Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

• Emotional and Behavioral Disorders


  • Characterized primarily by behavior that falls significantly beyond the norms of their cultural and age group on two dimensions: externalizing (aggression, acting out) and internalizing (anxiety, social withdrawal)
  • Have adverse effects on a child's academic achievement and social relationships
• Characteristics of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders


  • Disruptive behavioral problems (temper tantrums, ADHD, oppositional, defiant or conduct disorders)
  • Antisocial, or externalizing, behaviors (get out of seats, yell, talk out, curse, disturb peers, hit, fight, ignore teacher, complain, argue, steal, lie, destroy property, do not comply, have temper tantrums)
  • Internalizing behaviors (seldom play with others, lack social skills, retreat into daydreams and fantasies)
  • Academic achievement 1-2 years below grade level
  • Many score in slow learner or mild intellectual disabilities range on IQ tests
• Challenging Behaviors

  • Any abnormal pattern of behavior which is above the expected norm for age and level of development
  • Can include self-injury, physical/verbal aggression, non-compliance, disruption of environment, inappropriate vocalizations, stereotypes
  • Environmental factors that increase risk: limited choices, social interaction, meaningful occupation; limited sensory input/excessive noise; unresponsive/unpredictable carers; predisposition to neglect/abuse; unidentified physical health needs/pain
• Aggression


  • Linked to individual temperaments, disturbed family dynamics, poor parenting, exposure to violence, attachment disorders
  • Often diagnosed with other mental health problems (ADHD, CD, ODD, depression, head injury, mental retardation, autism, bipolar, PTSD, dyslexia)
• Disruptive Behavior Problems (DBP)


  • Include ADHD, ODD, CD
  • Conduct Disorder - severe behaviour problems, repetitive and persistent aggression, defiance, destruction, threats, cruelty, deceit, disobedience, often callous-unemotional
  • Majority of boys onset before 10, girls 14-16
• Oppositional Defiant Disorder


  • Children are openly hostile, negativistic, defiant, uncooperative, irritable, lose temper easily, mean and spiteful
• Manifestations of serious aggressive or non-aggressive behaviours


  • Being defiant
  • Belligerent
  • Destructive
  • Threatening
  • Physically cruel
  • Deceitful
  • Disobedient
  • Dishonest
  • Excessive fighting or bullying
  • Fire-setting
  • Stealing
  • Repeated lying
  • Intentional injury
  • Forced sexual activity
  • Frequent school truancy
• Often have trouble understanding how other people think, sometimes described as being callous-unemotional
• Majority of boys have an onset of CD before the age of 10 years, while girls tend to present mainly between 14 and 16 years of age
• Disruptive Behavior Problems (DBP)

  Include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder (CD)
• Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)


  Children diagnosed with this are typically openly hostile, negativistic, defiant, uncooperative, and irritable. They lose their tempers easily and are mean and spiteful towards others. They are mostly defiant towards authority figures, but they may also be hostile to their siblings or peers
• It is considered to be the mildest and commonest of the DBPs, with prevalence estimates of 6%-9% for pre-schoolers and boys outnumbering girls by at least two to one
• Emotional problems in later childhood


  • Panic disorder
  • Generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)
  • Separation anxiety
  • Social phobia
  • Specific phobias
  • OCD
  • Depression
• Anxiety


  Mild to moderate anxiety is a normal emotional response to many stressful life situations
• Depression

  It often occurs in children under stress, experiencing loss, or having attentional, learning, conduct or anxiety disorders and other chronic physical ailments. It also tends to run in families
• Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD)


  A childhood disorder characterized by a pervasively irritable or angry mood recently added to DSM-5. The symptoms include frequent episodes of severe temper tantrums or aggression (more than three episodes a week) in combination with persistently negative mood between episodes, lasting for more than 12 mo in multiple settings, beginning after 6 years of age but before the child is 10 years old
• Social (pragmatic) communication disorder (SCD)


  A new diagnosis included under Communication Disorders in the Neurodevelopmental Disorders section of the DSM-5. It is characterized by persistent difficulties with using verbal and nonverbal communication for social purposes, which can interfere with interpersonal relationships, academic achievement and occupational performance, in the absence of restricted and repetitive interests and behaviors
• Etiological factors for disordered behaviors


  • Subconscious phenomena and/or early traumatic experiences (Freud and others)
  • Inappropriate learning and complex interactions among factors such as native temperament, family environment, poverty, health care, and so on
  • Aberrant behaviors caused by certain biochemical substances, brain abnormalities or injuries, chromosomal irregularities, and other inherited genetic factors
• Assessment of emotional or behavioral disorders, as with all disabilities, should answer four basic questions concerning special education services: 1) Who might need help? 2) Who really does need help (who is eligible)? 3) What kind of help is needed? 4) Is the help benefiting the student?
• Screening

  The process of differentiating between children who are not likely to be disabled and those who either show signs of behavioral disturbance or seem to be at risk for developing behavior problems. It is the first step in the assessment process. It is designed to identify children and youth who may or may not present EBD. Once these children and youth are identified, teachers and other support personnel may provide targeted pre-referral interventions
• Most screening devices consist of behavior rating scales or checklists that are completed by teachers, parents, peers, and/or children themselves. Teachers' ratings of child behavior tend to be consistent over time, and teachers' ratings of young children's behavior are good predictors of behavior at an older age
• Pre-referral interventions


  Designed to address students identified behavioral and academic problems and to reduce the likelihood of further, more restrictive placements
• Emotional and behavioral disorders have many causes. Likewise, the behaviors of children and youth being assessed for EBD serve many functions. In other words, behaviors are purposeful
• Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA)


  A process that identifies a specific or target behavior that interferes with a student's education. The assessment attempts to designate the particular behavior, identify the factors that support the behavior, and determine the purpose of the behavior. The process leads to an intervention plan and steps that one can test to improve the student's situation
• Behavior Reduction Plan


  A plan that is based on the results of a functional behavioral assessment (FBA) and, at a minimum, includes a description of the problem behavior, global and specific hypotheses as to why the problem behavior occurs and intervention strategies that include positive behavioral supports and services to address the behavior
• Manding


  A request for something a child wants or needs. It can be a single word, a statement, or a question