How Gender Affects Students with Behavioral Disabilities

Abstract

When should “deviant” behavior not actually be considered deviant? When it's the result of messages sent by the environment and social institutions. For some, it's a legitimate reaction to frustration with society's messages and the environment that contributes to it. This is especially true of students with emotional and behavioral disabilities (EBDs). “All behavior happens in context,” said Dr. John Palladino, a key consideration when dealing with students with these disabilities. All schools have seen a rise of students with emotional and behavioral disabilities. Advances in pharmaceuticals and cognitive behavioral therapy have enabled affected students to enroll in college in increasing numbers, bringing new and unforeseen challenges to the classroom and the campus. Like all students, those with EBDs interpret their environments and their gendered messages. But EBD students can experience those environments and settings in ways that may contribute to their problematic behavior. The environment also offers clues as to how to intervene when a problem arises. Palladino, an associate professor of special education at Eastern Michigan University, teaches and researches in special education services and teaches in the women and gender studies program. He spoke about how gender and environmental messages influence students with EBDs at the University of Nebraska's conference on Women in Educational Leadership held in Lincoln in October. The National Association of School Psychologists defines an emotional or behavioral disorder as: a condition in which behavioral or emotional responses of an individual in school are so different from his/her generally accepted, age appropriate, ethnic or cultural norms that they adversely affect performance in such areas of self care, social relationships, personal adjustment, academic progress, classroom behavior or work adjustment. EBD diagnoses can include schizophrenia, anxiety disorders, affective disorders or sustained disturbances of behavior, emotions, attention or adjustment. Eating disorders, so prevalent in women, also fall the category. Environmental factors are one of the causes of EBDs. They represent the people and systems that affect the student and her relationship between the instructional, social and community environments. These factors directly influence or contribute to gendered responses. Palladino thinks there's another way. He wants to open a conversation about the role that gender and sexuality plays in students with EBDs. “We have to acknowledge the fact that there's a difference between sex and gender,” he said. Behaviors can be considered feminine and masculine. But those terms don't always correspond to the “appropriate” gender. When a female exhibits masculine behavior by being overly aggressive, or a male demonstrates excessive feminine behavior, the resulting backlash can trigger an outburst of bad behavior. Drawing on the work of hip-hop artist Eminem whose songs slur gays, Palladino pointed out that the songs aren't at all about gays or sexuality. “It's his commentary on masculinity; on men who aren't masculine enough,” said Palladino. “The lowest, most degrading thing to say to a man is to call him a faggot.” Too many women athletes are dismissed as lesbians simply because of their prowess at their sport. Being straight and a talented athlete aren't supposed to coexist. Because the processing of messages doesn't happen in a vacuum, students absorb those societal messages and use them to interpret who they are, what the “street codes” mean and the way a student should present herself in school if she wants to be a part of a certain group. Palladino thinks that the part of the code messaging that has to do with sexuality—and how the landscape sends messages about feminine and masculine behaviors—contributes to negative reactions from students with EBDs. A survey of Wisconsin high school students of both genders asked the question, “How would you feel if today you would wake up the opposite sex?” The results were enlightening. Women responded about the opportunities that would await them. “They thought in terms of opportunity,” he said. They could see themselves as professional basketball players, for example. Men's response? They said they would kill themselves. Palladino replicates this survey on his campus every semester. He sends out two pairs of students to 20 sites to ask the same question. His results are the same. Women perceive the opportunity that comes with being male, while men think the idea is a fate worse than death. Applying this understanding to emotional and behavioral disabilities opens the door to questions about just what characterizes deviant behavior. “Sex and gender cause kids to negotiate what good and bad behavior is,” he said. Those negotiations are heavily influenced—both positively and negatively—by social institutions such as work, family, school, religion, media and peer groups. These institutions also influence students’ perceptions of gender divisions. Students with EBDs internalize their environment, which affects how they act out their behavior. We must reclaim the conversations about gender and sexuality to allow all students to feel accepted and nurtured. Contact: john.palladino@emich.edu or 734.487.7120, ext. 2677.