Emotional Disturbance
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Evaluation meets requirements of Section 5, Chapter 4 pgs 49 -50 of the Idaho Special Education Manual 2007.
Student has been documented as having an emotional condition by a school psychologist, a physician, a licensed psychologist, or a
certified social worker.
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 The student has been observed exhibiting one or more of the 5 behavioral characteristics:
inability to learn, not due to intellectual, sensory or health factors;
inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships;
inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances;
general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression;
tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems.
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 These characteristics have been observed:
For a long period of time (at least 6 mo.)
By more than one knowledgeable observer.
In more than 1 setting
At a level and frequency, duration, and/or intensity that is significantly different from other students’ behavior in the same or
similar circumstances.
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 Condition adversely affects educational performance in the area of academics, peer and teacher interaction, participation in class
activities, and/or classroom conduct.
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 The student needs special education.
Certified eligible by the Evaluation Team.
3. ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATION (All 3 following criteria must be documented to support eligibility)
Evaluation Team Assessment Summary: (Summarize the findings and document the disability based on Idaho
state criteria from the various forms of evaluation used to determine a present level of performance, including
assessments, observations, interviews, standards, and other relevant and current documentation.)
The results of intellectual testing indicates that Steve is a very bright student with a Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children-Second
Edition (KABCII) Fluid-Crystallized Index score of 132 (98th percentile). However, despite his full scale IQ being within the Upper Extreme
range, Steve's cognitive skills varied somewhat depending upon the expectations of each type of task. Steve performed the best on tasks
involving general knowledge, fluid reasoning, and visual-spatial processing. His scores were somewhat less developed (but still average
or above) on tasks relating to short-term memory and long-term retrieval.
Steve's scores on the Test of Problem Solving 3 - Elementary indicate that when given picture cues and verbal scenarios/questions in a
testing situation, his ability to make inferences, predict outcomes, determine causes, generate solutions to problems fall within the
average range when compared to his same-age peers (SS: 106). He attended well to the testing stimuli, took his time and put thought
into his responses. He appeared to need time to process and think before responding. Throughout the assessment, Steve used high-level
vocabulary for a student his age. No language concerns were noted as a result of the assessment and observation.
According to the Woodcock-Johnson-III, Steve's overall scores in all areas of academics were above his grade level and age equivalency,
placing him in the average to "advanced"; "advanced"; or "very advanced" in normative classifications. Math Fluency is one area that
Steve scored in the "average" range (see attached forms). His Total Achievement Score was ranked at the 97th percentile nationally.
National Percentile rank was 97 which means that he scored higher than about 97% of seven-year old children nationally on that
measure.
The results of both the parent and teacher Behavior Assessment System for Children-II (BASC-II) indicated that Steve demonstrates
clinically significant symptoms of both Anxiety and Withdrawal. His anxiety has contributed to many classroom behaviors that have
placed Steve and his classmates in unsafe situations. In addition, classroom ratings have indicated that in the large group environment,
Steve also has clinically significant behaviors in the areas of aggression, depression, and atypicality. He has a clinically significant skill
deficit in the area of adaptability, along with "atrisk" scores within the areas of social skills and functional communication.
The results of the Scales for Assessing Emotional Disturbance-2 indicate that Steve's behavior in the classroom is within the "Indicative of
ED" to "Highly Indicative of ED" range. Steve was rated the highest on the Unhappiness or Depression and Physical Symptom or Fear
scales. On each of these scales, his behavior was rated as being at or above the 99th percentile when compared to his age peers. Steve's
ratings on the BASC-II also indicate that he requires social/emotional and behavioral intervention to be successful in the school setting.
Further the results of both the BASC-II and the SAED-2 support the appropriateness of the educational classification of Emotional
Disturbance. See below for an explanation of the criteria.
Developmental History showed that Steve met his developmental milestones and parent did not see characteristics of Autism Spectrum
displayed by Steve. Mom shared he has a medical diagnosis of bilateral club feet.
Steve's sensory processing evaluation results indicate that he is significantly different from his peers with regard to how he processes
sensory information and in his response. Steve is more sensitive to sensory input than other students his age, and he tends to rely on
Eligibility Example-Emotional Disturbance-elementary student
more passive strategies to regulate his needs. His sensory threshold is low for noticing input and his responses appear disproportionate
to what one might typically expect.
EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE CRITERIA:
Definition: A student with emotional disturbance has a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long
period of time, and to a marked degree, that adversely affects his educational performance:
1. An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors;
*Steve is a very bright student who was able to demonstrate above average performance on an individually administered test of
academic ability. However, despite his strong intellect and academic skills, academic demands are often a trigger for Steve's behavior.
He has missed numerous hours of instructional time due to emotional outbursts and has also repeatedly refused to complete multiple
academic tasks (ones that he should be able to complete easily due to his skill level).
2. An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers:
*According to the results of both the parent and teacher BASC-II, Steve has a strong tendency toward withdrawing from social
interactions with his peers in large group settings. He often refuses to participate in group activities and fails to demonstrate ageappropriate social skills at school. In addition, Steve's behavior was rated as being within the "at-risk" range for aggression on the BASCII. He has been observed to retaliate against peers for minor infractions and has targeted his peers aggressively on more than one
occasion. The results of the the SAED-2 also support this criterion.
3. In appropriate types of behaviors or feelings under normal circumstances:
*According to the results of the teacher BASC-II, Steve demonstrates clinically significant atypical behaviors. The Atypicality scale on the
BASC-II is designed to evaluate odd or repetitive behaviors that are not generally seen in school-age children. In addition, Steve has
demonstrated behaviors, such as refusing to speak to adults, re-arranging furniture in the classroom when he is anxious, pushing over
desks/chairs when he is escalated, refusing to use the bathroom at school and demonstrating a preference to wear his coat and hat in
school. Steve struggles to handle his feelings of anxiety, and will escalate to the point of unsafe behavior towards others when he
becomes stressed. The types of situations that make him anxious (being asked to participate in a group activity, being asked to complete
a task, being redirected by the teacher), do not appear to have the same affect on other students. The results of the SAED-2 also support
this criterion.
4. A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression:
*According to the results of the teacher BASC-II, Steve was rated as being clinically significant on the Depression scale. The teacher
reported that he often appears sad, rarely smiles, and often refuses to talk to adults when upset. He also appears lonely much of the
time and seems pessimistic. The results of the SAED-2 also support this criterion.
5. A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems:
*According to the results of the parent and teacher BASC-II, Steve is highly anxious. He worries excessively, often appears nervous,
refuses to talk, gets upset when plans are changed, is often fearful, is easily upset, and refuses to work with a partner or in groups. Steve
has sometimes expressed that he is afraid to make mistakes. The results of the SAED-2 also support this criterion.
Steve has been observed in the school environment in multiple settings by multiple staff members exhibiting one or more of the five
behavioral or emotional characteristics listed in the definition of emotional disturbance.
The characteristic(s) has been observed: for a long period of time (at least 6 months); and by more than one knowledgeable observer;
and in more than one setting and at a level of frequency, duration, and/or intensity that is significantly different from other students'
behavior in the same or similar circumstances.
Adverse Effect on Educational Performance: (Indicate evidence of the effect of the disability on the student’s
performance.)
Steve's behavior and social challenges have interfered with both his academic and social success in the regular education classroom. As a
result of his behaviors, Steve has missed a significant amount of instructional time in the classroom. Further, his extreme behaviors have
prevented him from attending physical education class. From a sensory perspective, in an active environment such as a general
education classroom, there are few opportunities to lessen the sensory processing demand; hence when Steve attempts to meet his
sensory needs, his behavior is viewed as maladaptive and socially inappropriate whether by withdrawing or through aggression. The
behaviors that Steve has exhibited that interfere with his academics have also prevented him from building relationships with peers,
having the abiity to problem solve, regulate his emotional needs, as well as he has demonstrated that he is not able to take ownership
for his own choices and show accountability.
Students who are Steve’s peers are able to regulate themselves and problem solve so that they are not missing instruction and they are
able to build and maintain peer relationships.
Eligibility Example-Emotional Disturbance-elementary student
Need for Specially Designed Instruction: (Describe resources necessary to support the student to access and
progress in the general education curriculum.)
Steve needs sensory accommodations, adaptations or supports to help him better adapt in the educational setting. He will need to have
instruction on reading his readiness and making choices to help him either de-escalate or to rev his ready state to better attend to the
learning or social environment that he is in. He will need to have this taught specifically with visual representation to assist in learning
reference points and then this can be faded to prompts to check in and make choices to self-regulate.
In addition, he will need to have behavioral supports implemented to help him better manage his anxiety, cope with unexpected
changes, and make safer choices when his anxious feelings overwhelm him. Steve will need to have specific instruction with frequent
opportunities to practice replacement strategies and frequent feedback on success and corrections.
4. ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATION
In consideration of the reported information, the evaluation team finds the student [ X] is [ ] is not eligible under
the category ____Emotional Disturbance___.
Eligibility Example-Emotional Disturbance-elementary student