Emotional and Behavioral Disorders PDF

Emotional and Behavioral Disorders TOPIC OUTLINES: Definition Suspected Etiologies Prevention Characteristics of Students Classroom Strategies Defining Emotional and Behavioral Disorders 1. The US Federal definition of emotional disturbance: “a condition exhibiting...

Emotional and Behavioral Disorders TOPIC OUTLINES: Definition Suspected Etiologies Prevention Characteristics of Students Classroom Strategies Defining Emotional and Behavioral Disorders 1. The US Federal definition of emotional disturbance: “a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child's educational performance” i. Inability to learn not explained by other factors ii. Inability to have interpersonal peer relationships iii. Inappropriate behavior or feelings under normal circumstances iv. Pervasive mood of depression or unhappiness v. Tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears 2. Since the passage of PL 94-142 in 1975, only two changes have been made to this definition: i. Autism became a separate disability category in 1990 ii. Prior to 1997, the term used was serious emotional disturbance. The Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders (CCBD) definition i. Behavioral or emotional responses in school programs so different from appropriate age, cultural or ethnic norms that the responses adversely affect educational performance ii. More than a temporary expected response to stressful events in the environment iii. Consistently exhibited in two different settings at least one of which is school iv. Unresponsive to direct intervention applied in general education or general education interventions would be ineffective 4. There are four common characteristics to most definitions of emotional and behavioral disorders: i. Frequency or the degree of distress experienced by the child ii. Intensity or the severity of emotional and behavioral problems (episodes or rage, self-injuring behavior, suicidal thoughts iii. Duration or how long the behaviors last iv. Age-appropriateness Variability in cultural and social expectations for behavior. 6. Classification systems i. DSM-V. The most widely used psychiatric, or clinically derived, classification system in the United States is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th ed., or DSM-5), which was revised by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) in 2013. Statistically derived classification systems are developed using sophisticated statistical techniques to analyze the patterns or “dimensions” of behaviors that characterize children and youth with emotional or behavioral disorders. ii. Externalizing behaviors. Externalizing disorders, sometimes referred to as “undercontrolled” disorders, are characterized by aggressiveness, tempter tantrums, acting out, and noncompliant behaviors, loud yelling, cursing, disruptive talking, hitting, fighting other children, stealing, telling a lie, etc. Externalizing disorders are disturbing to others and generally result in considerable disruption in the classroom. iii. Internalizing behaviors. Children and youth with internalizing disorders are far less likely to be identified by their teachers and families as having an emotional or behavioral disorder because they do not create the “chaos” that often characterizes children and youth with externalizing disorders. These internalizing disorders, however, are equally serious; if left untreated, they can lead to a variety of negative longterm outcomes, including suicide. Ex. Social withdrawal, anxiety, depression, fearfulness, irritability etc.  Types of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders Children can be diagnosed with the following types of emotional and behavioral disorders: Anxiety disorders Bipolar disorder Psychotic disorders Obsessive-compulsive disorder Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder* Oppositional-defiant disorder Conduct disorder Suspected Etiologies of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders Biological risk factors i. Genetic influence: disorders that likely to have a genetic influence such as autism, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, obsessive compulsive disorder, Tourette’s syndrome, depression ii. Biological factors: infection, lead poisoning, toxin exposure may also influence the development of emotional and behavioral disorders. Psychosocial (environmental) risk factors i. Conduct disorders typically have both biological and environmental components, with substantial psychosocial risk factors involved in their development. Environmental factors such as parental discord, a parent’s mental illness or criminal behavior, overcrowding in the home, and large family size may result in conditions conducive to the development of conduct disorders—especially if the child or youth does not have a loving, nurturing relationship with at least one parent. Other risk factors include early maternal rejection and neglect and abuse. Prevention of Emotional or Behavioral Disorders Research on resiliency Resiliency the capacity to withstand or to bounce back or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness. Research on resiliency i. Resilient children do not develop emotional or behavioral disorders even under the most adverse circumstances. They display four characteristics: they are socially competent, have excellent problem-solving skills, are autonomous, and develop clear goals and have high aspirations. Research on positive behavioral support i. Positive behavioral supports are strategies that proactively reinforcement positive behaviors rather than focusing on punishing negative behaviors.  Characteristics of Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders  Characteristics of Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders 1. Learning characteristics Range of intellectual abilities, chronic school failure, absenteeism, grade retention, school dropout. 2. Social characteristics Difficulty building and maintaining relationships, aggressive behavior, experience rejection, externalizing and internalizing behaviors.  Characteristics of Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders 3. Language/communication characteristics Deficits in the areas of pragmatics, receptive, and expressive language and limited or inappropriate language use.Individuals with emotional or behavioral disorders typically use fewer words per sentence, have difficulty staying on a topic, and use language that is inappropriate to social conversation. It is believed that these language impairments contribute significantly to the challenging and disruptive behaviors common in some students with emotional or behavioral disorders. Classroom Strategies 1. Assessing Students with i. Assessment Strategies. Emotional or Behavioral Disorders Inte r v i e w s w i th stud e nt, p ar e nts, and te ache r s Examination of student records Pa r e n t , t e a c h e r, a n d s t u d e n t r a t i n g s c a l e s Observations in multiple natural settings M e d i c a l e v a l u a t i o n s 1. Assessing Students with ii. Recent Trends in Emotional or Assessment Behavioral Person-centered Planning. In person- Disorders centered planning (Austin & Wittig, 2013) the IEP team, including the parents, the student, and other Stakeholders, begins the IEP process by creating a “vision”for the student’s future. 1. Assessing ii. Recent Trends in Students with Assessment Emotional or Behavioral Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA). Functional behavioral assessment acknowledges that pupils engage in inappropriate Disorders behavior for multiple reasons. Likewise, several factors often inf luence or trigger a student’s misbehavior. These precursors or ant e ce d e nt s to p ro b le mat ic b e havio rs may includ e (1 ) physiological factors such as illness, medication side effects, or fatigue; (2) classroom environmental factorssuch as seating arrangements, noise levels, or disruptions; and (3)curriculum and instructional factors such as assignments that are toodif ficult or unclear directions. 1. Assessing Students with ii. Recent Trends in Emotional or Assessment Behavioral Strength-Based Assessments. Strength-based Disorders assessment is a reaction against the def ic it- oriented model common in traditional assessment approaches (Smith et al., 2016). It is based on theassumption that all children and youth have strengths and that def icits are not static but, rather, viewed as opportunities to learn. 2. Physical I. Time management Environment involves proactive interventions such as maximizing Interventions student engagement time, scheduling appropriately, and teaching time management skills. II. Transition management. Transition times are those periods during the day when students are moving from one activity to another, such as changing classes, moving from one assignment to another, or beginning or ending the school day. According to Polloway, Patton, Serna, and Bailey (2013), teachers can minimize disruptive behavior during transition times by (1) giving students specif ic directions about how to move from one activity to another; (2) establishing, teaching, and having students rehearse transition routines; and (3) rewarding students for making orderly and smooth transitions. 2. Physical Environment III. Proximity and Movement Management Interventions In clu des makin g su re th at h igh -traf fic areas are free from congestion, developing clear procedures for the use of classroom space and equipment, and ensuring suf fic ient separation of students to minimize inappropriate behavior. Teachers can facilitate appropriate stu dent beh av ior v ia proximity and movement management by: placing the desks of disruptive students near the teacher’s desk or main work area; interacting briefly and frequently with all students; moving around the classroom in unpredictable ways; and providing praise, reprimands, and consequences when in close physical proximity to pupils (Salend, 2016). 2. Physical IV. Classroom arrangement Environment Interventions includes the physical layout of the classroom as well as classroom décor. Physical layout includes student seating and grouping arrangements; location of materials, equipment, and personal items; removal of tempting or dangerous items; and location of the teacher’s desk. The following suggestions have been made regarding seating and grouping arrangements: 2. Physical iv. Classroom arrangement Environment Interventions Students should be seated in locations that provide teachers with easy visual and physical access at all times (Salend, 2016). Savage (1999) recommends using rows for direct instruction, circular patterns for discussions, and clustered arrangements for g r o u p w o r k. Place disruptive students in the “action zone” in the classroom. The action zone consists of seats across the front of the classroom and down the c enter. Researc h rev iewed by S av ag e ( 1 9 9 9 ) suggests that students seated in the action zone attend more to tasks, participate more, have higher levels of achievement, and demonstrate more positive attitudes. Disruptive students should be seated near the teacher to allow for proximity control and frequent monitoring. 2. Physical v. Classroom ambience Environment Interventions A good classroom atmosphere is more than the properties of lighting, heating and ventilation. A good atmosphere is attained when the teacher has a stimulating personal ity; when there is good teacher-pupil relationship. A classroom is a place that should allow students to feel secure, opportunistic, comfortable, and organized as it is a venue for learning. It is also aplace where students are provided a shared facility that provides chairs, tables, and black/whiteboards. The classroom’s importance is if it reflects the quality of learning to engage learners. 3. Academic and Instructional Interventions i. Academic curriculum. Because this population varies widely in achievement and ability levels, educators must adapt or modify the curriculum accordingly. PL 108–446 mandates that, to the maximum extent appropriate, students with disabilities have access to the general education curriculum. For students with emotional or behavioral disorders, this may necessitate appropriate supports and curriculum modifications. By incorporating students’ interests into the curriculum, educators can enhance both the behavior and the academic engagement of these students. Thus, teachers should endeavor to design a curriculum that is both relevant and motivating for students with emotional and behavioral disorders.  ii. Instructional Delivery Content enhancements. Mnemonic Self-monitoring strategies, Strategies. An instructional aid designed to assist pupils such as assignment checklists and self- in understanding major concepts, ideas, and monitoring checklists, can be used to assist vocabulary in a way that A cognitive students with emotional or behavioral aids the acquisition, organization, and recall of material. They include graphic organizers, approach used to disorders. These strategies help students content diagrams, semantic maps, advance assist pupils in by providing the cues necessary to organizers, guided notes, and study guides. complete a task successfully. You may remembering Content enhancements help students want to incorporate these strategies for all understand major concepts, ideas, and material; the use of vocabulary in a manner that is conducive to your students, not just those with emotional rhymes, pictures, or behavioral disorders. A behavioral self- knowledge acquisition, organization, and retrieval. These enhancements make explicit acronyms, and control strategy; pupils compare their the content to be learned, link concepts similar aids to help performance to a criterion, record their together, and help students’ link new content efforts, and obtain reinforcement if in recall. to previously learned content. appropriate.  4. Behavioral and Cognitive-Behavioral Interventions i. Social Skills Training Many students with emotional or behavioral disorders have difficulty interacting successfully with their peers, teachers, and other adults they daily encounter.“The purpose of social skills training is to teach students a complex response set that allows them to adapt to the numerous problems that occur in social situations” (Vaughn & Bos, 2015, p. 89). Social skills training often uses direct instruction to teach students appropriate social behaviors. It assumes that behavioral problems in the classroom reflect social skill deficits and that social skills are learned behaviors; consequently, they can be taught. Examples of these skills include correctly interpreting body language, receiving negative feedback, understanding the feelings of others, and maintaining a conversation (Vaughn & Bos, 2015).  4. Behavioral and Cognitive-Behavioral Interventions ii. Interpersonal Problem Solving and Conflict Resolution Closely related to social skills training is the teaching of interpersonal problem solving and conflict resolution. Interpersonal problem solving focuses on teaching students the “thinking” skills necessary to avoid and resolve interpersonal conflicts, resist peer pressure, and cope with their emotions and stress. Students are taught to identify their problems, consider and select from a range of alternative solutions, and evaluate the results of their selection. One example of interpersonal problem solving is the FAST strategy (Vaughn & Bos, 2015): F = Freeze and think! What is the problem? A = Alternatives? What are my possible solutions? S = Solution evaluation. Choose the best solution. Is it safe? Is it fair? T = Try it! Slowly and carefully. Does it work?  4. Behavioral and Cognitive-Behavioral Interventions iii. Crisis Prevention and Management Programs/Plans. A program in which techniques are taught to teachers on how to effectively and proactively deal with students’ violent, aggressive, and/or self-injurious behaviors; a proactive preventative approach. Crisis management programs typically are preventive and proactive in orientation; educators are taught verbal mediation strategies to defuse acting-out behavior before it reaches the point of a physical crisis. If these verbal mediation strategies are unsuccessful, educators are instructed to use physical restraint and employ safety techniques to protect the welfare of both the acting-out individual and those around him or her.