Emotional Disturbance & The
Least Restrictive Environment
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF
SPECIAL EDUCATION
TEACHERS
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Educational Placements
for Students with ED
• Under IDEA, all students in special
education must be educated in the least
restrictive environment.
• Least Restrictive Environment—The
principle under IDEA that children in
special education must be educated
with their non disabled peers to the
maximum extent appropriate
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Educational Placements
for Students with ED
Where are students with ED being educated?—
• General Education/Inclusion Classroom
• Resource Room
• Separate Class (self-contained class)
• Separate School
• Residential Facility
• Psychiatric Hospital
• Homebound/Hospital
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General Education or
Inclusion Classroom
• Approximately 28% of all students classified with
an emotional disturbance receive their education
in the general education or inclusion classroom
environment
• The exceptional student receives the same
academic instruction as the general education
students with individualized academic and
behavior management services as needed
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Resource Room
• Approximately 23 % of all students
classified with an emotional disturbance
receive their education in a resource room.
• The exceptional student receives academic
instruction in the general education
classroom and the special education
resource room. The division of time is
based on the student’s individualized
academic and behavioral needs
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Special Education Classroom
• Approximately 31% of all students classified with
an emotional disturbance receive their education
in a special education classroom (Also referred to
as a “self-contained” classroom).
• The exceptional student receives all educational
services in the special education classroom
• Students who are placed in self-contained
classrooms tend to have more severe and
disruptive behaviors than students who are placed
in resource rooms
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Separate Special Education School
• Approximately 14% of all students classified with
an emotional disturbance receive their education
in a separate special education school (also
referred to as an “Alternative Day School”).
• The exceptional student receives all educational
services in a setting that is separate from the
regular public school.
• The alternative school is specially designed for
students who have academic and/or behavioral
problems that are too severe or disruptive for the
public school setting
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Residential Treatment Facility
• Approximately 2% of all students classified with
an emotional disturbance receive their education
in a residential treatment facility (also referred to
as a RTF or RTC (Residential Treatment Center)
• The exceptional student receives all educational
services in a residential facility providing 24-hour
care for a time period normally ranging from a
few months to a year or more, depending on the
severity of the problem
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Residential Treatment Facility
• Outdoor adventure programs are often a critical
component of certain residential treatment
programs
• programs attempt to teach students with ED
thinking and decision making skills, group
cooperation, self-reliance, and social skills
combined with wilderness experiences.
• Although safety considerations are always
factored in, there is a certain element of risk
involved in some of the activities, which lends its
appeal to students with ED, especially those with
serious behavioral issues.
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Psychiatric Hospital Placement
• Approximately 1% of all students classified with
an emotional disturbance receive their education
in a psychiatric hospital placement
• Individualized assessment, intervention, and
medical and educational services are provided in a
hospital setting for students with severe
psychological and/or medical problems that
cannot be managed on an outpatient basis
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Homebound Instruction
• Approximately 1% of all students classified
with an emotional disturbance receive their
education as homebound instruction.
• Individualized educational services are
provided in the student’s home when he/she
is unable to attend school for medical,
behavioral or other reasons
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Final Key Point on
Educational Placement
• **Conclusion-Relative to other students with
disabilities, children with emotional or behavioral
disorders:
• …. are more likely to be educated outside the
general education classroom (72% of the time, on
average
• ….and in almost half the cases, not educated in the
general education classroom at all, e.g., selfcontained, alternative day school, RSF, hospital or
homebound)
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Educational Implications of
Students with Emotional Disturbance
• School failure is the common link among
students with emotional and behavioral
disorders.
• Regardless of intellectual potential, students
with emotional or behavioral disorders do
not perform well academically.
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Educational Implications of
Students with Emotional Disturbance
• As compared to students without
disabilities, students with emotional or
behavioral disorders leave school at higher
rates and are placed in more restrictive
settings.
• Research suggests that approximately 50%
of students with emotional and/or
behavioral disorders drop out of high school
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