Students with Behavioral or Emotional Problems

Abstract

The education of students with behavioral or emotional problems is an area of considerable controversy. The definition, characteristics, identification procedures, and teaching approaches for this category of exceptional student are all sources of disagreement. In fact, there is even controversy over the term that should be used to describe these students. Emotional disturbance, emotional handicap, and behavior disorders are but a few terms that are used in educational settings. When one considers other settings (e.g., psychiatric) and the severity of certain types of problems (e.g., autism), the number of terms even increases. For the most part, two terms, behavior disordered and seriously emotionally disturbed, or adaptations of those terms, are most often used in the area of special education. There has been a movement in the field to emphasize the term behavior disordered, al-though the definition used in PL 94-142 still uses the term seriously emotionally disturbed. Swartz, Mosley, and Koenig-Jerz (1987) noted in a survey of each state’s use of terminology that 33 used some variant of emotionally disturbed, 15 used a variant of behavior disordered, 4 used a combination, and 1 used no label at all. Interestingly, only 6 states used the term seriously emotionally disturbed that is indicated in PL 94–142. In this chapter, terms related to both emotional and behavioral problems will be used.