Youth identified with emotional disturbance who exhibit aggression: Perspectives on origins and options for intervention

Abstract

The most common behaviors eliciting a student referral for special education evaluation related to emotional disturbance (ED) are adult- and peer-targeted aggression. Curiously, the word aggression, which is an externalizing behavior, does not appear anywhere in the federal description of ED. Despite the lack of clarity surrounding definitions, as well as issues of identification for special education services, aggression in schools is a public health concern and the concept deserves researchers’ and teachers’ attention. The purpose of this article is to (a) briefly review the context of aggression in schools, (b) discuss historical conceptualizations of aggression in society, and (c) provide readers with recommendations for dealing with aggression manifested by students with ED in school.