Category: Disabilities

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Emotional Behavioral Disorders Quick Fact Sheet

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Introduction

Emotional Behavioral Disorders, EBD, affects many people. As educators and parents, we need to be aware of the disorders, understand their causes, characteristics, and have a plan for working with children affected by it.

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Definition

Behavioral disorders become apparent when the student displays a repetitive and impact persistent pattern of behavior that results in the significant disruption in other students and to themselves. Such disturbances may cause significant impairments in academic, social, and or occupational functioning. Such a behavior pattern is consistent throughout the individual’s life. The behaviors within EBD vary between individuals and include a large range of symptoms.

Characteristics

Bullying, Physical Aggression, Destruction of Property, Harm to self, Substance Abuse, Phobias, Blame other for Wrong, Doing Physical Abuse to Others, Depression, Withdrawal, Acting Out, Obsessions, Compulsions, Anxiety, Academic Problems

Causes

  • Genetics – Especially depression and schizophrenia
  • Environmental Factors – Frequent exposure to stressers adds to likelihood of Emotional Behavioral Disorders
  • Living Conditions- More likely to develop Emotional Behavioral Disorders in poverty and single parent households
  • Biology – Works together with environment to affect children’s well-being
  • Lack of System Support – Need coordinated, culturally appropriate, & comprehensive supports
  • Child Abuse – An extremely large percent of children abused show signs of Emotional Behavioral Disorders

How to Work with Children

Set Curricular/life Goals- Normally done through the IEP process, may include ways to behave appropriately and how to build friendships
Implement Instruction/Intervention- A different method of instruction may be deemed necessary. Try thinking outside of the box.
Use Referrals- Outside help may be necessary for the child to overcome their disorder and function on a higher level in and out of the classroom.

Work As A Team

The child will need support in order to succeed. This takes effort from teachers, family, and other professionals. It is best when everyone is on the same page.

Identifying Learning Disabilities

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This week I corresponded with three individuals involved in the Special Education Process: a regular education teacher, a special education teacher, and a parent. They discussed with me the process of identifying learning disabilities.

The regular education teacher admitted she did not have as much information to share on this topic. The special education teacher provided the IDEA definition of learning disabilities, “A disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language, spoken or written, that may manifest itself in an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations, including conditions such as perceptual disabilities, brain injury, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia.”

The parent shared her experience of finding that her son was not performing well on school work and seemed frustrated, however, her son was bright and doing well with other development. She discussed this with the teacher, and they decided to proceed with a screening. This part included vision and hearing screenings, as well as some other tests. Eventually this led to a referral to specialist, which diagnosed her son as having a learning disability.

The special education teacher shared there are a variety of assessments that are used in diagnosing children with learning disabilities. These included ecological, portfolio, individualized intelligence tests, and individualized achievement tests. These tests reveal the child’s skill levels in reading, math, and written language. Most tests look at the children’s deviation from the norm, which can qualify the student for services when there is a variance between the child’s IQ level and their achievement levels.

Students go through a complex process to be diagnosed with learning disabilities. This process is full of tests and can only be started with parents and teachers working as a team to benefit the child’s education. Please let me know of your experiences:)

other health impairments

Physical Health Impairments

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other health impairments

Physical health impairments, PHI, are another disability that might affect your family or those you know. To help me to understand the needs of those with PHI and in turn help me to be a better teacher and civilian, I wanted to do some personal research to what is more specifically entailed with those effected by PHI. The thing I found, in trying to better comprehend Physical Health Impairments, is that they effect individuals differently, so it is important to understand the individual’s history, needs, and desires. This means reading background information, consulting prior teachers/doctors/etc, and being ready to adapt new ideas to the classroom and home environments, so that the child can be included and prosper within the classroom as well as all areas of life. My experiences thus far with those with PHI have mostly been out in society and some in early intervention. I have found that I find it easiest to problem solve how to best help the individual by putting myself into their shoes. In early intervention, we primarily worked on exploring their home environments through textile play and promotion of using/building other muscles to promote overall movement, but as they grow older their needs evolve and can become more entailed. It is important to regularly revisit the goals for the individual and make sure that the goals are not only realistic but also true challenges that help broaden the child’s future. Because PHI is such a broad term, it is important to look at the individual and brainstorm their current challenges, future challenges, and the greatest way to minimize both of these. Here are some items to think about:

  • Accessibility- what in their daily life might be hard to access
  • Endless Possibilities- What are the dreams and hopes for this child
  • Friendships- Who are they going to bond with and enrich themselves socially with
  • Self-confidence- We could all use a little more and these kids especially need it
  • Living Life- In the end it is most important that everyone lives their lives to the fullest with no regrets so help push them to reach those high goals and be the best version of themselves

I would love to hear more about your personal experiences, so feel free to leave a comment

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Identifing Proper Services for Those with Mental Retardation

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When any child has health, behavioral, developmental, or learning issues, it becomes an issue for the family and their support group. Many professionals help families through these times. When children are diagnosed with Mental retardation, normally the primary care physician is the first professional families consult, as they commonly are the same professionals that identify and label the child with mental retardation (Drew, 2003).

As the family begins on the process of deciding what actions to take in order to best fit their child, it is important for them to understand the definitions of mental retardation, disciplines for helping those with mental retardation, and a greater understanding of the risk factors associated with mental retardation. It is important to find services for those with mental retardation.

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As a child starts through the process of being identified as a person with mental retardation, they will often encounter assessments. There are two basic types of assessments: norm-referenced assessment and criterion-referenced assessment (Drew, 2003). The norm-reference scale is commonly used for diagnosis through things, like the IQ test. This kind of test is based on a comparison of the individual’s score and their deviation from a standard or normal score (Drew, 2003). A child that is found to have an IQ between fifty-five and seventy-one is considered to have Mild Mental Retardation . This normally means that the child will need minimal supports and can eventually have an independent lifestyle. A child who scores between forty and fifty-four on their IQ is considered to have Moderate Mental Retardation and is trainable but will need supervision for the rest of their lives. A child who scores between twenty-five and thirty-nine on their IQ is considered to have Severe Mental Retardation and will need extensive support but training may be possible. A child who scores below twenty-five on their IQ is considered to have Profound Mental Retardation and will likely not be trainable and need constant support throughout their life. Although these tests do give us an idea of where a child’s intelligence might be, the label does not fully encompass the child’s abilities. Our society is a label filled society, but parents and providers need to look at the bigger picture to see the uniqueness of the child.

Another way to assess the child is through evaluating the child’s abilities and needs without the focus on referencing the standardized norm. Often professionals use criterion-reference assessments for a child once they start therapies and school. These tests are used to determine the child’s present level of abilities by looking at what skills they have accomplished and what skills they should next accomplish. This often helps the professionals decide where to start helping the child with Mental Retardation toward achieving their next steps (Drew, 2003). It is also important to consider the limitations of the child, the strengths that the child has, if the child’s assessment considered cultural and linguistic diversity, what supports the child needs, and how these supports can help the child to succeed. A child can truly benefit from finding a program that is right for them according to their needs and abilities.

References

Drew, C. J., & Hardman, M. L. (2003). Mental retardation: A life cycle approach (8th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.

Working with Those with Emotional Disabilities

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Educational choices coincide with the variety of theoretical models within Emotional Behavioral Disorders. It is important to remember when working with those with emotional disabilities what is best for the individual. These theoretical models are based on a variety of historical perspectives and consider a variety of causes.

One model is the Psychodynamic model is based on the Psychoanalysis model by Sigmund Freud. It is based on the idea of making the unconscious conscious. This model considers the early effects of life that become part of the unconscious later in life, such as a hard childhood, which leads to behavioral disorders. This model requires a student who wants to do the work to overcome their disorder by exploring their past. It also requires more one-on-one psychological help, which makes this model harder to adapt to the classroom. Another main model is the Cognitive Behavior Model. It was developed by Albert Ellis . This model is usually used with medication and therapy. It works on how an individual feels, how they think, and how they act. This model often focuses on the thought process. As teachers, this theory can be used to encourage positive thoughts and lead toward the fulfillment of these positive thought, so that children can become successful in the classroom.

One more model is the humanistic model, which is based on three main concepts. They are “self-actualized—congruence, unconditional positive regard, and empathetic understanding” for a holistic approach. This model often uses the instructor to point the individual toward resources, which can easily be encorporated into the classroom. It is limited to how much the child and parents are willing to access other resources to find help and does not address specific classroom modifications.

A different model is the Behavioral model. As a broad approach, there are many possible components centered around observation. This approach will look at the current happenings and reflect on possible genetic factors which may be contributing. As teachers, this model can be applied through observation of students and taking into account what triggers their reactions and what other external forces may be contributing. It also uses trial-and-error to find what works for the student to become successful.

There are other models to help teachers and counselors while working with children with Emotional Behavioral Disorders, but the Behavioral model, Humanistic model, Cognitive Behavioral model, and the Psycho dynamic model are all key models that can be used in coming up with a classroom strategy for helping a child to become successful within the classroom. As discussed previously, children with Emotion Behavior Disorders may have a wide range of disorders, which may be expressed in a variety of ways. As such, there is a need to have a variety of strategies available to find what works best for the student, so that they can become truly successful.