Emotional Disturbance
Definition of Emotional
Disturbance
• (i) The term means 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:
• (A) An ability to learn which cannot be
explained by intellectual, sensory, or health
factors;
Definition of ED (2)
• (B) An inability to build or maintain
satisfactory interpersonal relationships with
peers and teachers;
• (C) Inappropriate types of behavior or
feelings under normal circumstances;
• (D) A general pervasive mood of
unhappiness or depression; or
Definition of ED (3)
• (E) A tendency to develop physical
symptoms or fears assocaited with personal
or school problems.
• (ii) The term includes children who are
schizophrenic or autistic. The term does not
include children who are socially
maladjusted unless it is determined that they
are seriously emotionally disturbed.
(Federal Register, August 23, 1977)
Why the sudden increase in the
number of ED students?
• Previously they have
been:
• Dropouts
• Pushouts
• Runways--100,00 on
any given day
• Inadequately served as
LD
• Incarcerated
• in revolving door
suspensions (see
Honig v. Doe)
• Truant
• Most of these doors
are substantially now
closed
Four dimensions of disordered
behavior
• Frequency
• Duration
• Topography (time, place, setting of
behavior)
• Magnitude or intensity of behavior
• ED is a psychologist’s opinion and not a
measurement
Causes of Emotional
Disturbances
• Biological
• Psychological,
including the influence
of home--quality and
quantity of parental
and sibling attention
• Influence of school.
Quality of behavior
management,
especially
A Tale of Two Terms
• Neurosis. The neurotic worries too much.
This might describe a lot of lives in our
contemporary world.
• Psychosis. The psychotic is past worry and
is out of touch with reality at least part of
the time.
• “The neurotic builds castles in the air; the
psychotic goes to live in them.”
Phobias and their treatment
• Phobias are fears that
go far beyond
evidence. Sometimes
fear is wise.
• Acrophobia is a fear of
high places.
• Agoraphobia is a fear
of open places
• Algophobia is a fear of
pain.
• Anthrophobia is a fear
of mankind
• Claustrophobia is a
fear of closed places.
• Mysophobia is a fear
of germs
Phobias (2)
• Monophobia is a fear
of being alone.
• Nyctophobia is a fear
of night or darkness
• Ochlophobia is a fear
of crowds
• Syphilophobia is a
fear of syphilis
• Thanatophobia is an
exaggerated fear of
death
• Zoophobia is a fear of
one or all animals
• Phobias are not a
problem if they do not
prevent the person
from enjoying life.
Treatments for phobias
• Exhaustion or flooding method.
Advantages: time, simplicity.
Disadvantages: real risk to client; spread of
phobia if procedure fails. Ethics can be a
concern depending upon how things are
handled. Best use of flooding: minor
phobias, phobias that are not intense or
deeply internalized.
Treatments for phobias (2)
• De-sensitization method. Advantages:
natural method; less real risk to client; less
likelihood of spread of effect if the
procedure does not work; usually more
comfortable for the client since he is
partially in control. Disadvantages: time,
possible lack of motivation of client.
• For more deep-seated phobias
Demographics of ED students
• More likely male
• Most likely eighth
grade
• More likely disruptive
than withdrawn
• Decision to drop out
of school is made in
the seventh grade,
acted upon later
Schizophrenia
• Disorganized schizophrenia is characterized
by a flat or incongruous affect. There may
be bizarre mannerisms and social isolation.
The onset of this type of schizophrenia
occurs early in life and tends to be chronic.
• Catatonic schizophrenia is noted by periods
of stupor, mutism, and psychomotor
agitation, contrasted with periods of almost
constant talking and delusions of grandeur.
Schizophrenia (2)
• Paranoid schizophrenia tends to occur in
later life (30s) and is characterized by
suspiciousness and delusions of persecution
and grandeur.
• Most likely schizoid, if the classroom
teacher ever has one in class, is the
disorganized one. Know where his
medicine is.
Characteristics of Autism
If a child has at least half of the
symptoms on the following list, he or
she may be diagnosed as autistic:
Autistic characteristics (1)
• Difficulty in
socializing with other
children
• Acts deaf.
• Resists learning
• No fear of real
dangers.
• Resists changes in
routine
• Indicates needs by
gesture rather than
speaking or pointing
• Inappropriate laughing
or giggling
• Resists cuddling
• Marked physical
overactivity
Autistic characteristics (2)
• Avoids eye contact
• Inappropriate
attachment to objects
• Spins objects
• Sustained odd play
• Standoffish manner
• Characteristics
become noticeable
before CA 30 months,
The first few months
of life seem normal,
but then they seem to
withdraw from the
world.
• Source: Autism
Society of America
Indicators of suicide
• Age range 15 to 24
• Depressed or irritable mood
• Loss of enjoyment or interest in normally
pleasurable activities
• Change in weight, appetite, or eating habits
• Problems with sleeping, either insomnia or
hypersomnia
Indicators of suicide (2)
• Psychomotor agitation or retardation
(hyperactivity in children)
• Loss of energy or feelings of fatigue
• Feelings of worthlessness or excessive or
inappropriate guilt
• Diminished ability to attend, think, or
concentrate (indecisiveness)
• Recurrent thoughts of death or suicide
Approaches to Teaching
Emotionally Disturbed Students
• Psychodynamic strategy. Freudian
approach that attempts to bring the id, ego,
and superego into balance with each other.
Sometimes referred to as the “five year
couch” approach. One feature of this
approach that is frequently used in schools
is the “life space interview” following a
crisis. Problem: need something more proactive in a school situation.
Approaches to ED (2)
• Biogenic approach. Appropriate when
problems are more physical than mental.
Schizophrenia, substance abuse, glucose,
ADHD, and other medically related
problems.
• Humanistic approach. Teacher acts as a
non-authoritarian “resource and catalyst”
rather than being directive. For most ED
students this approach is not recommended.
Behavior modification
• Behavior is controlled by its consequences
until the student gains self-control.
• BMOD has the strongest research base of
any of the approaches for ED.
• Even with BMOD there are some situations
that do not always work. ED is the last
great frontier of special education teaching.
Approaches for ED
• Ecological approaches. These try to rearrange key elements in the child’s
environment, including his home, to
facilitate his adjustment to the world.
• The combination of behavioral and
ecological approaches, called Project REED, has been the most effective thus far.
The goal of discipline is selfdiscipline
The goal is not to find or invent novel
ways to punish people
CONTINUUM
OF DISCIPLINARY
METHODS
Disciplinary
Continuum
________________________________________________________________________________
Looking On Discipline
Behaviors
With Dignity
Reality Assertive Behavior
Therapy Discipline
Mod.
__________________________________________________
Simple
Discipline
Reality
Assertive
Behavior
Control
With
Dignity
Therapy
Discipline
Modification
Looking On Behaviors (Simple
Control)
• For classes with a
minimum of
disciplinary challenge
• “Please,” “Thank
you,” and “May I see
your eyes”
• Big advantage:
Doesn’t quash
creativity
Discipline with Dignity
• Long-term behavior
changes vs. short-term
quick fixes
• Stop doing ineffective
things
• I will be fair, and I
won’t always treat
everyone the same
• Rules must make
sense
• Model what you
expect
• Responsibility is more
important than
obedience (??!!)
• Always treat students
with dignity
Glasser’s Reality Therapy
Approach
• “What am I doing?”
• Is it working?
• Recognition--Give the student the “time of
day.”
• What are you doing?
• Is it against the rules?
Glasser’s Reality Therapy
Approach (2)
• Work it out (and make a plan), to wit:
•
No excuses
•
No planning for failure
•
No labeling and forgetting
•
No exempting from the rule--the student
is responsible
•
No punishment at this point
Glasser’s Reality Therapy (3)
•
•
•
•
Isolate from the class
OUT to in-school suspension
Send the student home
Get professional help
Canter’s Assertive Discipline
Percent | X
|
Of |
X
X
X
|
Students |
X
X
|
Off
|
X
|
Task
X
X
|
X
X
X
X
__________________________________________
rules
0
1 2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10 11 12
If you could have five to seven
rules,
What would they be?
Typical Assertive Discipline rules
• Come to class with all of your study
materials
• Listen to what the teacher and classmates
have to say
• Respect the body and privacy rights of
others
• Attempt every assignment
• Speak about others as you would like to be
spoken of
Typical consequences in an
assertive discipline classroom
• First offense (no warnings given)--name on
board, lose 10 minutes of recess or lunch
• Second offense--check mark by name, lose
thirty minutes of recess or after school
• Third offense--for schools that operate DHall, Saturday D-hall
• Fourth--corporal punishment or suspension
• Severe clause--see principal immediately
Canter’s disciplinary personality
types
• Assertive--tells
students what is
expected and informs
them when they have
done it
• Non-assertive-opposite of assertive
• Hostile--meets own
needs at expense of
students
Behavior modification
• For most demanding
disciplinary situations
• Fits well with mastery
learning,
individualized
instruction, and
contracts
• Very structured
How a token economy works (1)
• Students earn tokens for doing school work.
Combined with individualized instruction,
this provides a very fair means of assigning
work
• Mastery learning is incorporated in that
only work done to at least 80 % accuracy
gets paid for
How a token economy works (2)
• Work not up to 80% gets returned marked
“Not finished.” In BMOD parlance, this is
extinction
• Fines can be used to remedy misbehavior
• Time-out can be worked into the system
• Tokens can be charged for pencils and
paper, encouraging responsibility
The behavior-modifier’s tools
Positive reinforcement, response cost,
timeout, overcorrection, extinction,
ALT-R, negative reinforcement, PAC
Effective positive reinforcement
• Should be something
that the STUDENT
finds rewarding
• In schools, will likely
be tertiary
reinforcement
• Beware of satiation
• Timeliness
• Reinforcers can
change
Using response cost effectively
• Spell out the rules of
the game early
• Allow for buildup of
reserve without telling
students
• Take fining only so far
before mixing it with
other techniques such
as time out
Using time out effectively
• Remove the person
from sources of
stimulation
immediately
• Timeout situation must
be neutral with no
reinforcing properties
of its own
• Short in duration
Overcorrection (restitution)
• Insure the relevance of the corrective
measure to the problem behavior
• Apply the procedure immediately and
consistently
• Keep the performance consistent during
overcorrection. If the student is having to
walk heel-toe, do not allow him to run the
last few yards.
Extinction (systematic nonreinforcement)
• Specify the conditions
for extinction so that
the child knows why
these things are
happening
• Dispense no
reinforcement before
its time
• Watch for spontaneous
recovery
Reinforcement of alternative
behaviors (ALT-R)
• Behavior to be reinforced must be
incompatible with that to be extinguished
• Alternative behavior must already be
established
• Alternative behavior must be one that is
likely to be supported by the natural
environment
Negative reinforcement, also
called escape conditioning
• Do not allow the
noxious stimulus to
become aversive or a
different set of
behaviors will take
over.
• Dispense Rimmediately
• Do not remove the
noxious stimulus
Using PAC effectively
• Communicate the
rules before beginning
an episode where PAC
might be used
• No escape after
announcement that
PAC is about to occur
• Consistent and
immediate application
• Present at strong
intensity
• Combine PAC with
extinction so that the
student will not
attempt the prohibited
behavior again.
Differences between negative
reinforcement and PAC
• Negative
reinforcement uses a
noxious stimulus
• NR has an increase in
behaviors as its goal
• Presentation of
aversive consequences
uses an aversive
stimulus
• PAC has the
elimination of
behaviors as its goal
Whatever we do,
Let us remember that helping the
student is what we are trying to do.