Emotional and Behavioral Disorders in Children

Emotional And Behavioral Disorders In Children

When defining students with emotional or behavioral disorders one may encounter difficulties because it is such a broad topic. A child afflicted with emotional or behavioral disorders may exhibit signs of poor self-confidence. This may coincide with social withdrawal, task avoidance, frustration, depression, and interference with learning, growth, development or anxiety. The difficulty lies within being accessed, diagnosed, and getting the proper help.

The definition of emotional and behavioral disorders in "IDEA" is a general one. Between guaranteeing a free public education to all children regardless of disability, and FAPE (Free, appropriate public education) and Zero reject (a basic principle of IDE specifying that no student with a disability, no matter what kind, or how severe, can be denied a free public education), we also have the Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders which label the emotional and behavioral disorders as mental disorders, to include but not limited to some of the following: anxiety, disruptive behavior, eating, mood, and tic disorders. These children may exhibit an inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors. This will rule out any physical or intellectual disorders. The child may also demonstrate an inability to build or maintain good relationships with peers and teachers. All disorders require LRE (least restrictive environment) and some extra attention, special necessities or IEP in the school and the teacher's behalf.

There are many kinds of emotional or behavioral disorders. One of the most prevalent (and potentially undiagnosed) disorders is depression. Depression and suicide affect many children and is manifested in many different ways. Up to 10% of adolescents have attempted suicide at some point, but many more have considered it. With depressed students, there are many warning signs that should not be ignored, but at the same time can go unnoticed. As teachers, we need to be aware, document, and use collaborative efforts in getting the child the help they need for whichever, if any, disorder they may have. Many disorders are difficult to pinpoint, or are overlooked as behavioral issues, which appears to just be a side effect of the underlying problems.

In accommodating emotional and behavioral disorder students there are many factors to keep in mind, which may have an impact on the behavior of the classroom that need to be taken into account. Structured environments, schedules, rules, routine s, and choices are proved helpful tools for a classroom, especially important when there are documented children with these difficulties. Another factor is cultural or linguistic barriers. If there are communication barriers, then misbehavior is more likely to occur.

Integration into the classrooms of children with all sorts