Social, Emotional And Behavioural Difficulties Research Articles

Network structure of adolescent social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties and their differential relationships with suicidality.

Social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties (SEBDs) tend to develop during adolescence. Their presence and especially co-occurrence induce numerous disrupting consequences, including suicidality. A recently developed network analysis is suitable to investigate the symptom-level structure of comorbid psychopathology. Rather than pairwise comorbidity networks, the current study investigated a comprehensive network of SEBDs at the symptom level and explored the differential relationships between symptoms of SEBDs and suicidality. Recruited from four public schools in China, a sample of adolescents (N = 6974, mean age = 15.84, 50.1% boys) were assessed with the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and one suicidality-related item. The cross-sectional network structure of the SEBD symptoms was investigated. The differential associations between individual symptoms of SEBDs and suicidality were also explored with a relative importance analysis. The results showed that constantly fidgeting, worry a lot, unhappy, down-hearted, tearful, and easily scared emerged as the most central symptoms in the network of SEBDs. Worry a lot, constantly fidgeting, lose my temper, and being bullied served as bridge symptoms, connecting various domains of SEBDs. In addition, the centrality of symptoms was positively associated with the variance shared with suicidality, with worry a lot and unhappy, down-hearted, and tearful explaining a large portion of the variance of suicidality. Taken together, the results were indicative of close connections among emotional, hyperactivity-inattention, peer, and conduct aspects of adolescent mental health difficulties, as well as the central role of emotional difficulties in the SEBDs network.

Seeing myself through the eyes of my peers: Explaining the self-concept of students with and without special educational needs through acceptance and friendship.

Paving the way towards inclusive education, it is essential to aim for positive social outcomes for all students, including cultivating a positive self-concept and fostering acceptance and friendships with peers. Although self-concept, acceptance and friendships are interrelated, research focussing on the relationship between these constructs remains limited. This study examined the self-concept, acceptance and friendships of two groups of typically developing students in secondary education (n = 401) and two groups of students in special secondary education with either an intellectual disability (ID) (n = 58) or social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) (n = 68). Lower self-concept scores were found for students with ID on some dimensions, whereas typically developing students reported lower acceptance and friendship scores. Multilevel analyses indicated that acceptance is a predictor for several different dimensions of self-concept in the different groups of students, but friendship is less likely to predict self-concept scores. The results of the study emphasize the importance of promoting peer acceptance amongst all students in inclusive school settings in order to realize the intended positive social outcomes of inclusive education.

Learning Support Zones: Former students' experience and perceived Impact on Home and Work Environment

This study explored how past students who attended the Learning Support Zone (LSZ) in Maltese secondary schools perceived their attendance at the LSZ and its impact on their home and work environments. In-depth interviews were conducted with eleven adults who attended the LSZ when they were in secondary school. Thematic analysis was used to elicit a set of themes. The findings highlight the multiple struggles that students with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) face. The narratives highlight the positive impact of the LSZ and its staff, but the families of these students were hardly involved. Social skills, independent living skills, and emotional literacy taught at the LSZ are believed to have helped these youths enhance their motivation and perceived self-worth and deal with adversities more effectively both at home and at work. The key recommendations of the study are the re-evaluation of inclusive policies within schools, consideration of the perspective of the students, better understanding, and monitoring of students with SEBD within schools, and more active involvement of all relevant stakeholders, especially families. Keywords: Learning Support Zone, SEBD, youth, family, work

Social, emotional and behavioural difficulties associated with persistent speech disorder in children: A prospective population study.

Social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) in childhood are associated with negative consequences across the life course. Children with developmental language disorder have been identified as being at risk of developing SEBD but it is unclear whether a similar risk exists for children with speech sound disorder, a condition which impacts on children's ability to make themselves understood and has been shown to be associated with poor educational outcomes. Participants were children who attended the 8-year-old clinic in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (N=7390). Children with speech sound disorder that had persisted beyond the period of typical speech acquisition (persistent speech disorder [PSD]) at age 8 were identified from recordings and transcriptions of speech samples (N=263). Parent-, teacher- and child-reported questionnaires and interviews including the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, Short Moods and Feelings Questionnaire and measures for antisocial and risk-taking behaviour were used to provide outcome scores for SEBD at 10-14years in a series of regression analyses. Following adjustment for biological sex, socio-economic status and Intelligence Quotient, children with PSD at age 8 were more likely to show peer problems at age 10-11years compared with their peers, as reported by teachers and parents. Teachers were more likely to report problems with emotionality. Children with PSD were no more likely to report symptoms of depression than their peers. No associations were observed between PSD, risk of antisocial behaviour, trying alcohol at age 10 or smoking cigarettes at age 14. Children with PSD may be at risk in terms of their peer relationships. This could impact on their wellbeing and, while not observed at this age, may lead to depressive symptoms in older childhood and adolescence. There is also the potential that these symptoms may impact on educational outcomes.

Early Identification of Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Difficulties by School Staff: A Qualitative Examination of Dutch Primary School Practices

About 16% of Dutch children are reported to have social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties (SEBDs). SEBDs generate distress and pose risks for various negative outcomes; thus, their timely identification is deemed important to respond appropriately to children's needs and avoid such negative outcomes. Primary schools are considered convenient places to implement early SEBD identification, but the ways in which schools achieve this in practice may be inadequate, although the issue remains under-researched. Although there are several systematic school-based early identification methods (e.g., universal or selective screening), primary schools predominantly rely on school staff to recognize children at risk for, or experiencing, SEBDs. As differences in identification practices could impact whether and when (signs of) SEBDs are identified, this study aimed to increase our understanding of differences in identification practices used by school staff and their potential implications for early identification effectiveness. Thirty-four educational and clinical professionals working at nine primary schools participated in in-depth semi-structured interviews. We used MAXQDA to thematically code and analyze the data. Our analysis of these interviews illustrated that schools' identification practices differed on three elements: the frequency of observations, maintaining a four-eyes principle, and the utilization of specialist knowledge. We argue that differences in these elements have potential consequences for the timeliness and quality of SEBD identification.

Perceptions of inclusion in students with diagnosed behavioural, emotional and social difficulties (BESD) displaying internalising and externalising behaviour in inclusive and special education

ABSTRACT The present study aimed at researching whether students with formally diagnosed behavioural, emotional and social difficulties (BESD) differ in their self-perceived emotional and social inclusion as well as in their academic self-concept, depending on individual behavioural pattern (externalising and internalising behaviour) and school setting (inclusive and special education). In order to examine these research issues, students with diagnosed BESD from grade five to eight in inclusive and special school classes in Germany, North-Rhine Westphalia were questioned about their school-linked self-perceptions. Two-way analyses of variance were applied in order to investigate the relations between the included variables. The results indicate that academic self-concept of students with BESD is significantly more positive in special education than in inclusive education. Self-perceived social inclusion and academic self-concept of students with internalising behaviour prove to be significantly more negative in comparison to students with externalising behaviour. Descriptive statistics indicate that especially students with internalising behaviour in inclusive education are affected by low self-perceptions in school.

Social Cognition in Adolescents with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD): Evidence from the Social Attribution Task

Social cognition impairments may explain social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) in individuals with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD). In a novel approach, the Social Attribution Task (SAT) was used to examine this association. SAT narratives were coded from 53 participants [n = 26 DLD; n = 27 typical language development (TLD)] matched on age (Mage = 13;6) and gender (35.9% female). Parents reported SEBD. Adolescents with DLD performed worse than their TLD peers on the majority of SAT indices and had higher peer (d = 1.09) and emotional problems (d = .75). There was no association between social cognition abilities and SEBD. These exploratory findings suggest social cognition should be further examined in this population.

The Associations of Electronic Media Use With Sleep and Circadian Problems, Social, Emotional and Behavioral Difficulties in Adolescents.

BackgroundElectronic media use (EMU) becomes one of the most common activities in adolescents. The present study investigated the deleterious influence of excessive EMU and EMU before bedtime on social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties (SEBD) in adolescents. The role of sleep and circadian problems in mediating the association of EMU with SEBD was examined.MethodsA cross-sectional survey study was conducted with 3,455 adolescents (55.7% female, mean age = 14.8 ± 1.57 years, 36.6% monthly family income < HK$15,000) between December 2011 and March 2012 in Hong Kong. The associations of EMU with sleep and circadian problems and SEBD were analyzed using multiple binary logistic regression and path analysis. Sleep problems were measured by the Insomnia Severity Index and the reduced Horne and Östberg Morningness and Eveningness Questionnaire. Circadian problems were calculated based on established formulas. SEBD was measured using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Participants' mental health status was assessed by the General Health Questionnaire.ResultsA longer duration of EMU, excessive EMU (daily duration ≥ 2 h), and bedtime EMU (an hour before bedtime) were associated with the risk of sleep and circadian problems, poor mental health, and SEBD (p < 0.05). Insomnia, eveningness, social jetlag, and sleep deprivation were found to mediate the associations of EMU (including bedtime EMU of computers, electronic game consoles, phones, and televisions, together with excessive EMU of computers for leisure purposes and phones) with mental health and SEBD.ConclusionsThe findings suggest the need for setting up guidelines and advocacy for education for appropriate EMU and intervention for the associated sleep and circadian problems to ameliorate EMU-related mental and behavioral health problems in adolescents.

Teachers’ attitudes in classroom management as perceived by pupils with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties

ABSTRACT Studies have extensively presented a range of best practices for teachers to develop adequate classroom management skills. Yet, to date the connected attitudes that teachers would require to capably execute classroom management have received scarce attention in scientific literature. Accordingly, this article documents teachers’ classroom management attitudes (TCMA) from the perspective of pupils presenting with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD). Individual interviews were conducted with fourteen SEBD pupils attending secondary-school special education programmes. Using thematic analysis, emergent themes were then identified and categorised, resulting in seventeen teacher attitudes which then fell into four overarching dimensions: 1) Respect; 2) Authority; 3) Supportiveness; and 4) Differentiation. The connection between the teacher attitudes, as voiced by the pupils, and the pupils’ perception of their teachers’ classroom management skill and proficiency is described at length. In light of these findings, avenues for better classroom intervention outcomes and for further research have been proposed.

The incredible years parenting program for foster carers and biological parents of children in foster care: A mixed methods study

Trauma-related social, emotional and behavioral difficulties (SEBD) are common among children in foster care and are the primary reason for placement breakdown. SEBD in foster children – and especially in the context of unstable and troubled relationships with both foster and biological parents - affects the child’s future functioning and has substantial cost implications in terms of public service utilization. The aim of this study was to assess the utility and perceived effectiveness of the 18-week Incredible Years parenting program (IYPP) which was delivered, on an exploratory basis, to both biological and foster parents (including kinship and non-relative care) of 23 foster children (aged 3–10 years). Biological and foster parent pairs (n = 46) were assessed at pre-intervention and at 6-month follow up, using measures of child SEBD, parenting stress, competencies, and quality of child-parent/carer relationships. One-to-one interviews and a focus group were also undertaken with a subset of biological parents (n = 12), foster carers (n = 11) and Social Work clinicians (n = 5) who delivered the program; the findings were analyzed using grounded theory. Both biological and foster parents reported statistically significant improvements in child SEBD, parent–child relationships, and in parenting stress and competencies. The qualitative findings highlighted further benefits for families, such as an increased number of access visits between biological parents and children and improved relationships with Social Work clinicians. Several factors were identified as important when implementing the IYPP with foster children, including: potential difficulties in engaging both foster and biological parents within the Social Work infrastructure; making appropriate adaptations to program principles, and integrating delivery with a trauma-informed approach. These findings contribute to the growing body of evidence that the IYPP could add value to the standard training and supports for foster parents, children and biological parents.

‘They have just given up on me’ How pupils labelled with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD) experience the process of exclusion from school

For decades, the school exclusion rates have been a cause for concern within the English education system. We have witnessed a steady increase in the numbers of pupils being excluded since 2012. Evidence suggests that some children are more likely to be excluded from school, a significant number will have had the social, emotional and behavioural difficulties label attached to them. This article will draw on the work of Parsons and Howlett (Permanent exclusions from school: A case where society is failing its children. Support for Learning, 11, 3, 109–112, 1996) to see how much, if any, progress has been made since the publication of their work which raised concerns regarding the exclusion processes employed in England. Drawing on the perspectives of pupils, parents and teachers, 13 in‐depth case studies were developed, with emphasis placed on employing innovative and creative methods to hear the voices of young people. The findings revealed that young people, their parents and teachers feel the current education system continues to fail this group of young people.

Language Skills of Vulnerable Children With Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Difficulties: An Australian Primary School Sample

The co-occurrence of social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties (SEBD), maltreatment, and language disorders (LD) is recognized in school-age children; however, the nature of the interaction between them remains poorly understood. The aim of this study was to explore associations between LD and SEBD in children with and without suspected histories of maltreatment. Forty-one primary school students enrolled at a specialist unit for children with SEBD are described with respect to language skills, maltreatment history, and comorbid neurodevelopmental disorders. Two thirds of students who met criteria for SEBD also met criteria for LD. Children with higher levels of internalizing problems were found to have stronger expressive language scores, but otherwise the severity of LD did not correlate with severity of SEBD. SEBD was similar in students with and without a history of maltreatment, and this did not increase the likelihood or severity of LD, except for pragmatic language skills. There is considerable overlap between SEBD, LD, and suspected maltreatment in this group. Students with SEBD and/or a suspected history of maltreatment need additional support to ensure that the interaction of their behavior and communication difficulties are understood so they make steady progress in social and academic skills and remain engaged in school.

Social–emotional development of students with social–emotional and behavioral difficulties in inclusive regular and exclusive special education

The present study investigated (1) how social relationships with teachers and peers and self-esteem of students with social–emotional and behavioral difficulties (SEBD) in inclusive regular education (regular schools) and students with SEBD in exclusive special education (special schools) develop over time in comparison with each other and in comparison with their typically developing peers and (2) whether factors—present before students with SEBD received special education services—predicted social–emotional development in either educational setting. Thirty-six students with SEBD in regular schools, 15 students with SEBD in special schools, and 1,270 typically developing peers participated. We collected data when students with SEBD resided in regular education without additional support, and we followed the development of students with SEBD for 1.5 years with three additional measurements in either school setting. Data of typically developing peers were collected when they resided in a classroom of a participating student with SEBD. Using Bayesian statistics, we found that students with SEBD in special schools had more conflictual relationships with their teachers than typically developing peers, but these relationships improved over time. Students with SEBD in regular schools were less accepted among peers than typically developing students and peer acceptance was stable over time for all three groups. Self-esteem and development in self-esteem over time did not differ between groups. The current study shows that students with SEBD show different developmental trajectories in regular or special schools and that it is difficult to predict their social–emotional development by factors present before students with SEBD received special education services.

‘Soft barriers’ – The impact of school ethos and culture on the inclusion of students with special educational needs in mainstream schools in Ireland

The use of ‘soft barriers’ to deter students with special educational needs (SEN) from accessing some schools has been reported in the Irish media. This article investigates the influence of ethos and culture on access to and inclusive practice in mainstream schools in Ireland. Ethos and culture are nebulous concepts yet are integral to how schools operate, how they present themselves and how they are perceived by the public. Findings from a small-scale, qualitative research study are used to illustrate this. In the study, the understandings and attitudes of principals, special education teachers and guidance counsellors in mainstream schools in relation to students with Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (SEBD) are investigated through the use of questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. In line with international experiences, an argument is presented suggesting that many sections of the education system in Ireland, while seemingly having been irrevocably transformed in response to national policy on inclusion, preserve very traditional structures, organisation and attitudes due to issues of ethos and culture remaining largely unchallenged in the inclusion debate. This phenomenon appears to have greater impact at post-primary level. Cosmetic, surface-level changes impede meaningful, systemic change in terms of access and inclusive practice.

A language focused approach to supporting children with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD)

ABSTRACTChildren with Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties have been shown to constitute a unique class of Special Educational Need, where their ‘challenging’ behaviour can often result in a disproportionately punitive response, rather than one characterised by a needs-based understanding of behaviour as communication. Such an understanding underpins relational approaches to behaviour management in school where a will to develop, maintain, repair and sustain attachments is key. In addition, the centrality of language to the success of such approaches has also been identified. This paper explores a relational approach in school within the context of Nurture Groups, Restorative Practice and positive language and communication. It concludes that to enact a principle of inclusion for troubled children, we need to create facilitating environments in school that are consistent, equitable and that promote trust, through naturalistic opportunities for positive language and communication.

A systematic literature review exploring the factors identified by children and young people with behavioural, emotional and social difficulties as influential on their experiences of education

ABSTRACT This paper presents a systematic literature review investigating the views gathered from children and young people (CYP) identified as having Behavioural, Emotional and Social Difficulties (BESD) or Social, Emotional and Mental Health (SEMH) difficulties. Whilst there is great interest in the area of children’s views, there is limited research in the views of pupils with BESD/SEMH. This literature review seeks to identify areas to consider in future research alongside educational practice with pupils with BESD. This paper systematically reviews seven articles which reflect on the educational experiences of pupils with BESD. The paper will discuss the common characteristics in pupil views reported across the seven pieces of research. Strengths and limitations of this review will be identified and finally how best to facilitate the process of listening to the views of pupils with BESD.

Need Analysis on The Inclusive English Materials for The Primary Graders: Voices from Practitioners

This study is aimed at conducting a need analysis on the existence of English materials for the students of elementary level in an inclusive classroom. The data is obtained from inclusive teacher who has ELT undergraduate educational background and the students of pre-service training of PGMI at IAIN Jember. The result shows that teacher takes a very important role in conducting an inclusive classroom in primary level due to the fact that they have to prepare materials and activities specifically for the students who have social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties (SEBD). Listening and speaking skill (oracy cycle) are considered as the first skills to be taught and introduced to the students of primary level in order to be able to make interrelationship with others more easily. English materials that compatible with the students of primary level in an inclusive classroom are the materials that encourage their multiple intelligences and recognize their learning style. The teaching procedure is emphasized on the role play in the form of guided instruction flowing from fully guided, partly guided, to fully free learning so the scaffolding of presenting materials which emphasized on touching their feeling can improve their sense of empathy and sense of taking care of others as well as building their social skill.

‘I have got too much stuff wrong with me’ – an exploration of how young people experience the Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (SEBD) label within the confines of the UK education system

ABSTRACTYoung people whose behaviour does not conform to our expectations of how pupils should behave within an educational context have had a variety of labels attached to them including: Social, Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties (SEBD), and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The employment of such labels will shape how the young person is perceived by the adults surrounding them. This will not only have an impact on the relationships that are developed between the pupil and the educator but also how the young people see themselves in terms of their own identity. This paper seeks to give voice and explore the position of young people within the confines of their educational experiences. The paper draws on 13 in-depth case studies to reflect on how young people experience the SEBD labels attached to them by others and what pupils consider to be the main antecedents leading them to display behaviour which is deemed unacceptable in the classroom. The paper highlights the importance of providing opportunities for young people to have their voice heard to fill the gap between professional perceptions and those of the pupil. In order to truly understand why young people display behaviour that is considered difficult and how they experience the labels we attach to them we have to speak to young people themselves.

Which School for Whom? Placement Choices for Inclusion or Exclusion of Dutch Students With Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Difficulties in Primary Education

This study examined which factors were related to placement choices for inclusive regular education or exclusive special education for Dutch students with social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties (SEBD). Students aged 6–11 in three subgroups participated: 45 included and 17 excluded students with SEBD (i.e., educated in regular education classrooms and in a separate setting exclusively for students with SEBD, respectively) and 772 typically developing peers. Before placement choices had been made, we collected data from students and teachers during classroom surveys and individual testing sessions with students with SEBD and from application files. Using Bayesian statistics, we found that included and excluded students with SEBD were similar in student functioning prior to placement, whereas teachers of included students had lower self-efficacy and more positive attitudes toward inclusion than teachers of excluded students. Furthermore, included and excluded students perceived their social–emotional functioning more negatively than typically developing peers. Hence, although considered essential by existing policies, placement choices may not depend on student functioning, but teacher factors may play a role.

Young children’s perspectives on resolving social exclusion within inclusive classrooms

Not all children benefit from the opportunities of inclusive education, especially children with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties (SEBD). This article presents the findings of a Q study exploring the perspectives of children with or at risk of SEBD, who experience difficulties with their social participation within the mainstream classroom. Forty-five children, aged 6–8 years, sorted 15 statements outlining approaches for resolving social exclusion and victimisation situations. Four shared perspectives were identified per situation using by-person factor analysis. These perspectives differed primarily with respect to the actors held responsible for resolving the situation. Therefore, a one-size-fits-all approach is not appropriate for addressing the social needs of children with or at risk of SEBD within the inclusive classroom.