Adult Outcomes for Children and Adolescents With EBD

Martha Ellen Wynne,Mary Satchwell,Ashley E Ausikaitis

doi:10.1177/2158244013483133

Martha Ellen Wynne, Mary Satchwell + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244013483133

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Journal: SAGE Open	Publication Date: Jan 1, 2013
Citations: 14	License type: cc-by

Affiliation: Loyola University Chicago

Abstract

Little is known about the adult outcomes for children with an emotional/behavioral disorder (EBD). The present study examines the perspectives of 34 parents regarding the adult outcomes for their children who experienced emotional and behavioral problems in their youth. Participants completed an online survey containing questions about their child’s behavioral characteristics, educational experiences, and adjustment to adulthood as well as questions about the stress they experienced as a parent of a child with EBD. Both quantitative and qualitative measures were used to assess parents’ perceptions of factors affecting their child’s successful or unsuccessful adult outcomes. Remaining in school was related to positive adult outcomes, while exclusionary disciplinary experiences such as suspension and expulsion were related to negative adult outcomes. The relationship of results to the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act’s goals for adult functioning and implications for both parents and practitioners serving students with EBD are discussed.

Highlights

It is the goal of all public education to promote the healthy social development and academic achievement of students so that children will grow into independent, productive, lawabiding, and contributing members of society (Brighouse, 2006; Public Schools of North Carolina State Board of Education, n.d.; Rothstein & Jacobsen, 2006, 2009)
This study examines the relationship between adult outcomes for children with emotional/behavioral disorder (EBD) and Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) transition goals, as well as parental strain, financial impact, and parental attributions of their child’s adult outcome for families who are not beset by a large number of social and economic problems
In an era when the graduation rate for students with EBD is less than 50% (GAO, 2008), the most important finding of this study is staying in school through postsecondary

Summary

Method

Participants included 34 parents of children 18 or older who experienced moderate to severe emotional or behavioral problems in childhood or adolescence. The respondents were overwhelmingly female, with 31 females and 3 males, 85% Caucasian, and had a median age range of 50 to 55 years. The parents’ median educational level fell within the “college graduate” range and 7 of the respondents received graduate or professional degrees. During their children’s school years, the SES of the respondents was more normally distributed than education, with 28% of respondents describing themselves as working class or below, 36% as middle class, and 28% as upper-middle class, with 8% as “very poor/ unemployed.”. By the time the child graduated from high school, 28% described themselves as working class or below, 30% as middle class, and 42% as upper-middle class with no respondent endorsing “very poor/unemployed.” During their children’s school years, the SES of the respondents was more normally distributed than education, with 28% of respondents describing themselves as working class or below, 36% as middle class, and 28% as upper-middle class, with 8% as “very poor/ unemployed.” By the time the child graduated from high school, 28% described themselves as working class or below, 30% as middle class, and 42% as upper-middle class with no respondent endorsing “very poor/unemployed.”

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Results

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Discussion