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Module 5

In the Pacer Center Action article, WHAT IS AN EMOTIONAL DISORDER, the multiple sections identifying inconsistency between professionals stood out for me the most. Examples:
1st page, paragraph 2, sentence 3
"A diagnosis represents "a best guess" based on a child's behaviors that he or she has a specific mental health disorder and not just a problem that all children might have from time to time."
2nd page, paragraph 1, sentence 1
"Different professionals view emotional and behavioral disorders in different ways. Their outlook- and their treatment plan- is usually shaped by their training, their experience, and their philosophy about origins of a child's performance."

This is an eye opener from a clinical perspective supporting the need to obtain more than one opinion and from a neutral resource that is not employed by the Department of Education (DOE). It also exposes that PROFESSIONAL can be non-clinical, such as the general educators.

I have been exposed to these varying "best guess" opinions when attending IEP staff meetings. While the SPED teacher takes the lead in developing, summarizing and writing descriptions the what and where observations still vary based on the educator's relationship with student and knowledge level how to interpret student behavior without a negative or positive bias.

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A quote that stood out to me in “What is an emotional behavior disorder” was “The question about whether a child needs help should not depend on whether he or she has a diagnosis. A problem does not disappear simply because it is not severe enough to meet the criteria for a diagnosis. Parents should insist on a list of specific written recommendations for how to help their child as a result of any evaluation.” This spoke near and dear to my heart because I know it’s been the case for a lot of parents that are turned away when voicing issues they’ve had with their child’s learning or behavior because it wasn’t deemed as severe enough. This can result in ignoring any kinds of problems and later becoming something more severe that the child develops just because it wasn’t properly addressed before. I plan to implement doing better with this in my classroom but hopefully having a survey parents complete in the beginning of the year about their child’s learning and any extra info they want to tell me they can express. This will be done between parents and I so students don’t see the content discussed.

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As a psychology major and someone who has worked in mental health for many years the facts in the article was not surprising to me. According to the article "The Concomitance of Learning" the future and extended outcomes for these children are often bleak(High drop out rates, high failing rates, etc) .At my teaching academy for 7th grade ELA, One of my students is currently suffering through a bout of depression and is demonstrating the "Frustration tolerance", he's currently failing. After a parent teacher conference last week, the parent and the school has finally decided to assist him with his emotional needs through counseling. We also have student with select mutism. He speaks only during periods of breaks between classes, and only during period in which their is an extra curricular activities. The articles were very informative, I would be interested in knowing what techniques are helpful to working with these students.

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The Concomitance of Learning Disabilities and Emotional/Behavioral Disorders: A Conceptual Model is full of useful information about how to diagnose and serve students with LD and EBD. One quote in the article that stood out to me, "In addition, there is evidence that violence and mental illness are growing in our society and are likely to increase the emotional problems and mental health needs of school-age children." This statement is so powerful to me because its a reason why I go to work everyday. What we are doing is important and our services are needed by the young people in our classrooms. I also liked the Diagnostic Indicator Profile and I think it a good way to organize a students development before setting goals, or making an IEP.
At my partner school their is a student who displays both LD and EBD characteristics. He has one of the highest reading comprehensions in his inclusive class, but he is a disruption to the class and distracts students who are still trying to understand the lesson. This article mentioned postschool success and I worry about that for this student. He needs lots of support because he comes from a difficult past with his family, and I know success at school could truly make a difference for him.

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What struck me most about both articles was the difference in language in each texts. In various spaces, we have spoken about restorative and culturally sustaining practices and seeing our students as whole without 'othering' them. I find examples of both texts that seem to pose ways that students with learning disabilities and emotional and behavioral disorders as a negative. In "The concomitance of Learning Disabilities and Emotional/ Behavioral Disorder", the text states " The estimates of increasing prevalence of learning and behavioral problems in school-age youth are alarming" As if students with disorders are so bad that they merit signal of danger. It was an upsetting read. I found the article "What is an Emotional or Behavioral disorder" to be a generalization or perhaps a vague introduction into how these disorders present themselves in students. I also felt that neither dress really addressed how low socioeconomic groups and black boys are diagnosed the most. I understand how the medical perspective of disability is good for being bale to provide the necessary service for students but I feel that there is some humanity lost when children are identified first and mostly by their disability.

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One quote that stood out to me was “Cultural and subjective criteria such as race, socioeconomic status, or the behaviors of the child’s parents at the time of evaluation have an effect on professional opinion....” The quote emphasizes just how subjective an evaluation can be. This is extremely alarming considering that based on the evaluation result a child can be placed on long term medication. For this reason, I believe it is very important for parents to seek support from multiple professionals when looking for help for their kids. I can connect the excerpt to my own classroom because it reminds me that I need to be aware of subjective criteria in my own practice. As Special Educators we will be asked to provide our professional opinion on student behavior and we can’t let our implicit biases affect such opinions. This is much easier said than done and I will need to hold myself accountable.

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This statement touched on an important issue with mental health as a whole: "Since the

treatment program for a child will stem from the professional’s

philosophy, parents should be sure they agree with “where

the professional is coming from,” as well as with the methods

used by the professional to help their child. Otherwise, their

cooperation in the treatment process may be compromised." Many of the students we serve may be going through inappropriate treatment because their doctor's beliefs. Two different types of treatment can result in two totally different versions of the same student.

The topic of inaccessible instruction for students with behavioral disorders was also discussed in the readings. One of the main skills that I want to master is being able to get through to the students referred to in this statement by utilizes my own mix of different methods. The readings helped me gain clarity about the different disorders my students have. I see many of the symptoms mentioned, on a daily basis.

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The passage that resonated with me the most is “The criteria that establishes the presence of a mental health disorder are subjective to interpretation that may vary from psychiatrist to psychiatrist”.  In my opinion, diagnosing children with emotional and behavioral disorders has become problematic. First and foremost, there is no consensus on the definition or behaviors that constitute an emotional and behavioral disorder. A diagnosis for any type of emotional disorder is subjective, one psychiatrist may diagnose a child with ADHD while another may diagnose that same child with bipolar disorder.

I feel parents and teachers are quick to seek evaluations for children who suffer from developmental delays. These delays are medicalized and children are labeled to have emotional and behavioral disorders. Rather than seeking psychiatric diagnosis, parents should first request for services to help in developing their children skills, likewise teachers should adapt ways of teaching student with different learning styles.

I can connect with this excerpt in my self-contained class were all of the students have IEP’s and have been diagnosed with different types of emotional and behavioral disorders. From my observation most of the students in my class do not have behavior issues as they are mostly calm, however, they are able to learn through repetition and one and one interventions. I believe my students need to be presented with information differently from the general education classes, they require videos, pictures and some form of competition to get them going.  Every child is different, they grow and develop at a different rate. I believe this applies to learning as well. Not every behavior deserves a label.

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What strikes me about the two articles is that diagnosing behavior and learning disorders is not a precise science. The brain/personality/behavior of an individual is too complex to be neatly identified in the same way we do with the body. As the article “What is an Emotional or Behavioral Disorder” states, “Children’s behaviors exist on a continuum, and there is no specific line that separates troubling behavior from a serious emotional problem...A child is said to have a specific 'diagnosis' or

'disorder' when his or her behaviors occur frequently and are severe. A diagnosis represents a 'best guess' based on a child’s behaviors that he or she has a specific mental health disorder...”

This relates to my classroom experience where sometimes I’ll be surprised to find out that a student hasn’t been diagnosed with a behavioral disorder, even though there is no discernible difference between their behavior and that of those who have been diagnosed. As “The Concomitance of Learning Disabilities and Emotional/Behavioral Disorders: A Conceptual Model” mentions, “little attention has been paid to the subset of students who manifest symptoms of both disorders (LD/EBD)." And in my limited experience thus far, that has appeared to be the case.

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The  quotes that stood out to me was" children behaviors exist on contiuum and there is no specific line that seperates troubling behavior from serious emotional problems".
Another quote was " A diagnosis represents a "best guest on a childs behaviors that he or she has a specific mental disorder and not just a problem that all children might have from time to time.

In my classroom i have encountered a few students with behavior and emotional disorder. Most of my students have good days in learning. I have found that during lessons as long as i am relatable or can join in on the group discussions, even if its relating to hiphop they are happy and engaging. If they raise their hands during the share out I try not to turn any student away. I give them 30 secs a piece for a share out so we wont go over our time and can get to the mini lesson in a timely order, plus the students wont feel ignored. This system have been working for me so far, its all about having patience.

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A quote that stood out to me from "Disabilities and Emotional Behavioral Disorders" was, "Violence and mental illness are growing in our society and are likely to increase the emotional problems and mental health needs of school age children."

A lot of the children in my class have so many things going on at home and them acting out in a violent way may be their cry for help. Many students become statistics for being violent and having their mental illness be mistaking for them being defiant. Some of the students also try to camouflage themselves so that their peers don't know whats going on at home or to know that they have a disability. I know it is impossible to know all of my students personally and not just as a name on a roster. The goal is to make sure i know them all well enough to know when they need me.

In the article "what is an emotional or behavioral disorder?", there wasn't really a quote that struck me but the list of disorders made me remember what an ignorant mind set I had when I was told that one of my students was a selective mute. I honestly did not know that this was a serious disorder. People say that other people are "selective" with who they associate with so I really thought my Co worker was being funny. So now I feel bad.

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A quote that stood out for me from, "What is an Emotional or Behavioral Disorder?", was "Children’s behaviors exist on a continuum, and there is no
specific line that separates troubling behavior from a serious
Emotional problem.". After several years of working with children with mental health diagnosis and trauma survivors, I believe that we diagnosis children too often. Unfortunately, some children endure some things that adults cannot even fathom. Yet, still, they persevere and try to continue to be children and grow. When these children need professional help, how often do we diagnosis children who are still growing? Perhaps, the child is hyperactive or disobedient because they are troubled. A diagnosis triggers so many things for the child and the people they encounter. What I really took from this quote was that even a diagnosis does not really determine your mental health, We, especially as teachers, should be mindful and tentative to a child's needs; what makes them happy and what makes them learn well. As a parent monitors their child's development, so should we monitor our students. In the classroom, I think we should go beyond IEP's and what the books say. We have to really get to know our students and their behaviors and treat them accordingly with real care and concern for them and their futures.

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Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (Reading Response)

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Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (Reading Response)

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A line that stood out to me in "What is an Emotional or Behavioral Disorder " was in regards to those who diagnose and treat behavioral disorders: "Their outlook—and their treatment
plan—is usually shaped by their training, their experience,
and their philosophy about the origins of a child’s problems." The criteria by which we evaluate children and treat them is not an exact science by any measure. We have to understand as educators that two children with similar diagnoses may not need the same things from us in the classroom. How we ourselves view these disorders also informs our actions when we encounter them. Our students will almost always have different professional with different philosophies guiding how they define any given behavioral disorder. We as educators need to have a good understanding of these orders generally but we need to respond to student needs individually. There is absolutely no cookie cutter approach for this in our classrooms. Understanding the disorders is fine and expected but to teach a particular student we will have to engage with them and try our best to understand them.

In my own classroom, without having had access to student IEP information, I have had to learn about these kind of students first hand. In a way I think that this is better first experience. As I interact with behaviorally difficult students, I've come to understand their triggers, why they feel they need to behave certain ways, and what are possible solutions I can offer in particular moments. I am glad I learned this way first rather than looking at a chart with all the known disorders and making some vague attempt to pin one of these on my students.

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A quote that stood out to me was “For instance, it cannot be stated with certainty that something “goes wrong” in the brain, causing a child to act in a particular way”. This quote is from the article “What is an Emotional Behavior Disorder”. I chose this quote because it’s a very important and powerful one. This statement tells educators in the Education profession that a child who is constantly misbehaving, isn’t acting that way because something is “going wrong” in his brain. This is a belief that some teachers have. Even in modern school systems, teachers have these students who are constantly misbehaving. And instead of trying to find the root of it, they label it as a disorder for several reasons that benefits the teacher not the student.

I can connect to this by building a meaningful and positive relationship with the students that are consistently misbehaving in my coach’s classroom. Having a simple discussion with them & getting to know them, will allow me to understand the student. And see what approach works best for the student.

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"The question about whether a child needs help should not depend on whether he or she has a diagnosis." This quote from "What is an Emotional or Behavioral Disorder" resonated with me because it address the fact that if a child exhibits the characteristics of learning disability he/she should wait to receive help until a formal diagnosis has been made. A child learning and behavioral needs should be addressed regardless of a diagnosis. As an educator, it is important to detect these learning regardless if a child has received a formal diagnosis.

"Providing and retaining teachers who are well trained and qualified to teach and manage these students is probably the most critical problem facing service delivery to students with LB/EDB." This quote was stated in "The Concomitance of Learning Disabilities and Emotional/Behavioral Disorders: A Conceptual Model", an article in which the authors aim to shed light students diagnosed with both  learning disabilities and emotional/behavioral disorders who exhibit symptoms for both disorders and not solely one. It is important that teachers are aware of the interrelationship that exists between symptoms learning disabilities and emotional/behavioral disorders.

Both quotes allude to the importance of teachers being experts in recognizing and addressing the needs of students with disorders especially those that may be unique and rarely explored.

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A big takeaway for me from What is an Emotional or Behavioral Disorder was the quote

“Generally, determining whether a child has a biologically based mental illness, a behavioral problem or an emotional disorder is not as important to a family as determining what interventions are the most useful to help support their child.”   For me this quote clarifies the fact that (although it is in some cases a totally understandable coupling) when emotional and behavioral difference manifests in school children becomes an extra-educational ordeal, thus falling under the umbrella of medicine, it can distract with diagnosis, prognosis, etc, and not offer the most immediate support to kids and families.

Based on the second text The Concomitance of Learning Disabilities and Emotional/Behavioral Disorders: A Conceptual Model I want to challenge myself to be as patient as possible and as intentional as possible with students that I know are struggling the most.  At my training academy this can be a challenge because while working in ICT classrooms I have found the real time needs of gen ed students to be most apparent.

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Article Response (Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, Learning Disabilities)

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Article Response (Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, Learning Disabilities)

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A quote that stood out to me was the exact same one that Anelys cited from What is An Emotional or Behavioral Disorder? Trained and educated professionals just offering a "best guess" appear to be overmatched by the conditions they're confronting. It simply highlights the complex process of attempting to accurately (if that's possible) assessing these conditions. I would like to connect this to another quote. The same article states "Their outlook- and their treatment plan - is usually shaped by their training, their experience, and their philosophy about the origins of a child's problem."For me this demonstrates that diagnosis can be far from universal among different assessments and dependent on a number of external factors. Based on the reading the same child can be diagnosed differently in different settings with different assessors. It makes me wonder about the fallibility of the process.

I have a student in a large glass (28 students). He told me that he was diagnosed with ADHD. Knowing very little about the topic (aside from what I've read through NYCTC and other coursework) I wasn't surprised. He's very energetic. He won't sharpen his pencil or use the bathroom without doing a dance somewhere along the way. He's very smart and consistently participates. While he sometimes demonstrates a lack of focus during more quiet activities (independent reading/writing), I often wondered if he was just a normal 12 year old with a lot of misplaced energy. Reading this, I wonder if his family or education officials sought multiple opinions from different people. I assume it’s not an easy process to coordinate.

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A quote that stood out to me from "What is an Emotional or Behavioral Disorder" was "A diagnosis represents a “best guess” based on a child’s
behaviors that he or she has a specific mental health disorder
and not just a problem that all children might have from time to
time". I find it very interesting how a child's disability is defined as a guess in this article and not 100% accurate.

I can connect this excerpt to my own classroom in the present and future by not viewing the student based on their disabilities but better yet as who they are as an individual. Many times a student isn't acting up because of their disability but yet because of their disengagement in the class lesson. Getting to know our students in order to see what they enjoy and what they don't enjoy will be a great start.

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After reading this week's articles, answer the following questions:

1. What was a quote or passage that stood out to you? Why?
2. How can you connect this excerpt to your own classroom (past or present)?

**Respond to at least two of your colleagues!**