GROUP 2

CHAPTER 8
Students with Emotional and Behavioral
Disorders
 The Influence of the Physical and Sociocultural Environment on Physical Development
 The variations in human behavior are influenced by the basic determinants of personality
development;
 • Genetic Background or Heredity
 —The clan and family teach its members to conform to certain practices and tradition; profession,
job, and other attainment. Parents are the main factor of this determinant of personality development.
It means that physical means of encouragement develops the person's behavior and personality
following or exceeding their parent's footsteps.
 • Environmental Factors
 —Person is expected to follow various social roles demanded by the society; child, student, wage
earner, husband/wife, parent, or senior citizen. A person conforms to the role demands if she/he
receives positive reinforcement such as money, prestige and status.
 • The general patterning of development
 —Personality development is very much influenced by a person's socialization in peer groups, family
members and friends. He/she participates in the sociocultural environment.
 Adaptive and Maladaptive Behavior
 Adaptive behavior refers to a person's behavior patterns that have desirable consequences
foster her or his well-being. Well-being means that the person works towards growth,
fulfillment and actualization of his potentials. On the other hand, maladaptive behavior is a
behavior that has undesirable consequences for the individual as well as for the group.
Behavior problems, emotional and behavioral disorders are manifestations of maladaptive
behavior.
 The trend on the patterning of personality development are dependence to self-direction and
pressure to reality and self-control.
 THE PATTERNING OF
PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT
 -Children’s personality development is shaped differently in different sociocultural settings.

1. Dependence to self-direction- bound up with his growth toward independence and self-direction is the
development of a clear sense of personal identity, the end goal of the individual is to be a person in his or her
own right.
2. Pleasure to reality and self-control- the human tendency is to seek pleasure and to avoid pain and
discomfort. This means distinguishing between fantasy and reality, and learning to cope with the inevitable
hurts.
3. Ignorance to knowledge- the first two years are characterized by the rapid acquisition of information about
themselves and the world, with time this information is organized into coherent patterns of assumptions
concerning reality, possibility and value that provide a table frame of reference for guiding behavior.
4. Incompetence to competence- from birth onward to childhood and adolescence, the person masters the
intellectual, emotional, social and other competencies essential for adulthood.
5. Diffuse to articulated self-identity- the core self-identity gradually emerges as the infant differentiates
himself or herself from the environment. The significant achievements on one’s self-identity should be the
establishment of a confident gender identity, failure to achieve an articulated self-identity may bring
incompetencies and immaturities to his or her adulthood.
6. Amoral to moral- children learn very early in life that certain forms of behavior are right, good, correct,
while others are bad, wrong, and incorrect to do. Children tend to repel the good behavior taught to them,
but soon as they mature they learn to appraise them and to work out a value orientation of their own.

Individual differences are observed in the rate and pace of personality development. Adults
should guide the children in going through the process of personality development so that they
can grow up to be self-regulating and self-directing person well into adulthood.
 Definition of emotional and behavioral disorders- while a number of definitions have been proposed,
psychologist and special education experts to date have not agreed for following reasons:
1. Disordered behavior is social construct.
2. Different theories of emotional disturbance use concepts and terminology that do not present a clear
meaning of the condition.
3. Measuring and interpreting disordered behavior across time and setting is a difficult, exact, and costly
endeavor.
4. Cultural influence, expectations and norms across ethnic and cultural groups are often quite different.
5. Frequency and intensity of disordered behavior is difficult to measure and control in view of the fact that
children behave inappropriately at times.
6. Disordered behavior sometimes occurs in conjunction with other disabilities such as mental retardation and
learning disabilities.
 The definition that had the most impact on special education in the united states was written by Eli Bower in
1957 (zionts 2002), however bower’s definition was criticized for its vagueness and subjectivity.
 3 factors were considered in determining if a child is emotionally disturbed, intensity, pattern, and duration of behavior.
 Intensity- refers to the severity of the child’s problem.
 Patterns- means the time when the problem occurs.
 Duration- refers to the length of time the child’s problem has been present.
 IDEA Definition of serious emotional disturbance (Heward, 2003)- The public law on special education in America,
defines serious emotional disturbance as:
(i). A condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time (chronicity) and to a
marked degree (severity), which adversely affects educational performance (difficulty in school)
(a). An inability to learn which cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, and health factors;
(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). General pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression, or
(e). A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated 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.
 The IDEA definition clearly specifies 3 conditions that must be met, chronicity, severity, and difficulty in schools, it lists
5 types of problems or characteristics that a child with serious emotional disturbance exhibits.
CCBD definition of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (Heward, 2003)- the council for children with behavioral
disorders (CCBD) wrote the following definition that is now incorporated in the public law on special education or
IDEA.
Emotional and Behavioral disorders is a disability characterized by:
(i). Behavioral or emotional responses in school programs so different from appropriate age, cultural, or ethnic norms
that they adversely affect educational performance.
 Educational performance includes the development and demonstration of academic, social, vocational, and
personal skills.
 Such disability is:

(a). More than a temporary, expected response to stressful events in the environment;
(b). Is consistently exhibited in two different settings, at least one of which is school-related; and
(c). Is unresponsive to direct intervention in general education or the child’s condition is such that general education
interventions would be difficult.
(ii). Emotional and behavioral disorders can coexist with other disabilities.
(iii). This category may include children or youth with schizophrenic disorders, affective disorders, anxiety
disorders, or other sustained disturbances of conduct or adjustment when they adversely affect educational
performance in accordance with section (i).
 The CCDB definition focuses on the characteristics and special education needs of children and youth with
emotional and behavioral disorders. Special education teachers focus on the child’s misbehavior and the
environmental events that trigger such misbehavior.
 Additional factors are considered in assessing a child who is suspected to be emotionally disturbed (Heward,
2003).
 Rate – refers to the frequency of occurrence of behavior per standard unit of time (e,g., stands up six times
every ten minutes). The primary difference between children with behavioral disorders and other children is the
frequency with which the behavior occurs.
 Latency – refers to the time that elapses between the opportunity to respond and the beginning of the behavior.
CLASSIFICATION OF
EMOTIONAL
AND BEHAVIORAL
DISORDERS
1. The diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV (Published by American
Psychiatric Association, 1998)
Is an elaborate clinical classification system consisting of 230 separate diagnostic categories or labels to identify
the various types of disordered behavior as observed by psychiatrists, psychologists, mental health personnel and
other clinicians in their regular practices.
2. Quay’s Statistical Classification
Is to collect a wide range of data on hundreds of children with emotional and behavioral disorders.

4 clusters of Traits and Behaviors

a.) Conduct Disorder
b.) Anxiety withdrawal
c.) Immaturity
d.) Socialized aggression
3. Direct Observation and Measurement
5 Dimension of the child’s display of the disordered behaviors:

a.) Frequency – indicates the rate at which the behavior occur and how often a particular behavior is
performed.
b.) Duration – is a measure of the length and amount of time a child exhibits the disordered behaviors.
c.) Topography – refers to the physical shape or form of behavior.
d.) Magnitude – refers to the intensity of the displayed behavior.
e.) Stimulus Control – refers to the inability to select an appropriate response to a stimulus.

4. Degree of Severity
- Studies conducted by Olson, Algozzine and Schmid (1980 cited in Heward, 2003) indicates that
emotional and behavioral disorders can be mild and severe.
 Etiological Factors and Causes of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders
 2 factors in the etiology or causes of emotional and behavioral disorders
 1. Biological Factors - Authorities believe that all children are born with a biologically determined temperament.
The inborn temperament may not directly cause a behavior problem to occur but may predispose the child to
behavior disturbances.
 2.Environmental Factors
 · Home and Family Influences
 Parents who create situations in a loving and caring atmosphere to meet those needs teach their children about
norms of conduct and acceptable behavior. Attention and reinforcement of positive behavior as well as appropriate
discipline for negative behavior in an atmosphere of love and caring help shape desirable patterns of behavior.
 · School experience
 There are experience in school where children spend a large part of the day that can precipitate the occurrence of
behavior problems There are class rules to obey unlike at home where he or she pleases. It is common for bigger
classmates the small ones leading to fights and quarrels. When a child is not ready to handle these events he or she
resorts to externalizing or Internalizing behaviors. School experiences can contribute to the development of
emotional and behavioral disturbances.
 The Cause of emotional disorders are related to:
 Predisposing factors- refer to the tendencies and risk to develop emotional disturbances.
 eg. Physical illness or disabilities, shyness, hyperactive behavior.
 Precipitating factors- refer to specific incidents that may trigger the display of emotional disturbances.
 eg. Death of the family, abandonment, separation of parents and other crisis situations.
 Both Predisposing and Precipitating factors may or may not trigger emotional disturbances because of individual
differences in the manner by which a person is able to handle problems and crisis situations
 Sustaining factors – the occurrence of the said behavior.

 Characteristics of children and youth with emotional and behavioral disorders

 Intelligence, Intellectual characteristics, and Academic Achievement
 · Two thirds could not pass Competency examination for their grade level.
 · They have the lowest grade point average of any group of students with disabilities.
 · Forty-four percent failed one or more courses in their most recent school year.
 · They have a higher absenteeism rate than any other disability category, missing average of 18 days of school per
year.
 · Forty – eight percent drop out of high school, compared to 30% of all students with disabilities and 24% of all
high school students.
 · Over 50% are not employed within 2 years of exiting school.

 Social skills and Interpersonal Relationships

- Studies confirm the observation that students with emotional and behavioral disorders often experience n
great difficulty in developing and maintaining interpersonal relationships as early as during early childhood.
They participate a fewer curricular activities, have fewer contacts with friends and show lower quality
interpersonal relationships.
 Antisocial Behavior

-These children manifest consistent and frequent disordered patterns of behavior that violate the rules and
regulations at home, the laws of the community and the country. An aggressive forms of behavior towards
people and animals, destruction of property, deceitfulness, theft, and serious violation of rules. In school
setting, antisocial behavior and conduct disorders are categorized as social maladjustment
 Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD)
 As the name implies, students or individuals with oppositional defiant disorder consistently go
against, oppose, defy, and show hostility towards authority figures.
 The symptoms are (APA, 1994)
 · Often loses one’s temper
 · Often argues with adult’s request or rules
 · Often actively defies or refuses to comply with adult’s requests or rules
 · Often deliberately annoys people
 · Often blames others for one’s mistakes or misbehavior
 · Often touchy or easily annoyed by others
 · Often angry and resentful
 · Often spiteful and vindictive
 Children who display patterns of antisocial behavior very early in life are at risk for developing more
serious and long – standing behavior problems in adolescent and adulthood.
 Externalizing and Internalizing Behavioral Disorders
 Some children with emotional and behavioral disorders display externalizing behavioral disorders
that violate the rules and norms of society and annoy and disturb other people.
 Some common examples are out- of - seat behavior, making unnecessary noise, truancy, constant
talking to self and others, disobedience, inattention, persistent lying, constant blaming of others.
 Aggressive and Violent Behavior
 Aggression refers to acts that are abusive, that severely interfere with the activities of other people or
objects and events in the environment. Example of the milder forms of aggression are teasing,
clowning around, tatting, and bullying. Severe aggression includes threat of physical harm, physical
attack, destruction or property and cruelty.

 Delinquency
 The word Delinquency is a legal term that refers to the criminal offenses committed by an
adolescent. It is a behavioral disorder. Examples of delinquent acts.
 Juvenile Offenses Crime

1. Breaking bin and destroying private property, 1. Robbery

attempted burglary, stealing, shoplifting.
2. Attempted Homicide
2. Brutality – beating up a person until he she is black
and blue, burning a house or a person, shooting a 3. Rape
person. 4. Committing crimes under the influence of
3. Lascivious acts, touching the private parts of a liquor, drugs, drug dependency, drug
person, attempted. pushing.

4. Early smoking and drinking, experimenting 5. Carrying deadly weapons

habituation to prohibited drugs. 6. Shooting incidents, murder
5. Carrying a knife, ice pick.
6. Disorderly conduct

When a young person is brought to court for committing certain offenses, changed and
found guilty, he or she is described as a Juvenile delinquents are recidivists or repeat
offenders who go in and out of the jail.
 Identification and Assessment
 The procedures are similar to those used in the other types of disabilities. Teachers, parents, peers, and
other persons report cases of simple offense like being beaten up, stealing, smoking sniffing, rugby and
similar Juvenile Offenses. Screening is done to eliminate children who do not have behavior problems.
The children who show the early signs or who seem to be at risk for developing emotional and behavioral
disorders are identified.

 Assessment Procedures
 The identification of very young children with emotional and behavioral disorders is more difficult that
of the older ones. The behavior patterns of younger children are usually unstable due to the maturation
process itself. In the same manner that children with other forms of disabilities are assessed, the Special
Education Division of the Bureau of Elementary School, Department of Education has developed
assessment materials for his particular type of children. Pre-referral intervention consists of teacher
nomination, parent and peer nomination through the use of checklists of behavior and learning
characteristics at home, in school and other typical environments.
 Educational approaches to behavior
 should involve those that follows:
 • Applied Behavior Analysis
 — The aim of IEP (Individualized Education Plan) is to decrease the undesirable and maladaptive behavior and
increase the occurrence of desirable behavior.
 — The behavioral theory and model of personality development is applied.
 • Teaching Social Skills
 By Stephens (1992)
 —Self-related behaviors, task-related behaviors, environmental behaviors, and interpersonal behavior.
 • Alternative Responses
 • Teaching Self-management Skills
 • intervention procedures that minimize behavior problems
 This approaches are proven through studies and researches observed by influencers such as that of Stephens
(1992), Knapczyk (1992), Drabman, Spitalnik and O'leary (1973), and Culatta et al. (2003) where actual
students and materials are extracted.