular programs. For others, at least temporary placements in special classrooms, schools, or institutional programs may be appropriate.

Special programs usually attempt to provide a structured environment where students experience a high degree of success; rules and routines are predictable; and students are consistently rewarded for appropriate behavior. Behavior management techniques, such as positive reinforcement, token economies, contracting, and time-out, which rely on direct measurement and monitoring of behavioral change, are commonly used in SED programs. The assessment and systematic teaching of social skills through modeling, discussion, and rehearsal are frequently used to help students increase control over their behavior and improve their relations with others. In addition, supportive therapies involving music, art, exercise, and relaxation techniques, as well as affective education, individual, and group counseling are sometimes employed to improve self-understanding, self-esteem, and self-control.

This publication was prepared by the ERIC Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education with funding from the Office of Educational Research and Improvement, U.S. Department of Education, under OERI contract. The opinions expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of OERI or the Department of Education.

Assessing the Transition-Related Strengths and Needs of Adolescents With High-Incidence Disabilities Restricted

This study examined the extent to which teachers, parents, and youth with emotional and/or behavioral disorders or learning disabilities aligned in their assessments of students’ transition-related strengths and needs across nine planning domains.

Bob Bear: A Strategy for Improving Behaviors of Preschoolers Identified as At Risk or Developmentally Delayed Restricted

Preschool teachers who utilize Bob Bear as a behavior modification strategy for re-teaching classroom rules, reinforcing appropriate behaviors, enforcing consequences, and assisting in understanding and completing activities may increase social behaviors necessary for classroom success of preschoolers identified as at risk or developmentally delayed.

Improving the Way We Think About Students With Emotional and/or Behavioral Disorders Restricted

In this article, the author focuses on teacher behavior in the context of these strategies by exploring four guidelines for improving the way teachers think about the student with EBD in the classroom.

An Examination of the Evidence Base for Function-Based Interventions for Students with Emotional and/or Behavioral Disorders Attending Middle and High Schools Restricted

The authors reviewed the body of literature on functional assessment-based interventions conducted with secondary-age students with emotional and/or behavioral disorders and found that the practice was not evidence-based according to the proposed guidelines.

Best Practices for Administering Medication in School
Use of prescribed medications has increased significantly among children with exceptionalities; therefore, it is critical that special educators have sufficient knowledge of their students’ medications and best practices for administering them.

I'll Repeat Myself, Again?! Empowering Students Through Assertive Communication Strategies Restricted

Providing explicit instruction in student rights, responsibilities, and assertiveness, especially saying, “No,” empowers students to advocate for themselves.

RTI for Emotional and Behavior Disorders Shows Promise
With the emphasis on response to intervention (RTI) for learning disabilities, special education is undergoing a fundamental change in the way we do business. That change is extending to our work with students with emotional/behavior disorders.

Using Peer Praise Notes to Increase the Social Involvement of Withdrawn Adolescents Restricted

An intervention is presented that demonstrates how the use of peer praise notes increased the social involvement of three withdrawn middle school students identified as at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders.

Teaching Positive Work Behavior With Literacy-Based Behavioral Interventions: An Intervention for Students and Employees With Developmental Disabilities Restricted

This article describes how literacy-based behavioral interventions can help teachers, job coaches, and employers who work with individuals with disabilities encourage positive work behaviors.

Bullying of Children with Exceptionalities: Tackling it in Your School and Your Classroom
The issue of bullying is particularly important for students with exceptionalities and therefore for special educators. As school communities become increasingly diverse, it is more important than ever that teachers, administrators, parents, and students work together to create a tolerant school climate where each student feels safe and valued.

Suicide and Students With High-Incidence Disabilities: What Special Educators Need to Know Restricted

This article includes information regarding suicidality as it pertains to students diagnosed with high-incidence disabilities. Identification and intervention strategies for special education teachers are discussed and illustrated through a case study of a hypothetical student.

Giving Voice to Parents of Young Children With Challenging Behavior Restricted

This study gave voice to parents raising young children with challenging behavior using a qualitative, phenomenological approach. Results showed that parents’ experiences could be grouped into 5major themes: (a) obtaining accurate and useful information, (b) obtaining services and supports,(c) financial stress, (d) stress among members of the family, and (e) community isolation. Implications for changes to systems of care for young children with challenging behaviors and their families are discussed.

Classwide Interventions: Effective Instruction Makes a Difference Restricted

Classwide interventions do not represent a single type of intervention; instead, they include a combination of effective behavior management practices that have a long history in our field, such as using contingent and frequent praise, providing OTRs, and applying classroom rules.

Wraparound: As a Tertiary Level Intervention for Students With Emotional/Behavioral Needs Restricted

The wraparound process is a comprehensive intervention for the 1% to 2% of students with the highest level of emotional/behavioral need.

Cooperating Initiatives: Supporting Behavioral and Academic Improvement through a Systems Approach Restricted

This article presents a model in which educational initiatives do not compete but cooperate. We provide examples of efforts to improve behavioral outcomes and examples increase academic achievement to illustrate how different initiatives can be conceptualized and implemented in the same model of schoolwide improvement.

Positive Behavior Interventions and Support Restricted

Schoolwide positive behavior supports(SWPBS) is a culturally responsive set of systems, practices, and data-based decision-making features designed to achieve socially important behavior change.

Classwide Secondary and Tertiary Tier Practices and Systems Restricted

This article describes typical features, steps required to implement, and intervention prerequisites for secondary and tertiary intervention systems within classroom settings

Schoolwide positive behavior supports: Primary Systems and Practices Restricted

Schoolwide positive behavior sup-ports (SWPBS) is a proactive, systems-level approach that enables schools to effectively and efficiently support student (and staff) behavior.

Improving Executive Function Skills—An Innovative Strategy that May Enhance Learning for All Children
While children who have learning disabilities, autism, ADHD, traumatic brain injury, and conduct disorder often have difficulties with executive function, more children without disabilities are exhibiting EF problems as well.

Achieving the Promise: The Significant Role of Schools in Transforming Children’s mental Health in America Restricted

Educators face learning environments in today’s public schools that need to provide support for students with EBD.

Teaching Organizational Skills to Promote Academic Achievement in Behaviorally Challenged Students Restricted

Can organizational skills instruction (OSI) help middle school students at risk behaviorally and academically?

Effects on Science Summarization of a Reading Comprehension Intervention for Adolescents With Behavior and Attention Disorders Restricted

Adolescent boys with behavioral disorders (BD), 31 or whom had comorbid attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), participated in a self-regulated strategy development intervention called Think Before Reading, Think While Reading, Think After Reading, With Written Summarization

Outcomes of a Teacher-Led Reading Intervention for Elementary Students At Risk for Behavioral Disorders Restricted

This study examined the efficacy and feasibility of reading intervention that 2 general education teachers implemented in inclusive settings to support 7 firt-grade students at risk for E/BD and reading difficulties.

Katrina Kids! Helping Kids Exposed to Population Wide Trauma Restricted

To better prepare schools, The National Child Tramatic Stress Network recommended implementation of the “Three Rs Plan: Reading, Response, and Recovery,” which includes activities and emphasis schools should consider in order to deal with Population Wide Traumas more effectively

Understanding and Accommodating Students With Depression in the Classroom Restricted

This article describes the characteristics of mood disorders/depression in children and adolescents, and discusses two cases in which educators designed effective accommodations and modifications in the classroom for these two students with depression

Risk Factors Predictive of the Problem Behavior of Children At Risk for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders Restricted

Logistic regression analyses were used to establish the most robust set of risk factors predictive of the problem behavior of kindergarten and first-grade children at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders.

Response to Intervention: Examining Classroom Behavior Support in Second Grade Restricted

Teachers in two second-grade classrooms used a multi-tiered approach to improve the behaviors of their students. A “response-to-intervention” logic is considered within a continuum of schoolwide positive behavior support.

OSEP Research Institutes: Bridging Research and Practice
Teaching Writing Strategies to Young Students Struggling With Writing and At Risk for Behavioral Disorders: Self-Regulated Strategy Development With SRSD, students are taught strategies for processes that include planning as well as the knowledge and self-regulatory procedures needed to apply the target strategies, better understand the writing task, and regulate their writing behavior.

CEC Joins Call to Prevent School Shootings
CEC joined the National Consortium of School Violence Prevention Researchers and Practitioners in presenting recommendations to foster safer schools. The statement presents four elements for safer schools: balance, communication, connectedness, and support.

Improving the Organizational Skills of Students with Learning and Attention Problems
To help students with learning and attention problems, teachers must teach the “how” and “why” of organization, as well as the process, and provide routine and consistency.

Dealing with Noncompliance in the Classroom
Teachers often have to take time away from instruction or other important tasks to deal with students’ noncompliant behaviors. Here is an example of a technique you may use to deal with noncompliance in the classroom.

Behavior Disorders/Emotional Disturbances
Students who have emotional and behavioral disturbances exhibit significant behavioral excesses or deficits.

Behavior Disorders

Positive Behavior Supports: Can Schools Reshape Disciplinary Practices? Restricted

Literature of the use of school-based positive behavior support is reviewed. School teams can us archival data to identify intervention priorities and possibly reduce problem behaviors.

Promoting School Completion of Urban Secondary Youth With Emotional or Behavioral Disabilities Restricted

This study investigated the effectiveness of the check & connect model of student engagement for urban high school students with emotional or behavioral disabilities to preven dropout and promote involvement.

Predictors of Restrictiveness of Placement for African-American and Caucasian Students Restricted

A study explored differences in the special education programming of 115 African-American and 115 Caucasian students (grades 3-5). Although a pattern was found in variables related to placement restrictiveness, the pattern was similar for African-American and Caucasian students. Variables include problem severity, presence of behavioral problems, and family involvement.

Violence and Aggression in Children and Youth
Aggressive behavior is learned and maintained in a manner similar to other behaviors. Three important factors in behavior development and modification are modeling, positive reinforcement, and negative reinforcement.

The Link Between Functional Behavioral Assessments (FBAs) and Behavioral Intervention Plans (BIPs)
Research has demonstrated that Functional Behavior Assessments (FBAs) can lead to the development of effective, proactive Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs). Depending on the hypotheses resulting from the FBA, the BIP might include changing the variables that precede the inappropriate behavior(s), teaching alternative forms of appropriate behavior, and providing reinforcement for appropriate behavior

Teaching Social Studies to Students with Learning Disabilities (July 1999)
Teachers in inclusive classrooms regularly face the difficult task of having to modify the curriculum to reach all of their students, many of whom have special needs."

Students with Disabilities in Correctional Facilities
This digest presents findings on the prevalence of students with disabilities in correctional facilities and the educational and related services offered to them. "

Positive Behavioral SupportResearch ConnectionsWinter 1999
Participatory action research is an approach in which researchers and stakeholders (i.e., those individuals who might potentially benefit from the research findings) collaboratively engage in the various stages of the research process. The goal is greater participation and influence of stakeholders in the research process, a major purpose being to support the implementation of research findings in practice."

Positive Behavioral Support
Researchers are finding that PBS is effective with general education and special education students. Following are a few examples of schools that are implementing PBS. "

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) (updated July 2002)
Oppositional Defiant Disorder is characteristically seen in children below the age of 9 or 10 years. It is defined by the presence of markedly defiant, disobedient, provocative behaviour and by the absence of more severe dissocial or aggressive acts that violate the law or the rights of others."

Wraparound Services for Young Schoolchildren with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders Restricted

A family-centered "wraparound" services system for elementary children with severe emotional and behavioral disorders supports the children and their parents. Includes the features of such systems and how educators can develop these supports for children and their families.

We CARE... for Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disabilities and Their Families Restricted

Systems of care for students with emotional and behavioral disabilities use service coordination to create and maintain linkages among schools, families, social service agencies. It describes how service coordination teams operate and explores the role of teachers on these teams.

Using Electronic and Other New Ways to Help Students Improve Their Behavior: Functional Behavioral Assessment at Work Restricted

Two case studies demonstrate how teachers can use functional behavioral assessments and behavior support plans to improve the behavior of students with behavior disorders.

Using Dialogue Journals in the Classroom: Forming Relationships with Students With Emotional Disturbance Restricted

This article explains the use of the dialogue journal as a written conversation in which a student and teacher communicate regularly. This tool is beneficial for all students with disabilities, but in particular in meeting the needs of students with emotional disturbance, especially in nurturing their desire for a relationship with adults.

Using Narrative Logs—Understanding Students’ Challenging Behaviors Restricted

Teachers can use observation and assessment to understand their students' behavior—and find ways to encourage positive behavior. Through positive behavior support, teachers can generate interventions that may significantly affect their students' long-term educational and social outcomes.

Using Functional Assessment to Promote Desirable Student Behavior in Schools Restricted

Disruptive behavior is an unfortunate reality that many teachers encounter across all grade levels, particularly in inclusive classrooms. A rationale for using the functional behavioral assessment (FBA) approach to solving this problem is discussed.

Using Countoons to Teach Self-Monitoring Skills Restricted

Having students count and record their own behavior can act as an intervention to change behavior in a desired direction. Countoons are cartoon versions of recording devices that students use to count their behaviors even when they cannot read.

Transfiguring It Out: Converting Disengaged Learners to Active Participants Restricted

This article addresses the challenge of disengaged students and provides teacherswith a "transfiguration" model that uses a practical and robust strategy to transform disengaged learners to active participants.

Understanding and Addressing Oppositional and Defiant Classroom Behaviors Restricted

Suggestions are provided for understanding and addressing the difficulties associated with educating students who exhibit oppositional and defiant disorders. These suggestions can be used to support the learning of all students.

The Importance of Teacher Self-Awareness in Working with Students With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders Restricted

This article identifies questions and strategies to help teachers become more self-aware regarding their interactions with students with behavioral and emotional disorders. The attitude of the teacher and the classroom climate affect students much more than most other techniques or interactions.

Runaway Reaction: Solving for X Restricted

This article examines the runaway reaction as it was displayed by a 14-year-old eighth-grade boy. The article identifies some of the common characteristics of this response and proposes ways the school could do a better job of meeting a very serious need.

Positive Behavior Support Systems: Applying Key Features in Preschool Settings Restricted

The differences between positive behavior support (PBS) at the preschool level and at the elementary school level are discussed and a method is presented for implementing features of PBS in preschool programs.

Self-Determination and the Education of Students with Disabilities
Students with disabilities who are self-determined are more likely to succeed as adults, and efforts to build self-determination skills are integrated into the practices of schools that provide high-quality transition programs. However, promoting self-determination should not begin in high school. Students in elementary and middle school need to receive such instruction as well.

Youth Aggression and Violence: Risk, Resilience, and Prevention
No single factor can predict who is likely to engage in aggressive and violent behavior, but longitudinal studies have established developmental pathways that lead to antisocial and delinquent behavior, which includes patterns of aggression and violence. "

Improving Post-School Outcomes for Students with Emotional and Behavior Disorders
This digest describes the post-school outcomes for students with emotional and behavior disorders in education, employment, and social relationships. It also presents several school-based strategies to improve the post-school outcomes for students with EBD.

Depression and Disability in Children and Adolescents
This digest focuses on major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, and bipolar disorder as they are exhibited in childhood and adolescence-their symptoms, causal factors, and treatment."

Functional Behavior Assessment and Behavior Intervention Plans
The purpose of a functional assessment is to gather information to understand a student's problem behavior. However, an FBA goes beyond the 'symptom' (the problem behavior) to the student's underlying motivation to 'escape,' 'avoid,' or get something.

Depression: The Hidden Problem Among Students with Exceptionalities
In the U.S., school-based studies indicate that across the board 2-4 percent of school-aged children (4-12 years old) and 4-8 percent of adolescents (12-18 years old) suffer from depression, according to Steve Forness, professor of psychiatry and bio behavioral science at the University of California, Los Angeles.

A Practical Guide to Functional Behavioral Assessment Restricted

This article guides teachers in providing appropriate responses and solutions for disruptive behaviors. Functional behavioral assessment (FBA) can determine the function of problem behavior and identify the factors that predict and maintain it.

Abundant Beautification: An Effective Service-Learning Project for Students With Emotional or Behavioral Disorders Restricted

Read this article to learn about the efficacy of service learning for students with emotional or behavioral disorders. Service learning appears to be a viable structure to provide best-practice programming.

Enhancing Student Learning and Social Behavior Through Mnemonic Strategies Restricted

A review of three specific types of mnemonic strategies: the letter strategy, the keyword strategy, and the pegword strategy. These strategies are particularly effective with students with emotional or behavioral disorders.

Comic Strip Conversations: A Positive Behavioral Support Strategy Restricted

The use of comic strips and social stories (a formatted narrative that guides the writing of a child who has difficulty with language expression especially those with autism spectrum disorder) is explained. These communication tools reduce disruptive behaviors for children with ASD.

Ensuring Student Success Through Team-Based Functional Behavioral Assessment Restricted

This article presents an example of how faculty implemented team-based FBA planning procedures with a student exhibiting recurring minor problems. The team-based FBA involves a representative group of people from the student’s school and home working together to develop a collaborative FBA and corresponding intervention plan.

How to Infuse Social Skills Training into Literacy Instruction Restricted

Techniques for teaching social skills through academic activities are presented. Three methods are discussed: bibliotherapy, folk literature, and experiential learning, and games.

High School Peer Mentoring That Works! Restricted

A program in a Midwest high school shows how peer leaders planned and taught positive communication skills and problem-solving techniques to their classmates. Students with undesirable classroom behavior became class leaders, modeling positive skills when they had to teach those skills themselves.

How Experiential Adventure Activities Can Improve Students’ Social Skills Restricted

Learn how a teacher implemeted the Project Adventure curriculum, an adventure-based activities program that teaches students social skills, teamwork, and conflict resolution.

Increasing Self-Managed Coping Skills Through Social Stories and Apron Storytelling Restricted

The benefits of using social story techniques in conjunction with apron storytelling to assist in developing self-managed coping strategies for children who experience chronic school difficulties are explained.

Making Choices—Improving Behavior—Engaging in Learning Restricted

Improve the behavior of students with behavior or emotional disorders with choice-making opportunities.

Curriculum, Assessment, and Accountability in Day Treatment and Residential Schools Restricted

A national survey of teachers and principals indicated that students with emotional and behavioral disorders who are in day treatment and residential schools are exposed to a curriculum that is not linked to general education curriculum.

Academic Achievement of K-12 Students With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders Restricted

Findings from this study show that students with E/BD are likely to exhibit academic deficits early in their school career. Effective, academic instruction and prevention programs are considered.

Academic and Participation Profiles of School-Age Dropouts With and Without Disabilities Restricted

Young adults (N=277) with and without learning disabilities or emotional or behavioral disorders were interviewed regarding their school and post-drop out experiences. Findings indicate that factors such as disability status, when individuals drop out, and self-perspectives influence education participation. Strategies for helping students who drop out are discussed.

A Blueprint for Schoolwide Positive Behavior Support: Implementation of Three Components Restricted

This article provides a case study (an eighth-grader with autism) within a case study (an urban middle school) in terms of the implementation of positive behavioral support (PBS). Information is provided on the characteristics of three key components of schoolwide PBS, universal support, group support, and individual support.

Job Performance of Transition-Age Youth With Emotional and Behavioral Disorders Restricted

This study examined the job performance of adolescents with emotional/behavioral disorders from the perspectives of their supervisors and the adolescents. Discrepencies were found between employers and employees performance ratings on four behavior domains.

Manifestation Determination as a Golden Fleece Restricted

Manifestation determination is a mandated provision for deciding whether a student's misbehavior is related to his disability and, consequently, whether cessation of services is allowed. This article critiques this provision by reviewing relevant case law and legislation, examining the mandate's social context, and questioning the validity of methods for making a manifestation determination. An alternative approach is proposed.

"No Child Left Behind" and Zero Tolerance -- An Incongruity!
Zero tolerance has evolved ... to extend far beyond drugs and weapons. It now may include comprehensive standards that apply to dress and speech as well as personal conduct infractions that pose little or no safety concerns.

Applying Cognitive-Behavioral Techniques to Social Skills Instruction
Cognitive-behavioral interventions (CBI) can be a viable approach for teachers to remediate behavioral deficits and excesses by providing students with the tools necessary to control their own behavior. "

Children Behaving Badly -- Helping Students with Emotional Disorders
Leading special educators present strategies to help students with emotional disorders who display acting out to defiant behavior.

Applications of a Policy Framework to Evaluate and Promote Large-Scale Change Restricted

This article examines the impact of poverty on the quality of life in families of children with disabilities. A literature review found a variety of effects of poverty on the five dimensions of family, including health (e.g., hunger, limited health care access), productivity, physical environment, emotional well-being, and family interaction.

We Can't Expect Other People to Understand": Family Perspectives on Problem Beharior Restricted

Increasing Self-Determination: Teaching Students to Plan, Work, Evaluate, and Adjust Restricted

The effect of self-determination contracts on 9 to 10-year-old boys with severe emotional/behavioral problems was examined. Results show significant academic improvement.

Action Research: Decreasing Acting-Out Behavior and Increasing Learning Restricted

An action research project helped one student with learning disabilities increase his positive behavior and be more successful socially, behaviorally, and cognitively. Four steps to better behavior are described.