Emotional Or Behavioral Disorders Research Articles

School-Based Relationships Among Children with or at Risk for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

We investigated the influence of a teacher’s perceived emotional state (e.g., feeling emotionally exhausted; feeling accomplished) on the association between parent-teacher relationships and teacher-child conflict among young children. We used pretest data from a pilot study examining the efficacy of a socio-emotional learning intervention for children with or at risk for emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD). Twenty-six teachers and 45 children (Mean age= 7.46 years; SD = 1.21) participated in the intervention. Teachers rated their relationships with children and their parents using the Parent-Teacher Relationship Scale and Student-Teacher Relationship Scale. Multilevel models showed that teachers with a higher sense of personal accomplishment evidenced a negative association between parent-teacher relationships and teacher-child conflict. However, for teachers who felt emotionally exhausted or those who had a lower sense of personal achievement, the association between parent-teacher relationships and teacher-child conflict either remained unchanged or was positive. We conclude by discussing findings in relation to the importance of increasing teacher efficacy, reducing teacher burnout, and strengthening parent-teacher relationships in schools to improve teacher-child relationships and children’s psychosocial outcomes.

A Positive Version of the Good Behavior Game in a Self-Contained Classroom for EBD: Effects on Individual Student Behavior

A within-participant withdrawal design was used to examine the effects of a positive version of the Good Behavior Game (GBG) for three students in an elementary special education classroom for students with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD). Results indicated immediate improvements in disruptive behavior and academic engagement for all three students when the GBG was implemented which was generally replicated in the second intervention phase for academic engagement. Tau- U effect sizes ranged from .76 to .95 indicating large and very large effects for both behaviors for two students and academic engagement for the third student, but Tau- U for the third student’s disruptive behavior was .32 (considered not effective). Two students exhibited slight decreasing trends in academic engagement behavior and increasing trends in disruptive behavior near the end of intervention phases. A preliminary within-session analysis also suggested students’ behavior was generally better in intervention phases both during and not during the GBG when compared with their baseline levels of behavior. Social validity information suggested generally positive teacher and student perceptions about the GBG initially, with less positive student perceptions 10 weeks following the conclusion of the study. The teacher reported implementing the GBG 5 times over the 10 weeks following the conclusion of the study.

Behavioral Self-Regulation: A Comparison of Goals and Self-Monitoring for High School Students With Disabilities

High school students, particularly those with disabilities, often struggle with academic engagement in general education classes. One empirically supported method for improving academic engagement includes self-regulation interventions. However, individual effects of frequently used self-regulation strategies’ goal setting and self-monitoring remain unknown. To address this issue, we implemented a multiple-probe single-case design with embedded alternating treatments to evaluate the differential impact of behavioral goal reminders and self-monitoring. The sample consisted of three high school students with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD) in general education classes who also received special education services. Innovative approaches to intervention design included student-determined behavioral goals and self-monitoring procedures informed by triangulated behavioral assessment data. Although visual analysis indicated only moderate improvements in academic engagement, and no functional relationships were determined for either the multiple-probe or alternating treatments designs, the intervention was rated with high social validity from teachers and students, and the study represents an exemplar of high-quality special education single-case research. Practical implications, limitations, and directions for future research are discussed.

Effects of Precision Requests as a Standalone Intervention on Noncompliance of Students with Emotional Disturbance

For teachers who work with students with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD), noncompliance can be a serious problem by impacting their own and others’ access to the curriculum. The precision request (PR) has been recommended as effective in addressing noncompliance, but it has limited support as a sole intervention in a classroom exclusively for students with emotional disturbance. This study used an ABAB (withdrawal) single-case design to demonstrate effects of teachers’ PRs on noncompliance of eight third and fourth grade students with EBD in a self-contained class. PR was shown to increase student compliance (log response ratio effect size = 0.17) with no adverse effects on latency to compliance. Both teacher and students rated the social validity as positive. This finding was corroborated by the teacher’s continued use of PRs after study completion. Implications of the findings for practice and suggestions for future research are included.

Special Educators’ Working Conditions in Self-Contained Settings for Students With Emotional or Behavioral Disorders: A Descriptive Analysis

Special education teachers (SETs) who teach students with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD) in self-contained settings are often less qualified, more stressed and burned out, and more likely to leave teaching than other SETs, resulting in a less effective workforce teaching students with significant behavioral and academic needs. Working conditions are a lever by which outcomes can be improved for SETs in these settings, yet the extant research on SETs’ working conditions in self-contained settings is scarce; no researchers have comprehensively examined these SETs’ working conditions using a national sample. To fill this crucial gap in the literature, we surveyed a national sample ( n = 171) of SETs serving students with EBD in self-contained classes. We describe findings in terms of the working conditions that SETs experienced—social (e.g., administrator support, paraprofessionals, professional development) and logistical (e.g., instructional grouping, instructional resources, planning time)—providing implications for research, policy, and practice.

Predicting Special Educators’ Intent to Continue Teaching Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders in Self-Contained Settings

Schools experience difficulty retaining special educators to serve students with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD) in self-contained settings, as they have higher rates of burnout and attrition than other educators. Administrators could prevent these outcomes by improving working conditions, but research provides limited insights into which conditions are most important for these special educators. Using structural equation modeling to analyze data from a national survey, we found that special educators’ perceptions of adequacy of planning time, workload manageability, stress, and emotional exhaustion mediated relationships between other working conditions and intent to stay. Specifically, special educators who reported that they (a) spent more time planning outside school (b) supervised more paraprofessionals, (c) had limited access to curricular resources, and (d) served more heterogeneous instructional groups were more likely to report having insufficient planning time, unmanageable workloads, stress, emotional exhaustion, and intent to leave. Results imply that administrators should target planning time, curricular resources, and instructional grouping.

Effects of response options on the mathematics performance of secondary students with emotional or behavioral disorders

ABSTRACTThis study examined the effects of three response options (traditional responding, response cards, and response systems) on the mathematics performance, participation, and time on-task of secondary students with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD). A three-way crossover design was utilized to evaluate the efficacy of response options in secondary mathematics classrooms. Thirty-three students with EBD attending an urban high school and their teachers served as participants. Results indicated that the use of response cards (white boards) or response systems (ActivResponders) significantly increased students’ mathematics performance, participation, and time on-task when compared to traditional responding. Further, the use of response cards resulted in significant increases in performance and response accuracy over the increases found when using response systems. Social validity data indicated that students and teachers felt they benefited from the use of response cards and systems. Limitations, discussions, and implications for practice and future research are presented.

Preliminary Psychometric Findings on the Arabic Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders

This study was a first step toward adaptation of the Arabic version of the Systematic Screening for Behavior Disorders, Second Edition (SSBD-2) for public schools in the State of Kuwait. The study aimed to assess the face validity of the Arabic SSBD-2, investigate differences among the scores of students nominated by teachers as at risk for emotional or behavioral disorders (EBDs) on the Arabic SSBD-2 scales, test the internal consistency of the Arabic SSBD-2 items, and assess the social validity of the Arabic SSBD-2 through surveying teacher satisfaction. Seventy-seven teachers and 346 students from the first through ninth grades across 21 public elementary and middle schools participated. The findings showed significant differences between male and female students at risk for EBDs on the critical events index, whereas no differences were detected between the males and females on the combined frequency index of adaptive and maladaptive behaviors. The internal consistency coefficients for the combined frequency index of adaptive and maladaptive behaviors was strong (α = .84 and α = .88, respectively). In addition, 72.6% of teachers advised use of the Arabic SSBD-2 in Kuwaiti public schools. This study’s findings encourage further psychometric evaluations of the Arabic SSBD-2.

Schema-Based Strategy Instruction and the Mathematical Problem-Solving Performance of Two Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders

The purpose of this study was to analyze the effects of schema instruction on the mathematical problem solving of students with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD). The participants were two fourth-grade students identified with EBD. The intervention package consisted of schema instruction, strategy instruction on problem-solving heuristics (i.e., understand the problem, make a plan, carry out the plan, check), and the use of reinforcement for task completion. The study used a single case experimental design (SCED) to establish a functional relation between the intervention package and problem-solving performance. A functional relation was established and results demonstrated an improvement in problem solving on addition/subtraction and multiplication/division word problems. The Tau-U effect size was used to corroborate visual analysis results. The Tau-U for participants 1 and 2 was 100% and 96%, respectively. The students and special education teacher reported that schema instruction was a socially valid intervention.

The Use of Structural Behavioral Assessment to Develop Interventions for Secondary Students Exhibiting Challenging Behaviors

Structural behavioral assessment (SBA) involves a series of heuristic approaches similar to those used with functional behavioral assessment (FBA). It involves assessing contextual variables that precede the occurrence of a behavior. These variables have also been termed antecedents, setting events, or establishing operations. Once these variables have been assessed, contextually based manipulations are developed and implemented, and interventions are developed from the results to reduce or prevent challenging behaviors from occurring. A major advantage of structural assessment is that teachers may find interventions based on the results easy to implement and relevant to the classroom. However, most of the research on SBA has been conducted with younger children with autism spectrum disorders, intellectual disabilities, and those with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD). Therefore, the purpose of the present study is to extend the research by training a general education teacher to use SBA to develop interventions for secondary students displaying challenging behaviors who are at risk in general education classrooms. An alternating treatments design was used with four at-risk middle school students. Results indicated that a brief SBA can easily be conducted in general education classrooms, and interventions developed from manipulations can not only decrease (a) verbal outbursts (e.g., talking out of turn, arguing, laughing at inappropriate times); (b) inappropriate contact with others (e.g., touching, pushing, hitting, kicking, braiding hair); (c) taking other’s belongings; (d) being out of the student’s assigned seat without permission; and (e) passing notes but also increase writing and eyes on materials or eyes on the teacher during a language arts class. Implications for practice and future research are described.

A Review of Self-Regulated Strategy Development for Writing for Students with EBD

In this systematic review, we evaluated the evidence base of self-regulated strategy development (SRSD; Harris & Graham, 1992) for writing with students with and at risk for emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD). First, we evaluated the quality of studies identified (n = 13) by applying the quality indicators for single case (Horner et al., 2005) and for group (Gersten et al., 2005) design research. Second, we assessed whether SRSD for writing met the standards as an evidence-based practice for students with or at risk for EBD. All articles met 80% or more of the quality indicators (weighted coding range: 6.17–7.00 for single case design; 3.5–4.0 for group design). Results suggested SRSD for writing met standards as an evidence-based practice for this population. The need for future research and implications for practitioners are posed. Limitations and directions for future inquiry are addressed.

Using the Good Behavior Game in an Inclusive Classroom

Students with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD) are being included to a greater degree in the general education classroom. Due to the least restrictive environment mandate in the Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004, more students with EBD are being taught in inclusive settings. As a result, general education teachers need a variety of behavior management techniques in their toolbox to effectively instruct all of their students. This adaptation of the Good Behavior Game is an interdependent group-contingency technique that helps manage classroom behavior and integrate students with EBD into the general education class. It can be used as a way for special and general educators to collaborate successfully in general education inclusive classrooms.

How We Might Make Special Education for Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders Less Stigmatizing

The authors note that identification as having emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD) is generally acknowledged to be stigmatizing. The stigma associated with identification as needing special education for EBD (or any other disability) could be reduced by talking in readily understood language about differences, accepting the reality of differences and what they mean for students' education, emphasizing the benefits of special education and the special skills needed to provide it, and working to make special education for students with EBD the special instruction and behavior management it should be. Research questions are proposed for each of the four suggestions.

Who is Writing? Author Affiliation across Peer-Reviewed Journals of Emotional or Behavioral Disorders, 2000–2011

The importance of practitioner participation in identifying and maintaining use of best educational practice is well established; however, little is known about the ways in which practitioners contribute to the development and dissemination of those practices within the field of emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD). This review examines patterns of authorship affiliation across journals with a primary audience of direct service providers working with students with EBD published from January 2000 through December 2010. Authors associated with institutions of higher education represented 79.8% (n = 2590) of affiliations, with practitioners comprising only 5.1% (n = 164) of all listed affiliations. Practitioners were most likely to be authors or coauthors on informative articles or reports. The implications of these findings for policy and practice are discussed.

Bullying and Students with Disabilities: Legal and Practice Considerations

Bullying in schools has received both media and scholarly attention for the past 20 years. A large body of research has identified variables associated with bullies, victims, and bully-victims in terms of predictive and preventative factors. However, less attention has been given to the role federal legislation and litigation has played in schools being held more accountable for bullying that may involve discriminatory practices based on disability. Students who have some obvious physical or cognitive disability are at greater risk for being bullied. When they retaliate, they are often considered bully-victims when, in reality, they are only trying to protect themselves in a manner consistent with their oftentimes limited skills. Students with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD) are at particular risk for displaying bully-victim characteristics. The first purpose of this article is to describe legislative mandates and relevant litigation on bullying and harassment so that schools are better positioned to react appropriately and swiftly when bullying involving students with disabilities occurs. The second purpose is to describe evidence-based practices schools can implement for preventing bullying and responding to it appropriately.

Special Education Implications of Point and Cumulative Prevalence for Children With Emotional or Behavioral Disorders

Prevalence of children with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD) is a critical component in the discussion of underidentification of children served in special education. This discussion has previously focused almost exclusively on point prevalence or the number of children with EBD presumably needing services at any single point in time. Cumulative prevalence, on the other hand, is the number of children who have had EBD at some point in their lives before high school graduation. In the authors’ review of both types of prevalence, they found that estimates of the latter far exceed those of the former, significantly highlighting the service gap that exists between prevalence estimates and special education identification. Even when point prevalence is limited just to children with moderate or severe disorder, special education identification in the emotional disturbance category appears restricted to less than the bottom tenth of all children in need. Implications for special education are discussed, including issues around underidentification, misidentification, underservice, and related issues concerning children with EBD.

Reading Instruction in Secondary Day Treatment and Residential Schools for Youth With Emotional or Behavioral Disorders

This study was designed to obtain the first national picture of the characteristics of special educators who provide reading or English instruction in secondary day treatment and residential schools for youth with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD) as well as their approach to reading instruction.Also, information was collected concerning the characteristics of the students in their classes.A national random sample of 123 (35%) reading or English teachers responded to a mail and online survey. No statistically significant differences existed between respondent and nonrespondent schools. Results indicated that teachers commonly hold master’s degrees and have an average of 9 years of teaching experience.Teachers reported using research-based instructional approaches but rarely integrate technology or peer tutoring into instruction. In many cases, teachers reported that students could not read well enough to gain basic information from text.Additional results and implications are discussed.

Effects of Cognitive-Behavioral Intervention on the School Performance of Students with Emotional or Behavioral Disorders and Anxiety

Despite widespread treatment success in clinical settings, anxiety disorders are rarely targeted for intervention in students with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD) who exhibit them. This study examined the effects of a school-based anxiety intervention on the performance of 3 students attending school in a self-contained EBD setting. Using a single-subject, multiple-baseline design across students, this study examined changes in anxiety, maladaptive behavior, and academic engagement as functions of participation in the cognitive-behavioral anxiety intervention, FRIENDS for Life. All 3 participants showed improvement across all measures. Implications for the implementation of a school-based intervention for EBD students who experience high degrees of anxiety, as well as study limitations and directions for future research, are discussed.

Increasing the On-Task Homework Behavior of Youth With Behavior Disorders Using Functional Behavioral Assessment

Research has shown a positive correlation between time spent on homework and learning. However, students often engage in off-task behaviors to escape the demands of homework. Youth with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD) are especially likely to engage in off-task behaviors. Effective interventions to increase on-task behavior during homework are needed to increase students' academic success. Functional behavioral assessment (FBA) procedures may be helpful for intervention planning; however, there has been limited research on use of FBA with youth with EBD experiencing poor academic performance or task completion problems. In the current study, FBA methods were used to identify the contingencies maintaining the off-task behavior of four youth with behavior problems. Effects of interventions based on functional hypotheses were compared to the effects of interventions not linked to such hypotheses. Discussion focuses on utility of FBA procedures for developing and implementing effective interventions for youth with EBD.

Examining the Influence of Teacher Behavior and Classroom Context on the Behavioral and Academic Outcomes for Students With Emotional or Behavioral Disorders

Many students with emotional or behavioral disorders (EBD) display both learning and behavioral problems that make it difficult for teachers to provide effective instruction. In turn, a lack of exposure to effective instruction contributes to poor academic and behavioral outcomes. In this article, the authors argue that the interaction between the learning and behavior problems of students with EBD is complex and likely characterized by multiple influences, including classroom contextual factors. The authors detail (a) ways that teacher instructional behaviors and classroom contexts may contribute to the relationship between learning and behavior problems of students with EBD and (b) assessment procedures helpful for measuring classroom contextual variables. Implications for future research are discussed, including using data gleaned from applied research to inform future randomized clinical trials examining classroom-based interventions for students with EBD.