When Universal Approaches and Prevention Services are not Enough: The Importance of Understanding the Stigmatization of Special Education for Students with EBD a Response to Kauffman and Badar

Abstract

We want people to care about young people's EBD and to see EBD as undesirable but to see It as a treatable condition and to support more effective ways of treating It.-Kauffman and Badar, 2014, p. 26This quote from Kauffman and Badar's paper titled How We Might Make Special Education for Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders Less Stigmatizing Is central to their discussion and provides a critical message to the field of special education for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). Implicit In this sentence are two concepts one might think go without saying: (a) youth who experience EBD have a condition that negatively Impacts development and contributes to long-term adjustment problems; and (b) there Is a need for Intensive and comprehensive intervention to help foster adaptation and promote more positive outcomes in youth with EBD. Further, a logical extension of these two concepts Is that programs designed to effectively support the education and treatment of youth with EBD are desirable and provide an Important service that enhances the lives of these students and their families. Yet, as Kauffman and Badar suggest In the title and summarize in the article, identifying youth as having EBD and providing treatment for them is viewed to be stigmatizing by many people, which, In turn, has constrained both the support and use of special education and related services for EBD.I began working with children and young adults with disabilities and EBD in the early 1980s. When I first began, I thought this was difficult and emotionally demanding work, but I also found It to be highly rewarding and personally satisfying. Most notably, I thought this was very important work-the kind of work that makes a meaningful difference in the lives of others and the kind of work that others view as both extremely necessary and Invaluable. Over the years, I've found many aspects of being In the field of special education for youth with EBD to be challenging, but I have remained steadfast In my sense that this is Important work. However, I no longer think many others outside of the field hold this work in high esteem. Further, I have been mystified by events, practices, and policies that, in the name of protecting youth with EBD from stigmatization, have resulted in creating additional obstacles and challenges for children and adolescents I view as being highly misunderstood and vulnerable to extremely poor outcomes. In their article, Kauffman and Badar take the Issue of stigmatization head-on and instead of trying to avoid it or act like It should go away, they help us to see why we need to understand and systematically work to reduce its Impact on special education for youth with EBD.In this commentary, I build from Kauffman and Badar's article to examine the Issue of stigmatization from four perspectives. First, I consider how efforts to avoid stigmatization may be related to current approaches to address emotional and behavioral problems in the general population. Second, I summarize my views of what has been lost In the field of special education by efforts to avoid stigmatizing youth with EBD. From this backdrop, I explore how the suggestions offered by Kauffman and Badar can help realize the promise of special education for students with EBD. I conclude with a discussion of the need to bridge the constructs of research and caring within the concept of community In treating youth with EBD.Avoiding Stigmatization by Addressing EBD as a General Population IssueIn the past few decades, several advances have been made that are related to understanding the development of EBD. Further, there has been considerable progress in terms of the establishment of effective interventions to prevent and reduce the impact of emotional and behavioral problems within the general population by improving behavioral and mental health support services in school settings. These advances are highly welcomed and provide an important foundation for enhancing the treatment of students with EBD. …