Chapter 8 Emotional and Behavioral Disorders Written by David A. Sousa

Emotions, Behavior, and Learning Emotional Messages are carried through and interpreted in the limbic area, usually with the help of the frontal lobe. These survival and emotional messages guide the individual’s behavior, including directing its attention to a learning situation. All in all, emotion drives attention, and attention drives learning!

Emotions, Behavior, and Learning continued Emotional attention comes before cognitive recognition. IRS letter in the mail (example) This is the amygdala acting up. This is the part of the limbic system responsible for emotional responses, and it will act without the input from the cognitive parts , (the frontal lobe). There is no act of thinking or reasoning. The brain has reacted emotionally before anything else.

Pathways of Emotional Signals The thalamus receives all incoming sensory impulses (except for smell) and directs them to other parts of the brain for further processing. This sensory info. Can take 2 different routes to the amygdala. “Quick route” = Thalamic Pathway (Pathway A) “Longer route” = Cortical Pathway (Pathway B)

Pathways of Emotional Signals (cont.) Depending on the pathway in which the signals travel (A or B) could mean the difference in life and death. (Car horn example)- Survival first and then explanation second. Disturbances in these 2 pathways can explain some abnormal behaviors. Example: Anxiety Disorders leading into phobias

Different Brain Areas for Different Emotions The amygdala is the center of emotional response; different emotions for different areas of the brain. Damage to the front of the left hemisphere results in the feelings of hopelessness and depression. Damage to the front of the right hemisphere often expresses inappropriate cheerfulness, (such as denying the injury).

Different Brain Areas for Different Emotions (cont.) People who normally have right hemisphere preference tend to have basically anxious and fearful approaches to life. People with left hemisphere preference exhibit a more confident approach. Preference caused by a number of factors: genetics, experience, and the way one’s brain is organized. This hemispheric specialization begins at an early age.

First Survival and Emotions, Then the Textbook The typical human brain is programmed to deal first with its owner’s survival and emotional needs. The brain is unlikely to attend to any other task until it is assured that these needs have been met. In school, it means that students are not going to care about the curriculum unless they feel physically safe and emotionally secure.

First Survival and Emotions, Then the Textbook (cont.) Physical Safety (BB air gun example at school) Emotional Security Be a “valued member of a group” at school Because the amount of quality time at home is so small, many students are not getting their emotional needs met….So they come to school looking for emotional support. Unfortunately, some students join gangs to fulfill this emotional need.

Emotional and Behavioral Disorders Anxiety Disorders Phobias (social and specific) Generalized anxiety disorder Panic disorder Obsessive-compulsive disorder Post-traumatic stress disorder Treating Anxiety Disorders NOTE: Nearly all of these disorders can seriously affect memory in children and adolescents, especially verbal memory.

Depressive Disorders Children with learning disabilities are susceptible to chronic depression. Depressive disorders include major depressive disorder (unipolar depression), dysthymia (a less severe type of major depression), and bipolar disorder (manic-depression) Symptoms Five or more of these symptoms must persist for an extended period of time before a diagnosis of depression is indicated. Bipolar Disorder is often confused with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Bipolar Disorder known in the Media

Causes of Depressive Disorders Depressive disorders can be caused by any of the following three conditions (or combination): genetics, events occurring in a person’s environment, and events occurring inside the body. It is possible that a biological vulnerability can be inherited….especially with bipolar disorder. Though not every genetic situation will result in having the illness. Environmental factors: serious loss, divorcing parents, accident, trauma, or any drastic change in life patterns can trigger a depressive episode. Physical changes: medical illnesses, such as stroke, heart attack, cancer, and hormonal disorders, which can make a sick person unwilling to care for physical needs.

Depressive Disorders

Treating Depressive Disorders Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) can help relieve depression in children and adolescents, as well as adults. CBT is designed to be a time-limited therapy, which focuses on changing ones distortions of themselves, the world, and their future. Antidepressant medications act on the more primitive structures in the limbic area involved in mood and temperament. Frontal lobe through complex chemical pathways.

Other Emotional and Behavioral Disorders Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Oppositional-Defiant Disorder Conduct Disorder Eating Disorders Autism

What Educators Need to Consider (Strategies) Apply some strategies in the classroom Use humor, but not sarcasm. Insist on respect among students. Have just a few rules that all teachers enforce. Get training on how to handle emotional situations. Use genuine praise. Reduce test anxiety. (Found on page 172 in the text)

Some Strategies to Consider Identify the cause of the misbehavior. Selecting classroom management and teaching strategies. Adapting curriculum and instruction. Addressing social skills. Teaching social problem solving. Adopting schoolwide and districtwide programs. Getting parental involvement. (Found on page 174 in the text)