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Emotional disturbance means 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.

(A) An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors.

(B) An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers.

(C) Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances.

(D) A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.

(E) A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems.

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Hyperactivity (short attention span, impulsiveness);

Aggression or self-injurious behavior (acting out, fighting);

Withdrawal (not interacting socially with others, excessive fear or anxiety);

Immaturity (inappropriate crying, temper tantrums, poor coping skills); and

Learning difficulties (academically performing below grade level).

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Identification Procedures and Service Delivery

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Identification Procedures and Service Delivery

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Fear of failure is particularly relevant when dealing with students with emotional and behavioral problems, as they often have gaps in their skill levels, or “splinter skills,” that make schoolwork even more difficult. One strategy helpful in building opportunities for success is targeting the necessary skills the student may need to improve upon. Quinn et al. (2000) indicate the key is to predict, modify, or avoid situations in which the student may encounter problems. This procedure, referred to as “pre-correction,” will help the student meet challenges and cope with problems. Predicting where students may have difficulty permits educators to build in instructional supports. Teachers have demonstrated success in increasing academic engagement time utilizing the following strategies:

1. Breaking long presentations into shorter segments;

2. Using interesting visual and auditory presentations to entice students to attend to tasks;

3. Extending the amount of time students are given to complete particular task;

4. Breaking down assignments into smaller ones;

5. Reducing the number of practice items that a student must complete once the student

6. has demonstrated mastery;

7. Helping them learn from mistakes; and following low-interest activities with high-interest activities (Quinn et al., 2000).

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1. Keep class rules/activities simple and clear

Your EBD students (as well as some of your more focused students) will most likely struggle if you impose a long list of complicated rules and demands. Try to keep your classroom guidelines broad and simple—no more than 3 to 5 main rules. Let students know about them on the first day of class, and post them in the classroom as well. An example list might be:

Be on time

Try your best

Be polite

Respect one another

Along with simple and clear rules, there should be simple and clear teaching activities. Using activities that don’t have complicated directions allow students with EBD to follow along and interact with the rest of the class. Some activity examples are:

Responsive cards

Clickers

Choral responding (Unison responding)

Guided notes

By including clear activities in your classroom, your students will engage and interact with the lesson plan, ensuring that they learn alongside other students.

2. Reward positive behaviors

While you will, at times, have to discipline children for improper behavior, remember that rewarding positive behavior is ultimately far more effective in the long run. Many students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorder tend to take any discipline as a personal attack, and because of this, they often learn very little from it.

Try to celebrate the successes of these students more than you reprimand or punish their mistakes. When they receive positive feedback and rewards, they start to see that there is a positive benefit to good behavior. They will then start to see you as more of an ally than an adversary, and this will in turn motivate them to want to behave and do well in your classroom.

3. Allow for mini-breaks

A lot of EBD kids lack the emotional balance and maturity needed to remain focused and on-task for long periods. Instead of reprimanding these students for their lapses, build in short rest periods or mini-breaks into the school day.

Take time to periodically stop teaching and allow students to catch up if need be. Give them time to finish their assignment, and allow those who have finished to stretch, get out of their seats, and move around a bit. This will allow them to burn off any excess energy that might have built up from sitting still for a long period of time. (And it’s good time for you to stretch, too!)

4. Fair treatment for all

Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders also often don’t respond very well to situations that appear unfair to them. This can trigger a cascade of negative emotions and acting-out behavior.

To ensure that you are treating all of your students in a consistently fair manner, don’t bend your established rules for any student. Enforce the expected consequences every time, with every student. Allowing exceptions opens you up to accusations of being unfair.

5. Use motivational strategies

Unfortunately, Emotional and Behavioral Disorder students tend to have had a lot of negative experiences in school. Therefore they often lack the desire or motivation to try to succeed.

To avoid disruptive or off-task behaviors, take some extra steps to motivate these students. Offer them incentives for academic successes, large and small. Celebrate their hard work, and praise their good efforts consistently. This can go a long way in giving these students the motivation to excel in your class.

While having EBD kids in your classroom can at first seem daunting, these are proven ways to help cultivate and keep a harmonious spirit of learning. More good news: many of these strategies for success can help your non-EBD students as well.

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An overview of working with students with emotional and behavioral disturbances (EBD students) by Frank Avella. The overview basically outlines the day to day encounters. Avella explores the federal definition of working as set forth through IDEA, the individuals with disabilities education act. Then he breaks down behaviors into externalizing and internalizing behaviors. The video also covers some common disorders associated with emotionally and behaviorally disturbed students. Avella also discusses some of the assessments associated with these children. And lastly, he outlines six different teaching strategies that educators can use in the classroom.

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Emotional & Behaviorally Disturbed Students (EBD)

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Links to Teacher forums, information, strategies

Educational strategies for children with emotional and behavioral problems - http://cecp.air.org/aft_nea.pdf

Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support - http://www.pbis.org/

Council for Exceptional Children - "Collaborating With Parents to Implement Behavioral Interventions for Children With Challenging Behaviors" - This article provides practitioners with a sequential process and guidelines for working collaboratively with parents to plan and implement behavioral interventions. (Available to members only.)

National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities: Teaching students with emotional disturbances: 8 tips for teachers- http://nichcy.org/teaching-students-with-e-d

10 Ways to Support Students Who Are Emotionally Disturbed - http://www.education.com/slideshow/ways-help-students-emotional-disturbance/welcoming-classroom/

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IDEA requires that special education and related services be made available free of charge to every eligible child with a disability, including preschoolers (ages 3-21). These services are specially designed to address the child’s individual needs associated with the disability—in this case, emotional disturbance, as defined by IDEA (and further specified by states). In the 2016 school year, more than 349,000 children and youth with emotional disturbance received these services to address their individual needs related to emotional disturbance.

Determining a child’s eligibility for special education and related services begins with a full and individual evaluation of the child. Under IDEA, this evaluation is provided free of charge in public schools.

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1. Behavior disorders: Definitions, characteristics & related information. (n.d.). Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders. https://debh.exceptionalchildren.org/behavior-disorders-definitions-characteristics-related-information

2. Emotional and behavioral disorders in the classroom. (n.d.). Education Corner© Online Education, Colleges & K12 Education Guide. https://www.educationcorner.com/behavioral-disorders-in-the-classroom.html

3. Emotional disturbance. (n.d.). Home. https://dphhs.mt.gov/schoolhealth/chronichealth/developmentaldisabilities/emotionaldisturbance

4. For parents. (n.d.). Emotional Disturbance. https://elementaryemotionaldisturbance.weebly.com/for-parents.html

5. For teachers. (n.d.). Emotional Disturbance. https://elementaryemotionaldisturbance.weebly.com/for-teachers.html

6. (n.d.) Riverside County SELPA. https://www.rcselpa.org/uploads/files/files/Assessment,%20Identification%20&%20Educational%20Planning%20for%20Students%20wED.pdf

7. Tips for handling emotional behavior disorder in classrooms | Resilient educator. (2018, May 30). ResilientEducator.com. https://resilienteducator.com/classroom-resources/5-tips-for-handling-ebd-kids-emotional-behavior-disorder-in-an-inclusive-classroom/