Running head: EMOTIONAL BEHAVIORAL DISABILITIES AND INTERVENTIONS IN
THE SECONDARY CLASSROOM
Emotional Behavioral Disabilities and Interventions in the Secondary Classroom
Ruthie Gronenthal
Seattle Pacific University
EMOTIONAL BEHAVIORAL DISABILITIES AND INTERVENTIONS IN THE
SECONDARY CLASSROOM
Emotional Behavioral Disabilities and Interventions in the Secondary Classroom
It is not well known among teachers how to best work with students who have emotional
behavioral disabilities in the classroom. Many disorders fall under the category of emotional
behavioral disorders- including anxiety disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and
attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)- and according to Sutherland (2000), many of
these disorders cause students to exhibit low level social and academic problems, and affect their
success later in life as well. Students with emotional disabilities have the worst outcomes in
educational as well as other arenas out of any disability groups (Bradley et al, 2004). Among
general education teachers, there is not a commonly known methodology for helping students
with these disorders succeed in the classroom. However, there has been some hope in that
several successful intervention methods have been researched and published. These methods
need to be taught to teachers in professional development settings to help teachers have more
successful classrooms for all students.
The structure of our public education system is not supporting our students with
emotional behavioral disabilities. First of all, many of our disciplinary interventions for negative
behavior do not help these students. According to Hanover Research (2013), interventions that
involve zero tolerance policies in schools, such as suspensions and expulsions can be harmful for
students with emotional behavioral disorders. These punishments remove the students from
teachers and counselors that help and support them towards more successful interactions socially
and academically. There are other interventions that bring negative consequences for actions that
don’t remove students from the classroom, and these are the ones that should be used with
emotional behavioral students.
EMOTIONAL BEHAVIORAL DISABILITIES AND INTERVENTIONS IN THE
SECONDARY CLASSROOM
Second, teachers are more likely to have negative interactions with students then positive
ones in relation to behavior in the classroom. In a review of positive interaction studies by
Sutherland (2000), rates of praise for students with emotional behavioral disorders were 1.2 to
4.5 per hour per student, meaning that students were given praise 1.2 to 4.5 times per hour. This
is a very low rate of praise-no wonder students with emotional behavioral disorders feel under
supported and aggressive in the classroom. Trussell et al (2008) reports that negative teaching
practices are associated with disruptive behavior, while positive behavior results in greater
rapport with students and therefore a decrease in negative behavior. This is evidence that greater
emphasis in the classroom needs to be on positive interactions, no matter what the behaviors or
needs of the student.
Finally, teachers just don’t know how to best help their students with emotional
behavioral disorders. Trainings in interventions for students with emotional behavioral problems
are lacking (Hanover research, 2013), and therefore teachers use what they know in the
classroom. While other classroom management techniques work well with general students,
those with emotional behavioral disorders do not always respond to these methods due to the
social and academic challenges they face. This is hard to implement in schools today, however,
due to increased focus on Common Core standards and closing the achievement gap.
According to research, there are several methods that teachers can use to help students
with emotional behavioral disabilities to succeed in their classrooms. First, teachers should
realize that the classroom environment is important for helping students succeed. Research has
shown that physical classroom layout can be used as an intervention in helping curb problem
behavior. The environmental conditions of the classroom, such as routines and expectations of
students, are extremely important for students with emotional behavioral disabilities. When
EMOTIONAL BEHAVIORAL DISABILITIES AND INTERVENTIONS IN THE
SECONDARY CLASSROOM
teachers have structured classroom routines and clear expectations, it has been found that the
amount of aggressive and off-task behavior decreases, and classrooms that are not as organized
or clear on student responsibilities have higher instances of academic engagement for students
with emotional behavioral disorders (Trussell et al, 2008). Classrooms with positive
environments help students participate and learn, and help with the development of social skills
(Trussell et al, 2008)-skills that students with emotional behavioral disabilities need.
Another strategy that can be used with students is an increase in positive interactions
with students. As stated before, most teachers are not giving students high levels of praise in the
classroom. Research show that when teachers give students more praise in the classroom,
students improve. Sutherland (2000) reports that in a study of a 7th grade and a 10th grade student
with off-task behaviors, the amount of correct answers given in a math setting increased when
teacher praise increased. Another study referenced by Sutherland (2000) stated that 10 and 11
year old students with emotional behavioral disabilities were able to read more words correctly
per minute when more praise was given to the students. Students who were given more praise
also showed increased on-task behavior when praise interventions were applied to classroom,
and students who were given more praise showed a decrease in disruptive behaviors in the
classroom (Sutherland, 2000). Simply put, when teachers give more praise to their students, the
students are more likely to be on-task and learning well.
Sutherland also reports that teachers are more likely to improve on the amount of praise
they give through two methods: peer coaching and self-evaluation. With peer coaching, teachers
are observed by another teacher and giving feedback to the teacher to improve teaching
strategies. Teachers who use self-evaluation videotape their instruction and use the footage to
evaluate their instructional methods. Both of these methods can provide insight to teachers on
EMOTIONAL BEHAVIORAL DISABILITIES AND INTERVENTIONS IN THE
SECONDARY CLASSROOM
their methods of providing praise in the classroom, and they are great for different reasons. Peer
coaching allows for teachers to receive feedback that might not be picked up by the teacher
themselves, as we all focus and see different aspects of teaching. The new perspectives that can
be gained through being observed are valuable, for increasing the amount of praise given along
with other teaching strategies as well. Self-evaluation is another great method for improving the
amount of praise teachers give their students, as reviewing videotape footage allows teachers to
watch and take notice of things that they wouldn’t catch during instruction. There is the ability to
rewind and re-watch for certain instructional strategies; in real time teaching the focus is on
running the lesson, not necessarily on other instructional strategies. Both of these strategies can
bring improvement on the amount of praise that teachers give in the classroom.
Self-management is a strategy that places behavioral responsibility in the hands of the
student, and is another great intervention for students with emotional behavioral disorders. When
self-evaluation strategies are taught within self-management, students are more likely to manage
their own behaviors better. Students are more likely to accept responsibility for their behavior,
and less teacher instructional time is devoted to managing student behavior (Kern et al, 1994).
Different interventions that fall under self-management include students observing and recording
their own behaviors, comparing their actions to established criteria, and setting their own goals
and making their own progress towards those goals (Hanover Research, 2013). They are also
shown to improve academic behavior, social skills, and attendance for students with and without
disabilities (Kern et al, 1994). Self-management strategies work well because they shift the
control from teacher to student, and the student realizes that they have the power to control their
choices and behaviors-they can’t blame anyone else for the consequences of their actions.
EMOTIONAL BEHAVIORAL DISABILITIES AND INTERVENTIONS IN THE
SECONDARY CLASSROOM
Functional Behavioral Assessment is another strategy that is useful for helping students
with emotional behavioral disabilities by identifying the cause behind the behavior that is
occurring with the student. This is a strategy that works well because it targets the cause behind
the actions, rather than just trying to fix the action. When intervening in a different way, such as
reprimanding a student for an inappropriate action, might seem like the right thing to do,
sometimes it negatively impacts the situation. For example, if a student is looking for teacher
attention and is trying to get it through undesired attention, the negative reprimand that comes
from the teacher in a normal setting acts as a reinforcement for the behavior, as it got the
teacher’s attention (Glenn & Waller, 2007). Instead of just reprimanding the student,
approaching the situation by asking why the student is acting out can help address the main
problem the student is having, and help to solve it. This can help prevent future acting out
situations, leading to a more positive classroom situation for both the teacher and the student.
Because there are so many disorders that fall under the emotional behavioral spectrum,
there is no cookie-cutter solution for all issues in the classroom. Each student comes in with a
unique set of needs for their learning, and teachers must work with the student to determine
which combination of interventions is best. This is another reason why this topic falls under the
special education umbrella. While these students have disabilities, they are unique disabilities,
and present themselves uniquely for each student. Therefore, the teacher must approach each
situation in a different manner, and know that each intervention might not work for one student
like it did for another student. Unique instruction and trial-and-error are important for helping
students with emotional behavioral problems succeed in the classroom.
Additional research is needed on this topic, particularly in the areas of helping students
with emotional behavioral disabilities in the general education classroom. While these strategies
EMOTIONAL BEHAVIORAL DISABILITIES AND INTERVENTIONS IN THE
SECONDARY CLASSROOM
are especially great for individual instruction, general education teachers often don’t have the
opportunity to test out these strategies when their classes have at least 25-30 students. There are
a lot of things happening in a general education classroom setting, and devoting time to teaching
self-management of behavior isn’t always available over other classroom activities. Students
with emotional behavioral disabilities tend to be segregated from the rest of their peers, and are
placed in more restrictive settings than other students with disabilities. Because of this, students
with emotional disabilities take the same quizzes and test that their peers do, but many of them
are excluded from class presentations, do not work independently, and do not work with a peer
or group as often as the whole class (Bradley et al, 2004). However, this does not do well for
encouraging the social skills that these students need to develop, and incorporating these students
into the general education classroom can help them develop the skills, if done correctly.
Research and presentation of strategies for applying these techniques to the general education
classroom would be helpful, and time for professional development for teachers should be
devoted to this topic.
Another area of research that is needed for students with emotional behavioral disabilities
is the teaching of core subjects to these students. There is plenty of research around about
teaching students with Autism and other disabilities in the core subjects, but students with
emotional behavioral disabilities are not as well researched or understood as a whole, especially
in this area. While much of the research for students with emotional behavioral disabilities
centers around behavioral situations, which is most influenced by the disabilities, it would be
naïve to believe that teaching of core subjects isn’t affected by these types of disabilities.
Therefore, more research is needed on this topic to help teachers educate these students in core
subjects using best practice strategies.
EMOTIONAL BEHAVIORAL DISABILITIES AND INTERVENTIONS IN THE
SECONDARY CLASSROOM
While educating students with emotional behavioral disabilities can be difficult and
frustrating, teachers are responsible to do so in the best way they can. However, teachers are not
given the tools that they need to be successful in the classroom with these students. The
strategies listed above are great methods for working with students who have emotional
behavioral disabilities, but more professional development and training is necessary in order to
fully equip educators for success for every student.
EMOTIONAL BEHAVIORAL DISABILITIES AND INTERVENTIONS IN THE
SECONDARY CLASSROOM
References
Bradley, R., Henderson, K., & Monfore, D.A.M. (2004). A national perspective on children with
emotional disorders. Behavioral Disorders, 29(3), 211-223.
Glenn, J.H., & Waller, R.J. (2007). Reducing Irresponsible Talking Out During Class in a 7th
Grade Student with an Emotional / Behavioral Disorder. Teaching Exceptional Children
Plus 3(6), article 2.
Hanover Research. (2013). Effective Programs for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders.
Washington, D.C. Retrieved from
https://www.district287.org/uploaded/A_Better_Way/EffectiveProgramsforEmotionaland
BehavioralDisordersHanover2013.pdf
Kern, L., Dunlap, G., Childs, K.E., & Clarke, S. (1994). Use of a classwide self-management
program to improve the behavior of students with emotional and behavioral disorders.
Education and Treatment of Children 17(3), 445-458.
Sullivan, K.S. (2000). Promoting positive interactions between teachers and students with
emotional/behavioral disorders. Preventing School Failure 44(3), 110-115.
Trussell, R.P., Lewis, T.J., & Stichter, J.P. (2008). The impact of targeted classroom
interventions and function-based behavior interventions on problem behaviors of
students with emotional/behavioral disorders. Behavioral Disorders 33(3), 153-166.