EDUCATION OF CHILDREN

WITH EMOTIONAL &

BEHAVIORAL DISORDERS
(SNIE-2052)

By: Wondwosen Mitiku

ACTIVITY
 How do you understand EBD from your own
previous understanding in your high school
days.
 How do you perceive children who are

"disturbed/ disturbing" in a class?

 What was their specific characteristics?

 What do you think is the cause of EBD?

 What kind of support is needed for children

who have behavior disorder?

1.1 DEFINING AND UNDERSTANDING OF
BEHAVIORAL AND EMOTIONAL DISORDERS

Recognizing the presence of a behavioral

problem is not always as clear-cut as it
might seem.
 A variety of terms have been used to

describe abnormal or maladaptive

thoughts and behavior in people:
mental illness,

psychopathology,
DEFINITION…

emotional disturbance,
behaviorally disordered,

emotionally disturbed,

socially maladjusted.

 Psychologically disordered, etc.

DEFINITION…

Generally, definitions of behavior disorders

are subject to controversies.
This is because of the following reasons:
 There is measurement problem
 There is no clear agreement about what

constitutes good mental health

 Cultural influences

 Different theories using their own

terminology
and definitions
 DEFINITION

There are four theories about EBDs:

 Psychodynamic Theory claims that

psychological problems underlying subconscious

factors bring about EBD.
 Humanistic Approach, says that a child with

behavioral problem has failed to grasp the reality

and is out of touch with self and feelings.
 Learning Theories (Behavioral approach)

says that, since all behavior is learned then it

follows that a child with EBD learned
inappropriately.
 The Social Learning Approach or the

ecological approach, blames behavior problems

on poor interaction of the child with the society.
 DEFINITION…

 Some of the terms used earlier were

considered as stigmatizing labels and
some as misleading.

 In
1988, the US National Mental Health
and Special Education Coalition
adopted the term emotional and
behavioral disorders (EBDs)

 EBDsis now more popular and

accepted by a wide variety of
DEFINITION…
 For
Bowers (1981) children with EBD
exhibit one or more of the following Xcs.
over a long period of time and to a marked
degree, which adversely affects
educational performance:
- An inability to learn which can't be
explained by intellectual, sensory
and
health factors
-An inability to build or maintain
satisfactory interpersonal
relationships
DEFINITION…

Inappropriate types of behavior or

feelings under normal circumstance.
A general pervasive mood of
unhappiness or depression.
A tendency to develop physical
symptoms or fears associated with
personal or school problems.
Eli Bower (1969, 1981).
DEFINITION

The definition helps to analyze or

measure several dimensions of
children’s behavior in terms of its:
1.Rate
 It refers to how often a particular

behavior
is performed.
 The primary difference between
children with EBD and normal children
is the rate at which these kinds of
undesirable activities occur.
 Although, the disturbed child often does
nothing that a normal child does he/she does,
certain undesirable things much more often
(e.g., crying, hitting others)

2. Duration
 It is a measure of how long a child engages in a

given activity
 Even though normal and behavior disordered

children may do the same things, the amount

of time the child with EBD spends in certain
activities is often markedly different from that
of the “normal” child.
 It is either longer or shorter.
HISTORY…

3.Topography
 It refers to the physical shape or form of an

action (e.g. throwing a baseball and rolling

a bowling ball involve different
topographies.)
 The responses emitted by a child with EBD

may be of topography seldom, if ever, seen

in normal children.
 These behaviors are often maladaptive or

dangerous to the child or others (e.g.,

puling and hair).
4.Magnitude (or force)
 Behavior is sometimes characterized

by its magnitude or force.

 It may either be too soft (e.g. talking
in a volume too low that you cannot
be heard) or too hard (such as
slamming the door)
 Children with EBD also have difficulty
discriminating when and where
certain behaviors are appropriate.
 Learning that kind of stimulus control is
a major task of growing up, which most
children master naturally through
socialization.
 They pick it up from their friends,

siblings, parents and other adults.

 However, some children with EBD often

appear unaware of their surroundings.

 They do not learn the proper time and

place of or many actions without being

carefully instructed.
1.2 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND
 Despite varied terminology, the
history of this field records attempts
to understand the conditions,
thoughts, and behaviors
 Among the earliest explanations was

that individuals whose behavior

seemed strange, odd, or so different
from other people were possessed by
evil spirits
 Bad spirits or demons were cast out

by exorcism through use of prayers;

magic; or usually by a priest.
HISTORY…

 Hippocrates (ca. 460–377 B.C.), the

Greek physician recorded detailed
descriptions of abnormal states that
he designated as melancholia, mania
and phrentis (brain fever).
 He defined them as forms of physical

illness rather than states of demonic

possession and attributed them to
brain pathology
 He developed a medical approach to

understanding EBD and made the

study of EBD the concern of
 HISTORY…

 During the Middle Ages (A.D. 500-1500), the

medical or physical approach to mental illness
was largely lost in Western societies.
 The dominance of the belief in demonic

possession
continued to prevail into the 15th and 16thC.
 These individuals were punished and

frequently killed, sometimes in mass

exterminations
 The 18th C. began to alter these inhumane

conditions and eventually returned the study

of EBD to the physicians.
 HISTORY…

 In the 19th C., the view of EBDs as illnesses

of the mind became firmly entrenched.
 A more enlightened approach toward the

use of education in the treatment of

persons with EBD continued to spread, with
schooling provided within asylums for the
“insane.”
 Many of the teaching strategies used during

this period have remained as cornerstones

of special education
 During this period, the scientific method

was being applied to the study of behavior.

HISTORY…

 The 20th century saw the study of EBD

revolutionized by many diverse
theoretical perspectives and social
movements.
 Attention turned to helping children

who engaged in antisocial or criminal

behavior
 The late 20th & early 21st c, the gov’ts

became a major player in the

movement to provide services for
persons with disabilities.
 HISTORY…

Here are some relevant legislations(in the

US):
 In 1975, the Education for All Handicapped

Children Act was passed

 In 1990, the Individuals with Disabilities

Education Act (IDEA), was passed (and

amended in 1991,1997 & 2004).
 In
2001 No Child Left Behind Act, was passed
etc

These laws reflect an increased national

concern on educating children and youth
with EBD.
HISTORY…

 Theprofessional organizations were

formed:
Council for Exceptional Children

(CEC) in 1922.
Council for Children with Behavioral

Disorders, in 1964.
Autism Society of America in 1965;

National Mental Health and Special

Education Coalition in 1987.

Children’s Mental Health in 1989.
HISTORY…

In addition, numerous journals have

appeared to present papers and
research results on EBD and related
topics:
 Journal of Emotional and Behavioral

Disorders
 Journal of Autism and Developmental

Disorders,
 Journal of Applied Behavioral Analysis,
 Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology,
 Journal of Positive Behavior

Interventions, etc.
 Project work (20%)

1. Identify one student with EBD and write

about
the student by considering the following
points.
 His/her socioeconomic background

 His/her specific type of the behavioral

problem
 The Cause/s of the problem.

 The kind of appropriate intervention he/she

needs.
 .
UNIT TWO: CAUSES OF BEHAVIORAL &
EMOTIONAL DISORDERS

 Reviewers of behaviors disorders have

categorized causes by conceptual models
physiological and psychological factors and
by family, biological and school factors
 Early behavioral programs were based on

models that argued that the student's EBD

was as a result of biomedical causes
(biological) or of imbalances in the
personality structures of the student
(psychoanalytic) psychodynamic
 Later models emphasized that role of the

students' environments including the

school, as a causal factor of the EBD
ACTIVITY
1. Why children develop EBD?
Discuss it from your own
experience in your
community/school.
2. List down some of the:
Biological factors
Family related factors
 School related factors
Social factors that contributes for
the development of EBD.
 CAUSES…

1. Biological Factors
Behavioral/emotional disorders
may arise in part from a variety
of biological factors such as:
 genetic factors,
malnutrition,
traumatic brain injury, and
physical illness
The types of childhood disorders most
frequently linked with suspected
biological causes are:
 hyperactivity and

 childhood psychoses (autism and

childhood schizophrenia).
CAUSES…

2. . Family Factors (micro system)

Harmful family interactions include:
abuse and neglect,

lack of supervision erratic and

punitive disciplines,
 low rate of positive interactions,

high rate of negative interaction,

 lack of interest and concern and

poor adult role models

 CAUSES…

Family characteristics such as:

 single parent homes,

marital discord,

 low socioeconomic status, and

 disturbed child parent relationships

3. School Factors
 Kauffman suggested six specific ways in
which school can contribute to behavioral
disorders in children:
CAUSES…

1. School administrators, teachers and

other pupils may be insensitive to
the
child's individuality.
2 Teachers may hold inappropriate
expectations for children.
3 Teachers may be inconsistent in
managing children's behavior.
4. Instruction may be offered in
nonfunctional (i.e. irrelevant) skills
CAUSES…

5. Inappropriate contingencies of reinforcement

may be arranged by school personnel, and
6. Peers and teachers may provide models of
undesirable conduct.
 Teachers can ask questions about their

behavior, the classroom, or the school to

assess whether the educational environment
might be contributing to students misbehavior.
1. Is my instructional program sound?
 A sound instructional program is the first

defense against EBDs in school.

 We should not expect students to behave well

if they are not being taught well.

 Often students do not see the relevance of
the skills they are being taught in school.
 One of the teacher’s tasks is to teach skills

that are important to student’s lives and to

find ways of making
 sometimes by modifying teaching methods

or learning activities, sometimes by

offering meaningful rewards for learning.
2. Are my expectations of the students
appropriate?
 Expectations that are too high for a

student’s ability lead to constant feelings of

failure
 Expectations that are too low lead to

boredom and lack of progress.

 A good teacher adjusts expectations to fit

the students’ level of ability is virtually

certain to induce misbehavior.
3. Am I sufficiently sensitive to the
student as an individual?
 A school environment that allow students

sufficient freedom to demonstrate their

individuality.
 Teachers who demand strict uniformity.

 Finding balance between conformity to

necessary rules and tolerance for difference

is a key to building a school and classroom
environment conductive to appropriate
behavior.
4. Do I offer reinforcement expertly?
 This arrangement is certain to perpetuate

the students’ emotional or behavioral

difficulties.
 Expert reinforcement is typically given

frequently, immediately, interestingly, and

contingent on desired behavior.
 To be used expertly, reinforcement must be

combined with other behavior management

strategies for maximum effect.
 These other strategies include:

- careful instructional programming,

 -knowing when and how to ignore
misbehavior,
-using non-violent punishment, and
-talking with students in ways that
enhance their self-confidence and self-
control.
5. Am I consistent in managing behavior?
 One of the most significant features of a good

school experience for any student, but,

especially one who exhibits emotional or
behavioral problems, is a high degree of
structure.
 Structure means that instructions are clear to

the student;
 The teacher holds firm expectations that
the student will follow instructions, and the
consequences for behavior are consistent.
 Inconsistent management is one factor that

is almost certain to increase the tendency

of any student to misbehave
6. Are desirable models being demonstrated
and used?
 If the teachers’ behavior is a desirable model for

students, then appropriate conduct may be

encouraged.
 Some features of a ‘difficult school’ which
contribute to emotional and behavioral
difficulties:-
-A large number of untreated maladjusted
pupils.
-An unstructured environment, that is, deficient
management with poor communication
between
staff.
-A number of staff who are unsympathetic to
children.
-Support services not used.
-Absence of school liaison with parents.
-Lack of choice in faculty curricula.
-Inadequate remedial assistance poor morale

amongst teachers and lack of trust.

- Erratic use of sanctions;
. High staff turnover and
. Lack of good teaching-classes out of
control.
4. Social Factors (Macro system)
 Cultural influences such as the level
of violence in the media (especially
television),
 The availability of recreational drugs

and the level of drug abuse,

 Religious demands and restrictions on

behaviors.
LIBRARY WORK (GROUP ASSIGNMENT)
1. What are the causative factors for EBD.
2. Discuss the school-related factors that aggravate

EBD among students.

3. As a teacher what specific measures do you take to
help students with EBD.
4. List down properly relevant reference books
available in the library.

N.B.: 1. Do not use your handout as a reference.

2. Write the list of the group members according
to
the level of their participation in the group
work.
UNIT THREE: DEVELOPMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS OF
CHILDREN WITH EBD
 The basic characteristics of children with EBD is
divided in to two broad dimensions: Externalizing
& Internalizing behaviors

3.1. Externalizing behaviors

Externalize behaviors may be described as those
that are disturbing to other people.
Examples of externalizing behaviors include:
 When a student often "out of seat"
 Constantly talks to others or self
 Makes noises
 Doesn't pay attention to task(s)
 Ignorance of classroom rules
 Refuses to work
 Is disobedient to teachers
CHARACTERISTICS…

 Fights with others

 Causes or threatens physical harm to

people and animals

 Uses obscene gestures frequently
 Ignores directions
 Is verbally hostile such as

argumentative
 Has tantrums & rages
 Damages property and belongings
 Violates rights of others and societal
CHARACTERISTICS…

3.1.1 Hyperactivity Disorder

One of the most frequently described externalizing
behaviors is hyperactivity, also called attention
deficit hyper activity disorder (ADHD).
 Some common behaviors associated with

hyperactivity:
 Stubbornness
 Negativity
 Impulsivity
 Temper outbursts
 Inattentive
 Bossy
 Lack of response
 Motor activity
CHARACTERISTICS…

3.1.2 Aggression and Violent Behavior

 Aggression can be defined as behavior that

severely interferes with others.

 Aggression and acting out are the most

common characteristics of Children with

EBD.
 Aggression takes many forms:

 verbal abuse towards adults and other

children,
destructiveness and vandalism,
physical attacks on others
CHARACTERISTICS…

3.1.3 Oppositional Defiant

Disorders(ODD)

Individuals with this disorder consistently

oppose, defy, and are hostile to all
authority figures in their environment.

The symptoms of ODD are when a student:

 Often loses his or her temper

 Often argues with adults

 Often actively defies or refuses to comply

with adults' requests or rules

 CHARACTERISTICS…

 Often deliberately annoys people

 Often blames others for his or her

mistakes of misbehavior
 Is often touchy or easily annoyed by

others
 Is often angry and resentful
 Is often spiteful and vindictive (APA,

1994)
CHARACTERISTICS…

3.1.4 Juvenile Delinquency

 Juvenile delinquents are those youth under

the age of 18 who have been found guilty

of an illegal act by a court.
 A common trait of a socialized delinquent is

membership in a youth gang or club.

3.2 Internalizing Behaviors

 Exhibits painful shyness or withdrawal

 Teased or victimized by peers

 Seems to worry excessively

CHARACTERISTICS…

 Panics in many situations and seems

to have unfounded fears and phobias
 Appears to have low esteem
 Solves problems by disengaging
 Tends to be suicidal or have thoughts

of death and retreating from life

There are various kinds of internalize
behavior which are common to
children with behavioral disorder and
emotional disturbance.

The most common internal behavior of

behavioral disorder children's were
mentioned below.
 CHARACTERISTICS…

 1. Depression
 The research evidence indicates that

the problems of depression and suicide

have been increased, among children
and youth over the past several
decades.
 Depressed children, in contrast, are

rarely disturbing to others.

 They are sometimes categorized as

being turned off by school rather than

as being emotionally disturbed.
CHARACTERISTICS…

Significant behavior changes that may signify

depression include the following:
 Crying

 Withdrawing from friends

 Disinterest in school

 Physical complaints

 Change in sleeping habits (too much or too

little sleep)
 Change in eating habits (too much or too little:

anorexic or bulimic)
 Lack of bladder control

 Reduced physical activity

CHARACTERISTICS…

2. Anxiety
 Anxiety is a "painful uneasiness of mind

usually over an impending or anticipated ill,

a fearful concern" (Mish et al., 1994).
 Itis a very normal response to threatening
events.
 Individuals suffering from an anxiety
disorder may perceive events as very
threatening, even though they might prove
to be no threatening or at the most,
unpleasant.
CHARACTERISTICS…

 Separation anxiety refers to a specific

type of fear, namely, the fear that a
loved one or significant other will not
return.
 Suchanxiety is intense, sometimes
approaching panic.
 Phobiasare intense fears of specific
objects or events that pose little or
no threat to the individual.
CHARACTERISTICS…

A school phobia is a refusal to attend

school because the child is unusually
afraid of the school and the school
environment.
 People, and especially children, are

afraid of all sorts of things, for

example, darkness and animals.
3. Withdrawal Behavior
 Some children and youth exhibit

withdrawn behaviors without being

depressed.
 Withdrawalis one way students may
escape unpleasant situations.

 It
may result from lack of social skills
required in certain situations.

 Children may not know how to behave

in social groups or in classroom
situations.
CHARACTERISTICS…

 Or they may have experienced

rejection or humiliation in those
groups and learned that it is better
not to associate with others than risk
failing again.
 Some typical withdrawn behaviors
include the following:
 Avoidance of eye contact
CHARACTERISTICS…

 Avoidance of association with peers

 Seeming embarrassment
 Refusal to participate in group

discussions
 Physical isolation
 Playing most often with inanimate

objects
 COGNITIVE CHARACTERISTICS OF CHILDREN
WITH EBD
 Many cognitive deficiencies are attributed
to students with serious emotional
disturbance.
 These students are said to have poor

memory and short attention spans, and to

be preoccupied, overly active, and anxious,
among other things.
 In general, students with behavior disorder

score slightly below average on intelligence

tests, although the scores of individual
students is over the entire range.
 ACADEMIC CHARACTERISTICS
 Most students with behavior disorders do
not do as well academically as one would
expect from their scores on intelligence
tests.
 Students with behavior disorder exhibit

characteristics which affect educational

performance.
 Those with learning disabilities also perform

poorly in at least one area of school

achievement.
 Teachers question whether behavior

disorders’ or “learning disabilities” is the

appropriate category under which to
 Generally speaking emotional problems can
lead to academic problems, and academic
problems can lead to emotional problems.
 When students are suffering emotionally, they

simply do not attend well to academics.

 When students do not perform well

academically, their perceptions of their own

self-worth suffer.
 They can become withdrawn or aggressive, or

their non-compliance may be labeled

“isolation” or “aggression”
 Other factors, loss of a parent or sibling can

lead students to experience both academic

and emotional problems
 COMMUNICATION

 Although many students with behavior disorder or

emotional problems have language problems these
are not characteristics of communication that are
universal or specific to most of these students.
 Students who are considered schizophrenic
sometimes do demonstrate abnormal language and
communication skills. Many never speak, while
others develop language and speech disorders like
echolalia, illogical or disorganized speech, and
inadequate comprehension of verbal instructions.
 These students represent a very small percentage of

those classified as having serious emotional

disturbances.
 BEHAVIORAL

 This is the primary area in which students with

behavior disorder are said to differ from others. The
broad behavioral characteristics of these students
are specified in the definition of behavioral disorder.
 An inability to learn, an inability to build or maintain

satisfactory interpersonal relationships, inappropriate

types of behavior of feelings, a general pervasive
mood of unhappiness of depression, and a tendency
to develop physical symptoms or fears
 Although it is impossible to list all the specific
behavioral characteristics of disturbed children, it is
possible to describe some general types of behavior
that tend to attract the attention and concern of
adults and that, if not corrected, are likely to
handicap the child seriously: hyperactivity and
related problems, aggression, withdrawal, and
inadequacy/immaturity.
 A. Aggressive behavior

 The most common characteristics of behavior

disordered children are aggression and acting out.
Even though all children sometimes cry, hit others,
and refuse to comply with the request of their
parents and teachers, disturbed children do so
frequently.
 Also, the aggressive behavior of children with behavior
disorder often occurs with little or no provocation.
 Aggression takes many forms verbal abuse toward

adults and other children, destructiveness and

vandalism, physical attacks on others. It is considered
to be behavior intended to cause injury or pain
(psychological or physical) or to destroy property.
 These children seem to be in continuous conflict with

those around them. Their own aggressive outbursts

often cause others to strike back in attempts to punish
them.
 It is no wonder that these children are not liked by

others or that they establish few friendships.

 As many behavior disordered children grow older their

aggressive behavior cases conflict in the community

leading to run-ins/fight with law enforcement official
and arrests for criminal offenses.
 Many believe that most children who exhibit deviant
behavior patterns will grow out of them with time and
become normally functioning adults.
 Although this popular wisdom may hold true for many

children with emotional problems such as withdrawal

fears and speech impairments.
 research indicates that it is not so for children who

display consistent patterns of aggressive, coercive,

antisocial, and/or delinquent behavior.
 B. Hyperactivity

 Hyperactivity is characteristic of many learning-

disabled and mentally retarded children, as well as

many emotionally disturbed children. It is
characterized by abnormally excessive activity or
movement.
 This high activity level may interfere with a child’s
learning and cause considerable problems in
managing behavior.
 The terms refer to a high rate of socially

inappropriate activity not simply to over activity

or a high rate of movement per sec. the behavior of
hyperactive children-fidgeting, failure to follow
instructions, failure to complete tasks, tantrums,
clumsiness, fighting and recklessness/restlessness,
 for example – makes them not only an object of

concern for adults but unpopular with their peers.

 Hyperactive children usually do not get along well

with other children. They, their peers, and their

parents usually realize that they have problems in
social relations.
 Hyperactive children often are also impulsive. They
frequently respond quickly and without considering
alternatives in social situations and on academic tasks.

 Typically, their impulses lead them to the wrong

response, and they make socially unacceptable or
academically incorrect responses, causing them to
become pariahs in their neighborhoods and schools.

 Many hyperactive children are also distractible, unable to

pay attention to task long enough or selectively enough
to learn efficiently or complete their work. Moreover,
many such children are unable to see alternative ways of
behaving in situations involving interpersonal problems.
C. Withdrawn behavior
 Withdrawn children keep others at a distance both

physically and emotionally. They may lack social

approach responses, responsiveness to others’
social initiations, or both.

 Although children who consistently act immaturely

and withdrawn do not present threats to others as
aggressive children do, their behavior still creates a
serious impediment to their development.

 These children seldom play with other children of

their own age. They do not engage in social
reciprocity, the mutually satisfying exchange of
social reinforcement by pairs of individuals, that
characteristics normal social development.
 They usually do not have the social skills necessary
to make friends and have fun and often retreat into
their own daydreams and fantasies.

 Some are fearful of things without reason, frequently

complaining of being sick or hurt, and falling into
deep bouts of depression.

 Obviously, these behavior patterns limit the child’s

chances to take part in and learn from the school and
leisure activities that normal children participate in.

 The social withdrawal of some disturbed children is

not extreme, but that of others is so pronounced and
persistent as to be considered autistic.
 Autistic withdrawal, which begins at a very early age, is
characterized by unresponsiveness to social stimuli,
avoidance of eye-to-eye gaze, language disorders
including inability to speak and echolalia) and excessive
self stimulation and fantasy.
 Happily for the mildly and moderately disturbed child
who is withdrawn and immature and who is fortunate
enough to have competent teachers and other school
professionals responsible for the child’s development, the
outlook is fairly good.

D. Inadequacy/immaturity
 Immature children may behave in ways that are

characteristic of much younger normal children, or they

may fail to meet reasonable demands for performance.
For example, they may unexpectedly cry or have temper
tantrums, act helpless regress to primitive behavior,
 Some disturbed children use their negativism and
tantrums to become little tyrants, manipulating their
parents into complying with their very
whim/notion/fancy.
 Other display a picture of helplessness and demand

constant adult attendance just to get them through

the activities of daily living.
 Still other are prisoners of their own extreme

irrational fears (e.g., of school, of animals) and lead

lives of seeming desperation in which avoidance of
the feared object or situation is a constant concern.
 UNIT FOUR: IDENTIFICATION AND ASSESSMENT OF
CHILDREN WITH EBD
 Ways of Assessing Problem Behavior
 Four methods are commonly used, singly or

in combination, to gather information about

social and emotional functioning:
 observational procedures,

 interview techniques,

 situational measures, and

 rating scales.

 1. Direct observation: It is often preferred,

given
that the results using this method are
generally quite accurate.
 Measuring behavior through observation is
distinguished by five steps that occur in
advance of the actual observations:
(1) The behavior is defined precisely and
objectively,
(2) the characteristics of the behavior are
specified,
(3) procedures for recording are developed,
(4) the times and places for observation
are
selected and specified, and
(5) procedures are developed to assess
inter-observer agreement.
Measurable Characteristics of Behavior
 The measurement of behavior is based on four
characteristics:
 1. Duration: Behaviors that have discrete

beginnings and endings may be assessed in

terms of their duration—that is, the length of
time a behavior lasts.

2. Latency: refers to the length of time between

a signal to perform and the beginning of the
behavior.
e.g., a teacher might ask students to take out
their books. Sam’s latency for that task is the
length of time between the teacher’s request
and Sam’s placing his book on his desk.
 Frequency:For behaviors with discrete
beginnings and endings, we often count
frequency—that is, the number of times the
behaviors occur.
 Amplitude: Amplitude refers to the intensity
of the behavior. In many settings,
amplitude can be measured precisely (for
example, with noise meters).
 These characteristics can be measured

directly
Conducting Systematic Observations
 Careful preparation is essential to obtaining

accurate and valid observational data that are

useful in decision making.
 Five steps should guide the preparation for

systematic observation:
 1. Define target behaviors.

 2. Select contexts. Observe the target behavior

systematically in different contexts.

 3. Select an observation schedule.

 4. Develop recording procedures.

 5. Select the means of observation(human

observers or electronic recorders)

 However, obtaining useful observational data
across multiple settings can be time-consuming,
particularly when the behavior is very limited in
frequency or duration.
 The use of rating scales and interviews can often
allow for more efficient collection of data across
multiple settings and informants

2. Interview Techniques
 Interviews are most often used by experienced

professionals to gain information about the

perspectives of various knowledgeable individuals,
as well as to gain further insight into a student’s
overall patterns of thinking and behaving.
 There are many variations on the interview
method:
- Structured
- Semi-structured
- Unstructured
 Interviews probe for information in one or

more of the following areas of functioning

and development:
medical/developmental history,
 social–emotional functioning,
Educational progress, and
community involvement.
 The family is the focus of interviews that seek to
identify salient home environment factors that
may be having an impact on the student.

3. Situational Measures
 Situational measures of social–emotional behavior
can include two well-known methods:
Peer-acceptance nomination scales
Socio-metric ranking techniques.

 4. Rating Scales
 Raters are often asked to determine the presence
or absence of a particular behavior and may be
asked to quantify the: amount, intensity, or
frequency of the behavior
 A parent, teacher, peer, or “significant other” in a
student’s environment must rate the extent to
which that student demonstrates certain desirable
or undesirable behaviors.
 Remember that rating scales provide an index of

someone’s perception of a student’s behavior.

 Different raters will probably have different

perceptions of the same student’s behavior and

are likely to provide different ratings of the
student;
 Each is likely to have different views of acceptable

and unacceptable expectations or standards.

Once the data is collected and analyzed
teachers can identify children with
emotional disorders as having the
following behaviors.
A. Aggressive maladjustment
 Doesn’t go along gracefully with the
decisions of the teacher or the group.
 Is quarrelsome: fights often: gets mad easily.

 Is bully picks on others.

B. Withdrawn maladjustment
 Is noticed by other children, is neither

actively liked nor disliked-just left out.

 Is one or more of the following:
 Shy, timid, fearful, anxious,
excessively
quiet, tense.
Is easily upset, feelings are readily hurt,
if
easily discouraged.
C. General maladjustment
 Exhibits nervous mannerisms such as nail
biting, sucking thumb or fingers, stuttering,
 Is absent from school frequently or dislikes

school intensely.
 Seems to be more unhappy than most of

the children.
 Achieves much less in school than his

ability indicates he should; and

 Is jealous or over competitive.
4.2 Assessment
 Forstudents exhibiting signs of emotional,
social, or behavioral problems, the
assessment team will generally conduct a
behavioral assessment.
 Thegoal of behavioral assessment is to
gain an increased understanding of how
environmental factors may be influencing
the student’s behavior.
Assessment of emotional or behavioral
problems, should help us:
 identify those students who need
special help,
 plan programs to address their
problems, and
 monitor the progress toward reaching
our goals
 consideration of the student’s social
and physical environments
 Assessment should be:
- solution centered
- should be a process that leads to
suggested interventions.
- based on the most accessible and

reliable sources of information,

- behavioral assessment may
employ:
- rating scales
- interviews and
 Assessment is tied to observing a specific
situation at a particular point in time (e.g.,
how the student responds during lunch or
reading).
 It is important that a behavioral assessment

involve multiple measures and take place in

various settings (e.g., the classroom, school
playground, home) and at different times
during the day.
 Theability to:
 observe and record behavior,

how she responds emotionally to stressors,

 select the most appropriate places
to observe the student,
find efficient and clear means of
interpreting results are all critical in
behavioral assessment.
Assessment of the student’s
intrapersonal world involves
knowledge about:
 how the student views herself,
how much conflict or anxiety she is
currently experiencing,
 the degree to which she believes
that personal behaviors can actually
make a difference in her own life,
her tolerance for frustration, and
her general activity level

Interpersonal characteristics are related

to how she views the world and other
people.
 Such characteristics are developed in
response to the student’s experiences
within the environment.
 If she sees the world as a hostile place

and views people as untrustworthy,

negative interactive patterns and
behaviors may emerge.
 There are many instruments available

for assessing a student’s emotional

and social functioning.
 Salvia and Ysseldyke (1991) suggest
several ways in which personality
variables may be measured.
 A second approach, using projective

techniques, asks students to respond

to vague or ambiguous stimuli such
as inkblots or pictures, to draw
pictures, or to express themselves
through the use of puppets or dolls.
 Theresponses are then interpreted by
a person trained in such procedures.
A third approach is to administer
personality inventories or
questionnaires that vary in their
focus.
UNIT FIVE: CLASSIFICATION OF
CHILDREN WITH EBDS

There are different systems of

classifying behavioral disorder. One of
these classifies emotional & behavioral
disorders in to four clusters.
Conduct disorder
Personality disorder
Immaturity
Socialized aggression
 CLASSIFICATION…

1. Conduct Disorder
 This described children who are likely

to have characteristics such as:

Disobedient and/or disruptive
Getting into fights
Bossy and
Having temper tantrums
CLASSIFICATION…

2. Personality Disorder
 It is the second type of EBD and

under this there are some

inappropriate behavior these are:‑
social withdrawal
anxiety
depression
feelings of inferiority
guilt
shyness
CLASSIFICATION…

3. Immaturity
It is under EBD by which children of this
problem manifests characteristics like:
short attention span
extreme passivity
day dreaming
preference for younger playmates
clumsiness
CLASSIFICATION…

4. Socialized aggression
 The youth dimension of behavioral

disorders and is marked by: ‑

Truancy/absentism
gang membership
theft
Feelings of pride in belonging to a
diligent subculture.
UNIT SIX: EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTION OF
CHILDREN WITH EBD
 Intervention of children with special needs
in general and children with EBD in
particular is not a one dimensional process.
 Intervention comprises, educational
intervention, social intervention, life-skills
intervention.
 Therefore,in intervention of children with
behavioral disordered will be discussed
below.
 EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTION…

Kauffman suggests five ways in which

schools should treat children in order
to help prevent the development of
EBD
1. Have a fair attitude towards individual
differences interest and abilities, do
not force every child to fit a narrow
mold
2. Have appropriately average
expectations for behavior and
academic achievement.
If too low, expectation become self-
EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTION…

3. Manage a child's behavior consistently just

as the parents' being too lax or to rigid
encourage disordered behavior inconsistent
school discipline can have the some
negative result.
4. Include areas of study that have relevance
to the child not to do so invite truancy or
misbehavior.
5. Reward desired behaviors and do not
reinforce inappropriate behaviors from the
view point of behavioral psychology; failure
to do this contributes to disturbance
EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTION…

Instructional Approach and Teaching

Tactics
 Students with serious emotional

disturbances receive special education

because they have emotional and social
problems that require attention from
teachers, parents, and other professionals if
they are to be successful in school.
 Some general teaching tips for children with

behavioral disorder are listed below.

EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTION…

 These are used to reducing emotional

and social problems.
1. Establish rule for appropriate
classroom behavior
2. Establish consequences for
inappropriate classroom behavior
UNIT SEVEN: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS IN
SPECIAL NEEDS EDUCATION
 There are several different approaches to
education of children with EBD, each with its
own definitions, purposes of treatment, and
types of intervention.
 Kauffman (1985) lists six categories of models:

1. Biogenic.
 This model suggests that deviant behavior is a

physical disorder with genetic or medical

causes.
 It implies that these causes must be cured to

treat the emotional disturbance.

 Treatment may be medical or nutritional.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS…

2. Psychodynamic.
 Based on the idea that a disordered

personality develops out of the

interaction of experience and internal
mental processes (ego, id, and
superego) that are out of balance
 This
model relies on psychotherapy
and creative projects for the child
(and often the parents) rather than
academic remediation.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS…

4. Humanistic.
 This model suggests that the disturbed

child is not in touch with her own

feelings and cannot find self-fulfillment
in traditional educational settings.
 Treatment takes place in an open,
personalized setting where the teacher
serves as a nondirective, non
authoritarian "resource and catalyst"
for the child's learning.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS…

5. Ecological
This model stresses the interaction of
the child with the people around him
and with social institutions.

Treatment involves teaching the child

to function within the family, school,
neighborhood, and larger community.
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS…

6.Behavioral.
 This model assumes that the child has

learned disordered behavior and has not

learned appropriate responses.
 To treat EBD, a teacher uses applied

behavior analysis techniques to teach the

child appropriate responses and eliminate
inappropriate ones.
 Mostprograms employ methods form
several of the approaches. And the models
themselves are not entirely discrete; they
overlap in certain areas.
Thank you!!