At the end of this presentation you should be able to:

• Describe the characteristics of emotional or behavioral disorders.

• Understand the differences between biological and environmental influences.

• Utilize basic approaches to effectively adapt assessments for students with emotional or behavioral disorders.

• Understand the importance of collaboration in working with students with emotional or behavioral disorders.

Chapter 5 Objectives

Emotional or Behavioral Disorders

Chapter Objectives

Who Is Matthew Ackinclose?

• A 14-year-old eighth-grade student• Began having problems as early as infancy, demonstrating self-injurious

behaviors• Made threats to kill his mother and himself at the age of 5• Was taking up to 22 different medications• At age 8, his mother made contact with a social worker who looked for his

strengths, rather than focusing on his weaknesses.• She found a teacher who was willing to work with Matthew as a student.• She has also focused on his strengths and created an atmosphere of respect.• She collaborates successfully with other teachers and professionals in order to

allow Matthew to participate fully in typical age-appropriate activities.

Emotional or Behavioral Disorders

Understanding Individual Students

Reflection• Identify outcome of each support system

– Mother– Social worker– Teacher

• Select one support and discuss with partner• How could outcome have been different without support

in place?– Home life– Social abilities– Education

How Do You Recognize Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders?

• Building on students’ strength rather than focusing on deficits has become crucial– Strength-based interventions focus on developing resiliency

• Learning from past• Developing new strategies• Using new strategies

• Socially maladjusted– Excludes students from receiving special education services– Term is vague– Implies students are choosing to break societal rules

Defining Emotional or Behavioral Disorders

How Do You Recognize Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders?

Describe the characteristics of emotional or behavioral disorders.

Defining Emotional or Behavioral Disorders

How Do You Recognize Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders?

Describe the characteristics of emotional or behavioral disorders.

Figure 5-1

Components of Definition• IDEA

– Inability to learn - ruling out other factors– Inability to build relationships– Inappropriate behaviors– Pervasiveness mood disturbance– Physical symptoms– Does not apply to “socially maladjusted”

• Proposes definition– Different behavioral or emotional responses from “norm”– More than temporary response to stress– Exhibited in two different settings– Unresponsive to direct interventions– Includes mental health disorders

Definition• "Seriously emotionally disturbed" is defined under the Individuals with Disabilities Act

(IDEA) 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 behaviors or feelings under normal circumstances;• a general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression; or• a tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school

problems.

• Emotional characteristics– Anxiety disorder– Mood disorder– Oppositional defiant disorder– Conduct disorder– Schizophrenia

• Behavioral characteristics– Externalizing behaviors– Internalizing behaviors

• Cognitive and academic characteristics– Over half the students also have learning disabilities.– Most have receptive and/or expressive language disorders.

Describing the Characteristics

How Do You Recognize Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders?

Describe the characteristics of emotional or behavioral disorders.

• Several factors probably interact together.• Decisions about causes may be influenced by the evaluator’s discipline,

experience, and beliefs.• Determining a cause is only useful if it leads to effective interventions and

preventions.• Two main causes:

– Biological– Environmental

• Stressful living conditions• Child abuse• School factors

Identifying the Causes

How Do You Recognize Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders?

Understand the differences between biological and environmental influences.

Factors to Consider

Three criteria to help in deciding whether a child's behavior is normal or a sign that the youngster needs help:

• The duration of a troublesome behavior• The intensity of a behavior• The age of the child

• Approximately 1 percent of the school-age population was served for emotional or behavioral disorder in 1999-2000.

• Some experts believe this is an under-identification of the actual number of students who need services.

• African American males are over-represented in this category.– Unavailability of culturally-appropriate assessment instruments– Concern about teacher expectations regarding appropriate behavior– Building respectful family-professional partnerships that may prevent

identification• Ethnically diverse groups may be more likely to experience environmental

stressors that can lead to mental health problems.

Identifying the Prevalence

How Do You Recognize Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders?

Describe the characteristics of emotional or behavioral disorders.

How Do You Evaluate Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders?

• Determining the presence• Determining the nature and extent of general and special education and

related services– Direct observation

• Frequency• Duration• Latency• Topography• Magnitude

How Do You Evaluate Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders?

Utilize basic approaches to effectively adapt assessments for students with emotional or behavioral disorders.

Evaluating Students

Determining the Presence

How Do You Evaluate Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders?

Utilize basic approaches to effectively adapt assessments for students with emotional or behavioral disorders.

Figure 5-7

Including Students

How Do You Assure Progress in the General Curriculum?

Describe the characteristics of emotional or behavioral disorders.

Figure 5-8

• Adapting assessment– Self-management

• Can decrease disruptive behavior and maintain appropriate behaviors, even in the absence of a teacher

• Augmenting instruction– Conflict resolution

• Students learn effective communication, anger management, and taking another’s perspective

• Conflicts usually occur because of resources, needs, or goals• Teaches problem solving and successful decision making

Planning Universally Designed Learning

How Do You Assure Progress in the General Curriculum?

Utilize basic approaches to effectively adapt assessments for students with emotional or behavioral disorders.

• Service learning– Students develop skills through active participation and structured

reflection in organized activities to meet community needs.– Students in service learning are less likely to exhibit rebellion or

delinquency and more likely to cope effectively with life challenges.– Creates collaborative partnerships for learning– Can prepare students to make a living– Allows people in a community to see that students with emotional or

behavioral disorders can contribute positively in a work environment• Teachers must collaborate effectively with parents.

Collaborating to Meet Students’ Needs

How Do You Assure Progress in the General Curriculum?

Understand the importance of collaboration in working with students with emotional or behavioral disorders.

A Tragic Outcome…

• The Columbine shootings• Two troubled youth• Warning signs

http://www.angelfire.com/tx2/coroner/columbin.html

What Can You Learn from Others Who Teach Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders?

The Early Childhood Years

• Johns Hopkins Prevention Intervention Research Center• Classroom-centered intervention

– Curriculum enhancements, behavior management strategies, and additional supports for students not performing adequately

• Family-school partnership intervention– Teachers receive training in communication with parents; parents receive

weekly home learning and communication activities• Combining both classroom-centered intervention and family-school partnership

intervention may yield the greatest benefits.

Early Childhood

What Can You Learn from Others Who Teach Students with Emotional

or Behavioral Disorders?

Understand the importance of collaboration in working with students with emotional or behavioral disorders.

The Middle and Secondary Years

• LaGrange Department of Special Education• Provides a wraparound approach• Families can receive behavioral support, in-home counseling, case

management, or parent advocacy training based on the individual needs of each child.

• This approach has created a support network of families.

Middle/Secondary

What Can You Learn from Others Who Teach Students with Emotional

or Behavioral Disorders?

Understand the importance of collaboration in working with students with emotional or behavioral disorders.

The Transitional/Post-Secondary Years

• Canada’s YouthNet/Reseau Ado• Supports youth who are homeless• Two functions

– Providing a support group from young people to discuss mental health issues

– Linking youth to youth-friendly mental health professionals• In groups, professionals serve as facilitators rather than leaders• Has been successful in helping some teens leave the streets and become

employed

Transitional and Post Secondary

What Can You Learn from Others Who Teach Students with Emotional

or Behavioral Disorders?

Understand the importance of collaboration in working with students with emotional or behavioral disorders.

A Vision for Matthew’s Future

• Preparing to enter high school and work with new teachers• Still focusing on improving social skill and a more positive relationship with his

family• Planning to work with a work placement during his junior year