Overview
 EDB Abbreviation
1975: “seriously emotionally disturbed”
Behaviorally disordered
 Umbrella term for:
bi-polar disorder
anxiety disorders (including PTSD, various phobias)
conduct disorders (ex: oppositional defiant disorder)
eating disorders
obsessive-compulsive disorder
psychotic disorders (schizophrenia)
**Schizophrenia: does not apply to children who are socially maladjusted, unless
they meet other EDB behaviors
Definition
 IDEA Definition: a condition exhibiting 1+ of the following characteristics over a
long period of time that adversely affects a child’s educational performance:
1. An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health
factors
2. An inability to build/maintain relationships with peers and teachers
3. Inappropriate behavior under normal circumstances
4. General unhappiness or depression
5. A tendency to develop physical symptoms/ fears associated with personal or
school problems
Characteristics
 National Alliance on Mental Illness: Mental Illnesses are medical conditions that
disrupt a person’s thinking, feeling, mood, ability to relate to others, and daily
functioning. Just as diabetes is a disorder of the pancreas, mental illnesses are
medical conditions that often result in a diminished capacity for coping with the
ordinary demands of life.
Stigmas of mental health disorders
 Hyperactivity, Aggression, Withdrawal, Immaturity, Learning difficulties
Key: long periods of time vs. typical child development
Learning Strategies
 The question: To medicate or not? Are we over-medicating children? Ex: ADD or
ADHD
 SNL: Safe, Nurturing Learning Environment***
 Communication!
 Therapy
 Choosing to adapt the WHAT or the HOW
 Know your students and their specific behaviors/triggers
How each child learns the best
Resources for Teachers
 Positive Behavior Support
 American Psychological Association
http://www.apa.org/index.aspx
 10 Tips for teaching students with EBD (click on link):
 http://nichcy.org/teaching-students-with-e-d
 Helpful Articles about “dealing” with children with EBD
https://www.k12.wa.us/SpecialEd/Families/pubdocs/bestpractices.pdf
 http://cecp.air.org/aft_nea.pdf
Interview 1: Special Educator
 “Each child comes to you in puzzle pieces. It is up to the teacher to figure out the
modes to use when teaching them. Oral, tactile, active, passive, peer-tutoring,
individual, group, movement, music. Technology has been a great benefit in
teaching with carefully selected programs that can hold attention and actually
teach with built in rewards.”
 Mostly worked with children with ADD, ADHD, ODD, PTSD, Bi-Polar Disorder,
and Abuse and Neglect
Medication seemed to make a positive impact: teachers cannot make a diagnosis
but can report observations to a physician
 Characteristics you saw:
Bi-Polar: no two days were ever the same
PTSD was usually accompanied with denial or depression
 PATIENCE
 Explicitly teach and practice social skills, have someone that can help you
Interview 2: Residential Treatment Center Employee
 Harder to diagnose at an early age and may change overtime
 Bi-Polar disorder, Anxiety disorders, eating disorders, among many others
 Common behaviors: difficulty coping in stressful situations, defiance, struggles
with interpersonal relationships
 Need to do what is best for each individual and treat each situation independently
from one another
 Effective therapy: DBT- non judgmental, therapeutic assignments, group, family,
and individual therapy
 Learning strategies: more one-on-one time, planning, and structured activities
 Ignored and often unnoticed by general population- therapeutic academic
assignments would be a great benefit