Toward Improved Accuracy: A Response to Kauffman and Badar

Abstract

The number of children estimated to suffer mental health disorders, and therefore, creating the need for special education services for children with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD), is between 5% and 25% of children under the age of 18 (Brauner & Stephens, 2006). Admittedly, not all children with EBD have been identified and served, but many children have been identified as eligible for special education services as part of IDEIA regulation. Children identified with EBD are eligible for a variety of special education services. These services may be applied to interventions (or treatments, in mental health terminology) delivered in a regular classroom (e.g., supplementary aids and services, positive behavior intervention plans), while other services may require selfcontained or pullout programming for all or part of the school day. Regardless of the method, the goal of special education is to improve the academic, behavioral, and emotional outcomes for children identified with EBD.Although the goal of special education is improved child outcomes, we agree with the conclusion of Kauffman and Badar (2013) that parents and children may be influenced by social stigma associated with the classification, which may cause families to neglect or even decline special education services. In an attempt to increase special education participation by lessening the stigma associated with EBD identification, Kauffman and Badar offer four suggestions aimed at changing the public perception of special education services including: (a) discussing with stakeholders (e.g., parents, children) differences in behavior resulting from treatment in clear, understandable terms; (b) recognizing the reality of such differences due to treatment and its impact on students' learning; (c) emphasizing to stakeholders the benefits of special education; and (d) working to implement specialized instructional interventions (or treatments) as intended and planned.We support these recommendations as eminently practical and because they are based on sound judgment and experience. These suggestions may help to reduce some stigma in individual cases. Our concern is that they address some of the indicators of stigma but not the underlying causes. They are, therefore, not likely to address the issue of stigma and its impact on children, families, and the discipline of special education more broadly. Thus, stigma is likely to remain because the causes have not been adequately addressed. And, like a disease, the symptoms, or stigma is likely to worsen; rendering the four recommendations of Kauffman and Badar increasingly less effective with time.The stigma problem associated with EBD is daunting. Accordingly, we suggest that the boldness required to address it should be commensurate with the ubiquity of concerns about special education reflected in the popular and professional media. Returning to the disease metaphor, invasive and uncomfortable treatments are now required to salvage the patient, which in this case is the special education enterprise for EBD.At the time of this writing (January 8, 2014) for example, a cover letter was released by the United States Secretary of Education Arnie Duncan, for a report calling on schools to reconsider and refrain from the widespread application of harsh disciplinary practices in schools (U.S. Department of Education, 2014). It included the following quote:Although students who receive special education services represent 12 percent of students in the country, they make up 19 percent of students suspended in school, 20 percent of students receiving out-of-school suspension once, 25 percent of students receiving multiple out-of-school suspensions, 19 percent of students expelled, 23 percent of students referred to law enforcement, and 23 percent of students receiving a school-related arrest, (p. i)The scientific literature on EBD-including works published by well-regarded special education researchers in this journal-is also replete with nonsupportive conclusions about special education participation. …