Emotional/Behavioral Disorders
General Overview
Approximately 473,000 youth in the United States are receiving special education and related services under the category of emotional disturbance. This figure represents a 2% increase from 2002 and a 20% increase from 10 years ago. Of the students being served for E/BD, boys outnumber girls at a ration of about 5:1.
Students with E/BD frequently experience academic difficulties that result in lower grades, more failing grades, greater retention rates, and a greater likelihood of dropping out of school. About 50% of students with E/BD drop out of school; therefore as a group, they have lower employment levels and sub average employment histories. Poor academic performance has also been associated with the onset, frequency, and persistence of delinquency.
Students with E/BD are reported to have IQs in the average to above average range, but their academic performance may not reflect this due to the negative effects of their inappropriate behaviors. The student’s behavior not only has an immediate effect on learning, but it also has an additive effect: Successive failures diminish the student’s knowledge base, which in turn negatively affects his ability to learn new information.
Soon the student is in a downward spiral of academic failure from which he cannot recover.
In addition to academic difficulty, students with E/BD, also by definition, find it difficult to make and maintain social relationships. For example, they will often not work well in groups, choosing to boss others around or dominate discussions. These behaviors can lead to marginalization and social isolation. Students with behavior disorders may seek the company of younger or older students for friendship. Learning is a social activity, therefore social success in school can predict success as an adult. It becomes clear that behavior disorders can represent significant problems for students.
Students with E/BD can be classified into two categories-externalizing and internalizing. Students exhibiting externalizing behavior are difficult to miss. These students are loud, disruptive, aggressive, non-compliant, and bullying and intimidating and are regularly truant from school. Students with internalizing emotional disorders may be mistaken for model students at first because they are often shy and quiet and do not cause the teacher any problems. Nevertheless, closer inspection will reveal a student who is often anxious, depressed, dependent, helpless, possibly suicidal, and frequently victimized.
Many of the social skill deficits experienced by students with externalizing and internalizing behaviors contribute to their inability to control or manage their behaviors. For example, a student with externalizing behaviors may not have had the opportunity to observe and develop appropriate social skills because he was excluded form social and academic interactions by his peers or because there was not a role model in the home from whom he could learn socially acceptable responding.
Common Causes
The cause of E/BD is frequently unknown and is often the result of multiple factors contributing the manifestation of maladaptive patterns of behavior. The two factors most commonly associated with E/BD are:
- Biologic factors. Organic (genetic) factors, or acquired adventitiously after birth. Biological factors typically begin at a young age and persist into adulthood. They may be a function of biochemical imbalances, neurological abnormalities, genetic predisposition, physiological factors, injury or illness;and
- Environmental factors. Environmental factors that contribute to the development of E/BD include traumatic brain injury, child abuse,home environment (drugs/drug abuse in the home, poor parenting), socioeconomic status, and stress from significant losses.
Diagnostic Indicators
Emotional/Behavioral disorders are generally diagnosed by looking at three main things. There are:
- Inappropriate behaviors that arechronic,
- A general or pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression
- Not caused by intellectual, sensory, or other health issues;
- Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances
- Inhibit a student’s ability to establish and maintain social relationships across settings are indications of a student with E/BD.
Types of Disorders
- Anxiety Disorder
- Bipolar Disorder
- Conduct Disorder
- Eating Disorder
- Obsessive/Compulsive Disorder
- Psychotic Disorder
Characteristics (adapted from
http://www.ccbd.net/about/ebddefintion)
Primary
Social/Emotional
- Hyperactivity (short attention span, impulsiveness)
- Aggression or self-injurious behavior (acting out, fighting)
- disruptive behaviors
- impulsiveness
- problems with self-control & self-awareness
- Withdrawal (not interacting socially with others, excessive fear or anxiety)
- Weak or inappropriate interpersonal skills (may not be able to develop appropriate social or interpersonal relationships)
- Immaturity (inappropriate crying, temper tantrums, poor coping skills)
Cognitive
- Learning difficulties (academically performing below grade level)
- problem solving
- time management
- organization
- task persistence / perseverance
- accepting feedback
- poor concentration
Secondary
Learning Difficulties (academically performing below grade level)
- problem solving
- time management
- organization
- task persistence / perseverance
- accepting feedback
- poor concentration
- academics
Communication
- difficulty talking with others
- difficulty sharing thoughts, ideas, and knowledge
Emotional Engagement Barriers (Hattie)
- Self-efficacy | the confidence that we can learn
- Self-handicapping | choosing obstacles to avoid failure
- Self-motivation | ratio of intrinsic and extrinsic
motivation - Self-goals | master, performance, and social goals
- Self-dependence | being dependent on adults for
directions, goals, help, etc. - Self-discounting | believing positive feedback is invalid
- Hopelessness | feeling like there is no point in trying, that failure is inevitable
- Social comparison | self-image is based on a comparison with others
Strategies
- Teach self-reflection & behavior monitoring
Behavior Charts- Incentive Charts
- Visual Monitoring - Sound
- Self Monitoring
- Smart Watches
- Classroom Behavior Monitoring
- Teach stress management
- Soothing Sounds
- Sensory Calming Apps
- Audio Tools
- Visual Tools
- Teach social/emotional skills & build student based cooperative communities of learning
- Engagement Surveys
- Social Stories for Anger - Low Tech
- Social Stories for Anger - Apps
- Social Skills Software
- Digital Interactive Whiteboards
- Increase the interest level and relevance of learning goals.
- Gamification of Education
- Argumentative Reasoning
- Provide academic and behavioral scaffolds to decrease trigger events.
- Time Management
- Timers
- Concept Maps
- Reading Supports
- Writing Supports
- Math Supports
Resources/References
