Emotional/Behavioral Disorders

In Elementary School Students

By: Nicole Simpson

 Definition of EBD
(IDEA 2004 - Federal definition)
1: Inability to learn
not explained by intellectual,
sensory, or health factors
2: Inability to build or maintain
satisfactory relationships
with peers and teachers
*This term includes children with schizophrenia
*It does not include children who are socially maladjusted
3: Inappropriate types of
behavior or feelings
under normal circumstances
4: A general pervasive mood of
unhappiness or depression
5: A tendency to develop
physical symptoms or fears
associated with personal
or school problems
 Definition of EBD
However….
● This definition is vague and subjective
● There is no clear defining line like other disorders
● Constant disagreement among professionals
● This is often interpreted narrowly, leading to fewer children being served
● Children are often blamed for their condition

Important to note...
EBD diagnoses look at the intensity and duration of behaviors, not the type
Subgroups

● Conduct disorders
● Emotional disturbances
(eating disorders/depression/excessive stress)
● Socialized aggression
● Attention deficits, hyperactivity
● Anxiety, withdrawal
● Psychotic behaviors
● Personality disorders
 Prevalence

5-15% Only .6-1%

of children have a But... of children with EBD
serious emotional disturbance receive special services in
or behavior disorder schools

*This population is dramatically underserved*

Demographics
Minority populations are 1.6
Boys are 10 times more
times more likely to be referred
than white students
likely to be referred than girls

Other potential determining demographics:

● Household income
● Single-parent households
● Level of education in household
 Etiology
Social stereotypes: “Bad seed/Evil child” versus “Doing it for attention”

Blend of genetics and environment

● Genetic influence: seen in hyperactivity, inattention, poor peer relationships

● Environmental risk factors: Child abuse/neglect, poor parental monitoring, poor
social status, parental divorce, peer rejection, coercive family systems,
below-grade achievement in school, learned helplessness, attention problems,
learning difficulties… serious emotional disturbance
If only genetic, there is no hope for learning and growing

Environment poses both risks and solutions

 Characteristics
Of Elementary Students with EBD
 Characteristics
Of Elementary Students with EBD

● Vary widely : young students with EBD may suffer from completely
different symptoms or disorders

● Experience some degree of difficulty adjusting to at least one

aspect of the school environment

● Exhibit high rates of situationally inappropriate behavior

as compared to students without EBD
Characteristics
Of Externalizing Behaviors

● Frequently leaving seat

● Yelling/talking out/cursing
● Disturbing peers
● Hitting or fighting
● Verbal abuse
● Ignoring the teacher
● Excessive arguing
● Frequent lying
● Not complying with directions
 Characteristics
Of Internalizing Behaviors

● Professional diagnosis of serious emotional disturbance

● Delayed social development
● Hyperactivity, impulsivity, short attention span
● Withdrawal, failure to initiate interactions with others
● Attachment to certain objects
● Excessive fear or anxiety
● Temper tantrums, poor coping skills
● Negative speech or self-talk
● Inappropriate/frequent crying
● General pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression
 Education
Implications
In Elementary School
Education Implications: Behavior

Defining characteristic of children with EBD

Inappropriate or unexpected behaviors in

the classroom:

Pervasive, disruptive, time-consuming

EBD diagnoses look at the

intensity and duration of
behaviors, not the type
Education Implications: Social

● Inability to build and maintain relationships

○ Externalizing: aggression, lack of self-regulation or conflict resolution skills
○ Internalizing: withdrawal, inability to initiate conversation, social anxiety

● Association with language concerns

● Poor integration into society

○ 20% are arrested at least once before they leave the school system
○ Over 50% arrested within a few years of leaving school
Education Implications: Learning

● Behaviors in early elementary school persist and become more intense over
years - critical importance of early intervention
● Those at risk in kindergarten continue to be at risk through high school
○ Truancy
○ Delinquency
○ Underachievement, below grade level

Systems of zero-tolerance work against these students

● ~50% of students with EBD drop out of school; highest rate of all disabilities
● Most children with EBD spend half or more of their day in the regular education
classroom - need an intense program
Education Implications: Medical

● Medicine is often incorporated into treatment

● Time of the day, who gives it, time it takes to work or wear off
● Determining the best prescription or dosage takes time

● EBD can also affect student health:

○ Increased stress and anxiety
○ Under-eating/excessive eating
○ Physical symptoms
○ Intensify with age
Individualizing
Learning
Accommodations

● Promote a least restrictive environment

● Peer buddies/mentors
● Clear, simple, consistent classroom rules and expectations
● Proximity to teacher - monitor student desk
● Set up desks and seating to lessen contact, disruptions
● Create quiet workspace locations or break areas in the room
● Appropriate flexible seating options
Modifications
● Allow mini-breaks
● Create shorter goals or modified timelines to accomplish tasks
● Incorporate technology when possible or appropriate
○ Computers provide an objective, neutral response to challenging behavior
○ Less opportunity for manipulation
○ Practicing social interactions
● Computer-assisted learning can support academic
performance
○ Spelling, word definitions, text-to-speech options for reading,
organizational support
○ Limit stress and anxiety for students with EBD
Instructional Strategies

● UDL approach - multiple means of teaching, assessing, and engaging

● Limit independent seat work, encourage collaborative work
● Implement instruction that promotes high rates of engagement
○ hands-on activities

● Incorporate systems where students monitor their own work completion

● Ignore inappropriate behaviors, praise appropriate behaviors
● Be consistent will all rules and expectations
● Incorporate physical activity
Behavioral Strategies
● Focus on positive behaviors
and reinforcements (PBIS)
● Teach, model, and reinforce:
○ Social skills
○ Problem solving skills
○ Collaboration and cooperation
○ Self-management
● Creating ownership
○ Behavior contracts
○ Identifying own triggers/behaviors
○ Mindfulness, guided relaxation
● Applied Behavior Analysis Therapy
● Wraparound services
● Behavior Intervention Plans
Behavior Intervention Plans
Are required for students who:
● Impede others’ learning from their behaviors
● Put their peers at risk
● Have disabilities where serious disciplinary
action has been taken
● Are dismissed for more than 10 days for
misbehavior
Steps in the process:
● Collect background info
● Conduct a functional behavior
assessment (FBA)
● Determine if the behavior is
related to the disability
● Determine specific goals
● Develop intervention strategies
● Implement plan and evaluate
effectiveness
● Assess the plan
Important to Remember...
● Collaborate - You are NOT alone!
○ Special ed personnel, psychologists, counselors, mental health providers..

● Relationships are key - each child is unique

● Continue learning
● The student is not their disability
● Is the behavior because of a disability or because of behavior?
○ Ability to engage in alternate behavior
○ Ability to think the situation through
○ Accurate perception of a situation
○ Ability to monitor own behavior
○ Determines future steps and disciplinary actions
 Resources
American Psychiatric Association. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th ed.). Washington, DC.

Kirk, S., Gallagher, J., & Coleman, M. R. (2014). Educating Exceptional Children, 14th Edition. Belmont, CA: Cengage
Learning. ISBN-13: 978- 1285451343

Sawka, K. D., Mccurdy, B. L., & Mannella, M. C. (2002). Strengthening emotional support services: An empirically based
model for training teachers of students with behavior disorders. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders,
10(4), 223-232. doi:10.1177/10634266020100040401

Shatkin, J. P. (2015). Child & adolescent mental health: A practical, all-in-one guide. New York, NY: W. W. Norton &
Company.

Stoutjesdijk, R., Scholte, E. M., & Swaab, H. (2016). Impact of family functioning on classroom problem behavior of children
with emotional and behavioral disorders in special education. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 24(4),
199-210. doi:10.1177/1063426615587262