1. What is the definition of emotional and behavioral disorders? * Emotionally Disturbed (ED) * Disabilities Education Act’s definition – children who have difficulty making or maintaining interpersonal relationships, have deficits in learning that are not explained by sensory, intellectual or health factors, and have inappropriate behavior or feelings under normal circumstances * Pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression, and/or the tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with school * Includes disorders such as schizophrenia, depression, bi-polar disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), and various anxiety disorders * Emotional and/or behavioral disorder (EBD) * Many children with EBD are isolated from others, NOT because they withdraw from friendly advances, but because they strike out with hostility and aggression * Problems: making/maintaining friends are quite common with children who have EBD * Difficult to deal with, and irritating * Children with EBD have difficulties in regulating their behavior * Their behavior may be erratic, situation-specific, and highly variable * Children with EBD often have difficulties with expressive language, which makes it difficult to talk with teachers and peers or express one’s self in writing * Emotional Disturbance – 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: 1) An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors 2) An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers 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 2. What are the Causes of EBD? * (4) Major Factors: 1) Biological disorders and diseases 2) Pathological family relationships 3) Undesirable experiences in school 4) Negative cultural influences * Prenatal exposure to drugs or alcohol, a brain injury, or a disease can cause EDB * Children may be born with a biological behavioral style or temperament where the EBD may manifest itself regardless of how the child was raised * Parents are often considered the cause of an emotional or behavioral disorder * EBD has NO Preference can occur in children w/best parents and environment * School & Cultural Factors – may contribute to EBD * Negative school experiences may prompt an underlying emotional or behavioral disorder to manifest itself * Children learn about their environment through exposure to the culture * Factors such as the level of violence in the media, deviant peers, the use of terror as a means of coercion, and religious demands/restrictions on behavior have been thought to be the cause of EBD 3. What has been identified by the Council for Exceptional Children as a necessary skill for teachers of students with EBD? 4. How are EBDs identified? * Children with EBD may be in the dull-normal range of IQ and may be considered to be slow learners or have a mild intellectual disability * Children with EBD often score lower on standardized tests and may not achieve at the level expected for their age * Many with EBD lack the basic reading and arithmetic skills that are needed to be successful in an educational environment
5. What are the major Educational Considerations regarding EBD? * Controlling misbehavior and teaching students the academic and social skills they need * Teachers need to learn how to control behavior and when possible, teach the student self-control strategies * Compared to students with most other disabilities, a higher % of students w/EBD are educated outside
