Characteristics Of Emotional Disturbance Research Articles

A 22-Year Cross-Sectional Cohort Study of the Emotional and Behavioral Characteristics of Students With Emotional Disturbance

The present study was conducted to determine whether the problem characteristics of U.S. students school-identified with emotional disturbance (ED) have changed over two decades. We used data from a teacher rating instrument designed to measure the five problem characteristics of ED, as stated in its Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) definition. These data were collected in the process of norming the instrument for 1998 and again for 2020. Comparison of the 1998 and 2020 students school-identified with ED showed that the 1998 group had significantly more problematic functioning on two characteristics, namely, Relationship Problems and Inappropriate Behavior, but no more problematic differences on Inability to Learn, Unhappiness or Depression, and Physical Symptoms or Fears. In addition, analyses of selected items gave more context to the main results. Study limitations, future research, and implications are discussed.

Factor Structure of the Scales for Assessing Emotional Disturbance – 3 Rating Scale for Students Identified With Emotional Disturbance

This study examined the internal structure of the Scales for Assessing Emotional Disturbance-3 Rating Scale (RS), a teacher-completed RS developed to measure emotional disturbance (ED). As defined in U.S. law and regulations, ED involves five characteristics or patterns of behavioral and emotional maladaptation. RS data obtained on a sample of students with ED were used to examine validity evidence based on the internal structure of the assessment. Of particular interest was the extent to which multivariate factors derived from the RS data conform to the five characteristics of ED stated in the definition. Results indicate that the RS data fit a 5-factor model reasonably well. A subsequent bifactor analysis identified a considerable proportion of common variance across factors, suggesting the presence of a strong general ED factor, two distinct group factors (Inability to Learn and Inappropriate Behavior), and three weak group factors. The findings provided evidence of the validity of the SAED-3 RS based on internal structure and pointed to support for use of the RS in contributing to the process of determining whether a student qualifies for the ED education disability. Implications for improved research on the nature of ED and how students with ED can be better served are discussed.

Using Direct Observation to Assist in Eligibility Decisions and Intervention Planning

assessment, disorders (BD); behavior, interventions; behavior, positive behavior support; identificationA key issue in using the federal definition of emotional disturbance (ED) is the challenge of measuring five char-acteristics of ED (Epstein, Nordness, Cullinan, & Hertzog, 2002). Stated briefly, these five characteristics include (a) an inability to learn, (b) relationship problems, (c) inap-propriate behavior, (d) unhappiness or depression, and (e) physical symptoms or fears (for full statements of the characteristics, see

Emotional disturbance/social maladjustment: Why is the incidence increasing?

AbstractNumerous arguments have addressed the controversies surrounding the category of emotional disturbance (ED) and the exclusion, or proposed inclusion, of students with social maladjustment (SM). In this article we address the consensually agreed upon characteristics of ED that are in common with SM, in addition to examining characteristics that supposedly also differentiate students who are ED from those who are SM. Given that SM has not been clearly defined and therefore it has proven to be an exceedingly difficult task for practitioners to differentiate children who are ED from SM suggests that they should be considered as a single condition termed ED/SM. Characteristics of ED and SM have substantial overlap, but apparently enough difference is noted to argue that they are distinguishable disorders requiring differential diagnoses and treatment, resulting in one that warrants special education services, and one that does not. We argue that whether these children are classified as ED, SM, or ED/SM, they all should qualify for special education services based primarily on the inescapable fact that they need professional assistance if their condition militates against optimal educational attainment. Furthermore, there exists little, if any, differentiation of effective and enduring treatment on the basis of whether a child is classified as either ED or SM. Finally, an alternative nonenvironmental explanation is offered for the apparent increase in incidence of characteristics associated with ED/SM. The alternative explanation is based on the genetic phenomenon heterosis that provides a plausible argument that secular changes in several cognitive, physical, and psychological characteristics may have the same nonenvironmental etiology. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 41: 861–865, 2004.

Characteristics of Emotional Disturbance Among Female Students

This article reports data on characteristics of emotional disturbance (ED) among female students with and without ED. Teachers rated a national sample of 689 girls on the Scale for Assessing Emotional Disturbance, to measure the five characteristics of ED and a variable called social maladjustment. We compared the two categories (with ED, without ED), three school levels (elementary, middle, high), and two races (African American, European American). Girls with ED exhibited more maladaptive functioning on all variables, but category by school level and category by race interactions varied according to different characteristics. Girls with ED showed a high level of comorbid ED characteristics, again with differences by school level and race. The results have implications for understanding girls with ED and educating them appropriately.

Characteristics of Emotional Disturbance in Middle and High School Students

The authors investigated the five eligibility characteristics of the federal education disability emotional disturbance (ED): inability to learn, relationship problems, inappropriate behavior, unhappiness or depression, and physical symptoms or fears. Participants were 1,210 middle or high school level students with or without ED, of three different racial/ethnic statuses and both genders. Category main effects confirmed that adolescents with ED exceed those without ED on the five characteristics; interaction effects revealed nuances. For relationship problems, students with ED exceeded peers without ED at both school levels, but for unhappiness or depression and physical symptoms or fears, only middle school students with ED had higher scores than their peers.Among students with ED, European Americans exhibited greater physical symptoms or fears than did African Americans but not Hispanics. On relationship problems, there were category-by-gender patterns unique to each race-ethnic group. Results address race and ethnicity in ED identification decisions, indicate additional data needed on students with ED, and suggest research directions.

Comorbidity among Students with Emotional Disturbance

Although there has been considerable interest in and research on comorbidity of diagnosed mental disorders among children and adolescents, little is known about comorbidity of the characteristics of emotional disturbance (ED) as defined by the federal definition of that category of educational disability. In this study, we examined comorbidity of the five federal definition characteristics among students already identified as having ED. Each of these characteristics of ED was measured with the Scale for Assessing Emotional Disturbance, a standardized, norm-referenced instrument completed by educators. The effects of setting different criteria for deviance on these characteristics were explored through the use of two different cutoff criteria. Results were obtained for comorbidity overall and for comorbidity by sex, race and ethnic group, grade level in school, and educational placement of the students. The extent of comorbidity of ED characteristics was shown to be related to the criterion for deviance and to each of the student variables. Implications for practice and research are suggested.

Factor structure of problem behavior for mildly handicapped and non-handicapped students.

Mildly handicapped ( n = 521) and non-handicapped students ( n = 561) in Grades 1 to 12 were rated by 52 teachers on a checklist of items corresponding to Bower's list of characteristics of emotional disturbance. An unrotated principal component factor analysis identified 8 factors for both groups of students with eigenvalues greater than 1.00. Coefficients of congruence indicated a similar factor structure for the two groups of students on the first three factors. The mildly handicapped students were reported to have significantly more problem behaviors than the non-handicapped students. Those who work with both groups of students should be trained to cope with behaviors that suggest emotional disturbance.

Relationships of Sociometric Status and Characteristics of Emotional Disturbance

The relationship between characteristics of emotional disturbance and the sociometric status of elementary school students was studied. The subjects were 70 nonhandicapped middle-class students enrolled in the first, third, and fifth grades. The Teacher Checklist of School Behavior (TCSB), an instrument based on Bower's (1969) characteristics of emotional disturbance, was completed by the teachers and a peer nomination sociometric was administered. The Pearson correlation coefficients were low but suggested a significant relationship between sociometric status and the TCSB. The strongest relationship (r = .718) suggested that the students who were rated by their teachers as exhibiting the most frequent aggressive interactions were rated by their peers as those by whom they would least like to sit. It appears that there is a significant relationship between sociometric status and characteristics of emotional disturbance, even in a sample of non-handicapped students.

Emotionally disturbed hearing-impaired children: a review of the literature.

In the light of literature written about emotionally disturbed children, this paper focuses on the causes and characteristics of emotional disturbance among the hearing-impaired school-age population. Included in the discussion is the impact a hearing loss has on both the child and family and the degree to which this impact can be a cause of emotional disturbance. The size and prevalence of the emotionally disturbed hearing-impaired population is discussed as well as characteristic behaviors of these children. Consideration has also been given to the various strategies and techniques that may effectively be used with these children in an educational setting.