Intro Ebd.pdf
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Emotional & Behavioral Disorders (EBD) - Introduction Sandra Co Shu Ming Have you ever met a student who: ´ just gets under your skin ´ social rejection or ´ very aggressive alienation ´ socially withdrawn ´ anti-social behavior ´ always “in your face” ´ some are...
Emotional & Behavioral Disorders (EBD) - Introduction Sandra Co Shu Ming Have you ever met a student who: ´ just gets under your skin ´ social rejection or ´ very aggressive alienation ´ socially withdrawn ´ anti-social behavior ´ always “in your face” ´ some are bullies ´ experience academic ´ seem to be asking for failure trouble & punishment Definition of EBD: ´ (IDEA 2004 – originally proposed by Bower) a condition exhibiting 1 or more of the ff. chars. over a long period of time & to a marked degree that adversely affects a child’s educational performance: ´ an inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory or health factors ´ an inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers & teachers ´ inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances ´ a general pervasive mood unhappiness or depression ´ a tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems ´ EBD includes schizophrenia – this does not apply to children who are socially maladjusted, unless it is determined that they have an emotional disturbance ´ criticism of definition: definition indicates that student must be failing academically to be classified as EBD for SPED purposes – very confusing ´ definition of EBD remains partly subjective – how to objectify happiness & depression ´In summary, EBD would have the ff. chars: ´school learning problems ´unsatisfactory interpersonal relationships ´inappropriate behavior & feelings ´pervasive unhappiness or depression ´physical symptoms or fears associated with school or personal problems ´ new proposed definition but not yet approved – major points: ´emotional or behavioral responses in school ´difference from age, cultural or ethnic norms ´adverse effect on educational performance (academic, social, vocational or personal) ´responses to stress that are more than temporary or expected ´consistent problem in 2 diff. settings, including school ´persistent disorder despite individualized interventions ´possibility of coexistence with other disabilities ´full range of disorders of emotions or behavior ´ full proposed definition: EBD means a disability char. by emotional or behavioral responses in school programs so different from appropriate age, cultural or ethnic norms that they adversely affect educational performance, including academic, social, vocational or personal skills and which: a)is more than a temporary, expected response to stressful events in the environment b)is consistently exhibited in 2 different settings, at least one of which is school related; and c) persists despite individualized interventions within the education program, unless in the judgment of the team, the child’s or youth’s history indicates that such interventions would not be effective. ´ EBD can co-exist with other disabilities ´ this category may include children or youth schizophrenic disorders, affective disorders, anxiety disorders or other sustained disturbances of conduct or adjustment when they adversely affect educational performance in accordance with the previous section ´ this new definition includes both disorders of emotions & disorders of behavior; it uses terminology that reflects current professional preferences & concern for minimizing stigma; it is school-centered but acknowledges that disorders exhibited outside the school setting are also impt.; it is sensitive to ethnic & cultural differences ´ students with EBC have behavioral excess or deficiencies ´ teachers (SPED) must measure both academic & social behavior ´ direct measurement of behavior – be objective (OCS) – could be direct observation, informal testing – assess what the student does & needs – know what the student knows & can do & need to learn Other labels / descriptors: ´socially / ´ maladjusted / emotionally / disturbed / behaviorally / impaired / personally + challenged / conflicted / disordered / handicapped ´ the term EBD was adopted in the late 1980s by the National Mental Health and Special Education Coalition ´ EBD is often transitory – can be on again & off again – young person might exhibit EBD at one stage of development but not at another ´ EBD problems exhibited by many young children are likely to disappear within a few years unless the problems are severe or include high levels of hostile aggression & destructiveness Causes of EBD Model Description Primary Strength Primary Weakness Biological EBD is caused by based on reliable information teachers are not directly physiological flaws (central about physiological processes involved in altering nervous system). physiological processes EBD can be controlled through physiological interventions such as medications. Psychoeducational teachers must understand considers internal motivations for is supported by unconscious motivations to behavior that are often overlooked comparatively little deal w/ academic failure empirical research & misbehavior – how can we help students acquire self-control Ecological student in enmeshed in a considers how behavior fits its social often requires control of complex social system, so context multiple aspects of the need to work w/ them in environment their homes & communities & schools Behavioral The essence of the based on learning & teaching, the examines only observable problem is the behavior primary focus in the classroom behavior itself – what the person does. Behavior is a function of environmental events – things that happen just before (antecedents) or right after (consequences) ´Causes of EBD – still need to be determined (unknown) but caused by a combination of biological, psychological & environmental factors ´contributing factors – not cause (direct) ´may be predisposing or precipitating ´precipitating factors may trigger a maladaptive response ´given when an individual is vulnerable (highly likely to develop EBD) ´ what the SPED teacher can do: focus on the contributing factors that the teacher can alter – can improve home environment or use community resources for the child’s benefit ´responsibilities of SPED teacher with EBD: ´make sure to do no further disservice to the student ´to exert whatever control is possible over the student’s present environment (ex.: make classroom environment conducive for improved behavior) ´ teacher can’t change the past, but we can alter classroom environment Probable Causes of EBD: ´ imbalance of neurotransmitters – abnormal balance of special chemicals in the brain called neurotransmitters (chemicals that help transmit nerve impulses throughout the nervous system) ´neurotransmitters chemicals like serotonin, dopamine – lower in some depressed people & higher in non- depressed people ´chemicals are out of balance or not working properly ´genetics (heredity) ´many mental illnesses run in families ´many mental illnesses are linked to abnormalities in many genes, not just one (so you can inherit it but not develop it) ´mental illness may develop from the interaction of multiple genes & other factors i.e. stress, abuse or trauma that can influence or trigger the illness in the person with an inherited susceptibility to it ´infections – certain infections linked to brain damage & dev’t. of mental illness ´brain defects or injury ´prenatal damage – disruption in early fetal brain dev’t or trauma that occurs at time of birth (ex: loss of oxygen to the brain) ´ other factors ´ poor nutrition ´ exposure to toxins like lead ´ psychological factors that may result in mental illness ´ dysfunctional family life ´ early loss of an important person (ex. loss of parent) ´ educational failure ´ emotional, physical or educational neglect ´ feelings of inadequacy, low self-esteem, anxiety, anger or loneliness ´ high levels of stress ´ poor relations w/ peers & adults ´ substance abuse ´ trauma experienced as a child, such as emotional, physical or sexual abuse (Kaufman, 2018) Causes of EBD: A. Biology ´ genetic factors ´ brain damage or dysfunction ´ nutrition, allergies, other health issues B. Culture ´ cultural factors (behavioral expectations – values, typical or acceptable behavior, languages, patterns of nonverbal communication, awareness of cultural identity ´ conflicting cultural values & standards & the stress they create for children / youth C. Family ´ single-parent families ´ substitute care ´ family interaction – child management, child abuse D. School ´ low IQ ´ school failure – lack of social skills – anti-social behavior Readings: Biology, Culture, Family and School: A Tangled Web – (Kaufman, 2018) ´Please read on your own. ´Let’s discuss in class. Prevalence of EBD ´ meaning of prevalence: total number of individuals with X disorder in a given population ´ meaning of incidence: rate of inception – the number of NEW cases of X disorder in a given population ´ Why is this impt? - Estimates of prevalence & incidence rates are the basis for making budget requests, hiring staff, planning in-service programs; allocation of funds depends on prevalence rate ´ (Twenty-Sixty Annual Report, 2004), 482,597 students between 6 & 21 y/o were identified as having EBC ´ (Kauffman, 2018) – 0.5% to 20% or more of the school population has EBD – why is the % so vague? Bec. it’s difficult to count something without a precise definition ´ there is difficulty in identifying students with EBD – also there are false positives & false negatives ´ false negatives – overlooked or missed ´ false positives – wrongly identified ´ slightly more than 8% of all students have a classification in special educ. ´ more boys affected than girls – 80% are boys ´ EBD is mostly identified at age 12 – 14 y/o à increase to middle teen years ´ could be bec. of the related increasing social difficulties adolescents face – stressful period of life ´ there is also a reluctance to identify EBD – problems of children with EBD are either overlooked or neglected for as long as possible – until they become so painfully obvious & intolerable to adults ´ there are usually delays between the onset of the disorder & initial contact – around 6-8 years for mood disorders and approx 20 years for anxiety disorders ´ conclusion: underservice of students with EBD ´ remember: nearly all children & youth exhibit behavior that is problematic at some time – part of normal development – so you must ascertain that their problems are highly unusual & debilitating & not the result of teacher inadequacy (criteria for identification is impt!!) National Mental Health Association, 1986 – meeting of experts on EBD – findings: ** A majority of seriously emotional disturbed children are never identified as such & consequently do not receive the services they need. Reasons for this are: § there is concern about the stigma of labelling a child as “severely emotionally disturbed” (SED) § no clear definition of SED eligibility exists in the law § lack of uniformity in identification procedures § funding constraints – states may set limits on the # of SED children they will identify § few or no appropriate services may be available in the community à so children will not be identified § lack of clarity among clinicians in the mental health field on definitions & diagnoses § confusion in labeling – “socially maladjusted” & SED § tendency to overlook those children who do not act out § limited outreach efforts by schools & education systems to parents & professionals to identify SED youth ´ Examples of Disorders: ´ 2 primary dimensions: ´externalizing behavior: aggressive or acting out behavior ´internalizing behavior: social withdrawal ´ could be alternation between the two EBD Introduction References: Kauffman, J. & Landrum, T. (2018). Characteristics of emotional and behavioral disorders of children and youth. 11th ed. New York, NY: Pearson. Pierangelo, R. & Giuliani, G. (2008). Classroom management for students with emotional and behavioral disorders: A step-by-step guide for educators. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
