Serving Emotionally Disturbed Students

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Serving Emotionally Disturbed Students
Dickey LaMoure Special Education Unit
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Federal Definition

• The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA)
  defines serious emotional disturbance as
• "a condition exhibiting one or more of the
  following characteristics over a long period of
  time and to a marked degree, which adversely
  affects educational performance

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Federal Definition
Characteristics

• An inability to learn which cannot be explained
  by intellectual, sensory, or health factors.
• An inability to build or maintain satisfactory
  interpersonal relationships with peers and
  teachers.
• Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under
  normal circumstances.
• A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or
  depression.
• A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears
  associated with personal or school problems.

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Federal Definition

• The term includes schizophrenia. The term does
  not apply to children who are socially
  maladjusted, unless it is determined that they
  have an emotional disturbance.

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condition

• A condition is defined as a state of being.
  It is not necessarily intended to be a diagnosed
  label, but it often is.

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long period of time

• Generally felt to be 6 months or longer, although
  the age of the student and the intensity of the
  behavior must be considered.

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To a marked degree

• Significantly different from peers
• Observed by more than one person
• Observed in more than one setting.

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adversely affects educational performance

• May include failing or near failing grades
• Inconsistent performance
• Excessive energy needed to complete assignments
• Personal adjustment
• Behavior that adversely affects the education of
  other students.

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An inability to learn which cannot be explained
by intellectual, sensory, or health factors.

• Sample behaviors
• Does not complete work during class time
• Requires additional drill and practice to learn
  what others learn easily
• Difficulty with short- or long-term memory
• Does not turn in homework assignments
• Does not remain on task.

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An inability to build or maintain satisfactory
interpersonal relationships with peers and
teachers.

• Sample behaviors
• Limited ability to demonstrate warmth or empathy
• Establishing and maintaining relationships
• Lack of affect
• Demands for attention
• Withdrawal from social interaction
• Physical or verbal aggression.

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Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings
under normal circumstances.

• Sample behaviors
• Limited or excessive self-control
• Low frustration tolerance
• Cannot predict consequences of behavior
• Rapid changes in mood or behavior
• Antisocial behaviors
• Strange or unusual utterances
• Laughing or crying at inappropriate times.

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A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or
depression.

• Sample behaviors
• Depressed or irritable mood
• Unexpected changes in weight or appetite
• Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide
• Fatigue or diminished energy
• Feelings of worthlessness or inappropriate guilt
• Inability to concentrate.

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A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears
associated with personal or school problems.

• Sample behaviors
• Excessive absences or tardiness
• Refusing to attend school
• Hallucinations
• Unusual aches and pains
• Nausea, self-mutilation, complaining
• Flinching or cowering.
• (Symptoms have no medical basis)

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Identification

• You have a student who does not follow
  directions. Is it because..
• He cannot read?
• She is stubborn and refuses to do the work?
• He is unable to process what the directions are
  telling him to do?
• She is severely depressed and cannot handle the
  demands of the class.
• He has difficulty attending to the task?

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Identification

• Any of these reasons could be the correct
  response.
• Because of this, identifying students as
  emotionally disturbed begins much the same as the
  identification of students with other
  disabilities

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Building Level Support Team

• Interventions
• Informal Assessments
• Data Collection
• Possible Referral for Testing

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Multidisciplinary Evaluation

• Student observation
• Achievement testing
• Ability testing
• Checklists

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Building Level Support Team
Parent or Teacher Referral
Interventions
Multidisciplinary Team Evaluation
Consent for Evaluation
Determination of Eligibility
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Identification

• If other disabilities are not present, and the
  team suspects the presence of emotional
  disturbance, a socialemotional evaluation
  follows.

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Social-Emotional Evaluation

• What is included?
• Previously compiled information from the Building
  Level Support Team and evaluation instruments
• Additional checklists by teachers, parent(s) and
  student
• Personal interview with the student (optional)
• Personal interview with the parent(s).

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Social-Emotional Evaluation

• Who does it?
• Option 1 The child is evaluated by an outside
  medical doctor or clinic typically in Fargo,
  Jamestown or Aberdeen.
• Option 2 A local social-emotional evaluation is
  done using our own contracted school psychologist.

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Social-Emotional Evaluation

• What if they find something? There are several
  options
• Special education resources may be used to help
  the student succeed
• Other tests might be indicated, such as a
  neurological evaluation
• The student can be put on medication for a
  particular emotional disorder
• Sometimes no emotional condition is identified,
  but the student is identified as
  Oppositional-Defiant or Conduct disordered
• Some students will require hospitalization or
  extensive counseling to deal with the problem.

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There Are No Easy Answers

• The team has to take into consideration
• Behavior concerns
• Medical treatments
• Emotional abilities
• Safety issues
• Counselor recommendations
• Academic progress

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Whats the key?

• Communication
• People working together

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COMMUNICATION

• ED Consultant or Casemanager Teachers need to
  inform the casemanager of changes in behavior or
  academic performance.
• Parents Teachers or ED Consultant need to
  inform parents of changes.
• Doctors, Psychologists, etc. Behavior concerns
  need to be reported to outside agencies.

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What can we do in school?

• TALK with the student.
• Develop a relationship.
• Try to make the student feel comfortable.
  Getting to know the student will help develop
  trust and make it more likely that they will
  seek your assistance.

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What can we do in school?

• LISTEN to the student
• By listening, you can pick up on what the student
  is thinking. This will help you neutralize
  stressful situations and at the same time, you
  will communicate that you care. Good listening
  involves paying attention, eye contact, asking
  relevant questions and avoiding interruptions.

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What can we do in school?

• WATCH the students performance
• You may notice a pattern. The student may seem
  to know the answers in casual conversation but
  fail the test. Knowing what situations bring on
  a debilitating emotional reaction will help you
  make adjustments to help the student.

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What can we do in school?

• RECOGNIZE that the emotional needs must be
  a priority.
• This is a hard conceptas teachers, we are tuned
  into academics and may over-emphasize academic
  success. However, in order to improve the
  academic success of an emotionally disturbed
  student, we must first reduce the internal
  conflicts that interfere with his/her ability to
  succeed.

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What can we do in school?

• REDUCE ACADEMIC STRESS
• Yes, academics cause stress. An emotionally
  disturbed student will shut down when stress is
  too great instead of trying to deal with it.
  Working harder is not an optionthey are
  already working hard at keeping it together and
  handling stress.

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Ways to Reduce Academic Stress

• Dont put the student on the spot call on her
  when she is likely to know the answer.
• Help the student prepare for changes in routine
  by letting him know what to expect ahead of time
  or by posting a schedule on the board.

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Ways to Reduce Academic Stress

• Modify tests (use word banks, use matching or T/F
  format, etc.). This will reduce test anxiety and
  thought blockage.
• Highlight important information or give copies of
  notes. Emotionally disturbed students may focus
  on details that are not important or attempt to
  remember every detail, which increases their
  anxiety.

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The Bottom Line

• Take one day at a time
• Adjust to changes as they occur
• Develop a relationship and
• Remember that school performance will improve as
  emotional condition improves.