Behavior Issues in the Classroom Children with Behavior Disabilities compared to Children who behave poorly without a disability

IDEA Definition of an Emotional and Behavior Disability (EBD) A condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child's educational performance: An inability to learn that 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 factors

Just the Facts: Students with Behavioral Disabilities Who are they? Students with EBD have pervasive behavior and emotional behaviors that differ significantly from appropriate age, cultural, or ethnic norms. These behaviors affect their educational performance adversely. Information from Inclusion: Effective Practices for All Students; Mcleskey, Rosenberg, Westling

Just the Facts: Students with Behavioral Disabilities What are typical characteristics? Some students with EBD exhibit primarily externalizing behavioral characteristics such as aggression, rule breaking and noncompliance. Others present internalizing behavior problems such as social withdrawal, anxiety and depression. Secondary characteristics include social skills deficits and attention deficits. Information from Inclusion: Effective Practices for All Students; Mcleskey, Rosenberg, Westling

Just the Facts: Students with Behavioral Disabilities What are the demographics? Researchers estimate that 0.69% of the school- age population (approximately 457,731 students) are identified with EBD. Approximately 7.6% of all students identified as having a disability are identified as having EBD. Approximately 80% are male, and 50% receive medication. Information from Inclusion: Effective Practices for All Students; Mcleskey, Rosenberg, Westling

Just the Facts: Students with Behavioral Disabilities Where are students educated? Approximately one third of students with EBD are educated in neighborhood schools but, on average, are in general education classes 40% of the day. Over 12% of students with EBD are served in separate day-treatment facilities, or in residential facilities, or in their homes. Information from Inclusion: Effective Practices for All Students; Mcleskey, Rosenberg, Westling

Characteristics of Externalizing Behaviors Aggression Hitting Lack of attention Impulsivity Tantrums Defiance/disobedience Bullying This is the student jumping up and down and hitting their neighbors.

Characteristics of Internalizing Behaviors Shyness Withdrawal Depression Anxiety Fears/phobias Immaturity This is the student that can go unnoticed.

What to Document What items should teachers document when they believe a student may have EBD? How often does the behavior occur? How long has the problem persisted? Under what conditions does the behavior occur? To what extent does this behavior occur in different settings, such as the classroom, playground, or home? Information from Teaching Students Who Are Exceptional, Diverse, and At Risk in the General Education Classroom; Vaughn, Bos, Schumm

What to Document cont. What are the antecedents of the behavior; that is: – What events occur before the behavior is exhibited, triggering the behavior? What are the consequences of the behavior; that is: – What occurs as an outcome of the behavior after the student exhibits the behavior? Information from Teaching Students Who Are Exceptional, Diverse, and At Risk in the General Education Classroom; Vaughn, Bos, Schumm

What to Document cont. Does the problem not arise in certain situations? To what extent does the student develop and maintain positive relationships with other people? Does the student seem happy or display satisfaction at any time? Information from Teaching Students Who Are Exceptional, Diverse, and At Risk in the General Education Classroom; Vaughn, Bos, Schumm

What to Document cont. How severe is the problem? – To what extent does the behavior deviate from that of other students of the same age? To what extent is this problem in the relationship between you and the student or a problem within the student? What have you and/or the family done to reduce or eliminate the problem? Information from Teaching Students Who Are Exceptional, Diverse, and At Risk in the General Education Classroom; Vaughn, Bos, Schumm

What to look for in a student with EBD versus other students Behavior-age discrepancy – The social and behavioral problems exhibited must be unusual or deviant for the student’s age. – Such as clinging to adults Okay in very young children Not okay in school age children – Another example: The repeater Young children often mimic adults out of respect. Not okay for a high school age student in the middle of class. Information from Teaching Students Who Are Exceptional, Diverse, and At Risk in the General Education Classroom; Vaughn, Bos, Schumm

What to look for in a student with EBD versus other students cont. Frequency of occurrence of the behavior – Due to the right stimulus, all students can exhibit characteristics of EBD. – Example – acting out or withdrawing when with a certain group of peers Normal for children to act a certain way to fit into a certain group Not normal if the student acts out or withdraws when with all groups Information from Teaching Students Who Are Exceptional, Diverse, and At Risk in the General Education Classroom; Vaughn, Bos, Schumm

What to look for in a student with EBD versus other students cont. Number of symptoms – Just because a student displays one or more behavior problem does not mean an EBD. – But, a student who frequently displays several related symptoms should be referred for evaluation. – The greater number of symptoms, the higher the possibility of a serious emotional disturbance. Information from Teaching Students Who Are Exceptional, Diverse, and At Risk in the General Education Classroom; Vaughn, Bos, Schumm

What to look for in a student with EBD versus other students cont. Inner suffering – Signs: Low self-esteem, withdrawn, appears sad or lonely, and general malaise. – All students can suffer from a degree of inner suffering. – A student with EBD will display these signs for long periods of time and they will drastically affect their learning, achievement and social relationships. Information from Teaching Students Who Are Exceptional, Diverse, and At Risk in the General Education Classroom; Vaughn, Bos, Schumm

What to look for in a student with EBD versus other students cont. Harm to others – Students will fight or act out physically from time to time. – Students with an EBD will consistently harm others or animals intentionally, and show little to no remorse for hurting others. Information from Teaching Students Who Are Exceptional, Diverse, and At Risk in the General Education Classroom; Vaughn, Bos, Schumm

What to look for in a student with EBD versus other students cont. Persistence of the behavior – With non-EBD students, the behavior can be modified or eliminated. – Students with an EBD will have a continuation of the behavior over time, despite substantive efforts on the part of adults and the student to change the behaviors, even when several types of interventions have been utilized. Information from Teaching Students Who Are Exceptional, Diverse, and At Risk in the General Education Classroom; Vaughn, Bos, Schumm

What to look for in a student with EBD versus other students cont. Self-satisfaction – A lack of self-satisfaction contributes to problems that interfere with personal growth and development, as well as academic and social success. – Just because a student has a lack of self- satisfaction does not mean they have an EBD. Information from Teaching Students Who Are Exceptional, Diverse, and At Risk in the General Education Classroom; Vaughn, Bos, Schumm

What to look for in a student with EBD versus other students cont. Severity and duration of the behavior – Severity refers to how extreme the problem is, and the extent to which it varies from the expected behavior. – Example – Receiving a bad grade Most students will be upset and display displeasure, but move on. A student with EBD will become overly upset and may have an outburst, and will have a hard time moving past this incident. They may bring this up repeatedly, and try to highjack the class from moving on. Information from Teaching Students Who Are Exceptional, Diverse, and At Risk in the General Education Classroom; Vaughn, Bos, Schumm

What to look for in a student with EBD versus other students cont. Severity and duration of the behavior cont. – Duration (or persistence) refers to the length of time the problem has existed. A problem that persists over a long period of time is said to be chronic. – Example – an elementary student’s toy is broken Most students will go through a period of mourning, but will move on and does not affect their long-term performance. A student with EBD will go into long-term mourning and acting out, may seek revenge continually, and will not move on with anything else. Information from Teaching Students Who Are Exceptional, Diverse, and At Risk in the General Education Classroom; Vaughn, Bos, Schumm

What to do to help with determining if a student had EBD? Document, document, and document Keep annotated records of the student’s behavior

What to do to help with determining if a student had EBD? Example: This is one of 12 statements written on Student B in one class during one year. On February 9, I, Teacher A, asked Student B to sit in his assigned seat. Student B refused and continued to sit in the wrong seat. I asked Student B again and again he refused. I asked him to go to the office to discuss his defiant behavior. At this time Student B left. A short time later Student B returned. He said he was going to stay. I instructed Student B to return to the office until he talked to the Vice Principal. Student B refused, so I asked Student B to leave again. He refused again saying you can’t take away his math time. I asked Student B to be quiet, with the hopes that he would sit quietly and I could start class and deal with his behavior later. When I tried to start class, Student B kept interrupting me and causing a disruption. At this point I called Vice Principal to inform him that Student B was being disruptive and refused to leave the room. I started class. Every time I wrote something on the board or said something. Student B would say, “You are wrong,” or “That’s wrong.” Student B kept repeating this until Vice Principal arrived. The Vice Principal had to ask Student B multiple times to leave before Student B would leave. Statement written by Teacher A on February 9

What to do to help with determining if a student had EBD? When should you start documenting? – As soon as you have an issue that is continual or outside the norm. Such as a student continually being disrespectful to their peers or a verbal altercation. Anything that needs more than, “Please stop doing that.” – Write your statement as soon as you can after the incident happens, the longer you wait the more you forget or misconstrue. Document the facts, not your opinions. – These statements may end up being used in diagnosing the student or in court. – These statements are helpful in preparing for when you are called into an IEP meeting or court months later.

Ways to Differentiate the Instruction of Students with EBD Preferential seating to minimize student’s triggers Eliminate or minimize distractions in the classroom Break work into smaller components Develop nonverbal cues to redirect the student Have a clear set of expectations and consequences and have it in writing Have a behavior contract to target certain behavior Have system to ensure student completes work from missed classes due to behavior issues

Emotional and Behavioral Disabilities A condition exhibiting characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child's educational performance Document the behaviors you observed, focusing on the characteristics discussed The earlier a student is diagnosed, the more successful treatment, with less impact on student’s academic and social achievements