THE BIG PICTURE

NOT THE OCCASSIONAL IMMATURITY OF A STUDENT NOT SHORT TERM DIFFICULT SEASONS OR SITUATIONS OF LIFE IT IS WHEN A STUDENT DISPLAYS A LONG-TERM PATTERN OF BEHAVIOR THAT HAS SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON DIFFERENT AREAS OF THE STUDENTS LIFE. Rob will later discuss the different types of behaviors to consider for special education services.

DEFINITION OF BEHAVIOR DISORDERS

Any of a group of antisocial behavior patterns occurring primarily in children and adolescents, such as overaggressiveness, overactivity, destructiveness, cruelty, truancy, lying, disobedience, perverse sexual activity, criminality, alcoholism, and drug addiction

(Mosby's Medical Dictionary, 8th edition)

It is further defined as a functional disorder, which is: A physical disorder in which the symptoms have no known or detectable organic basis but are believed to be the result of psychological factors such as emotional conflicts or stress (American Heritage Stedmans Medical Dictionary).

PREVALENCE
19.1% of youth have behavior disordersvery common! 63% of the 19% have emotional disturbance.

PREVALENCE
Prevalence is much higher for males! 2/3 of students with disabilities in general are males. MORE THAN 2/3 of students emotional disturbance are male! Because Behavior Disorders is a very broad definition, we break down in our paper more specifc data for common diagnosis related to behavior disorders. Common ones include: ADHD, CONDUCT DISORDER, and OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANT DISORDER.

BEHAVIOR DISORDERS CAN INCLUDE:

SYMPTOMS OF A MENTAL HEALTH DIAGNOSIS

COMMON DIAGNOSIS RELATED TO BD

ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER 36% of youth with disabilities receiving special education services in secondary school have been diagnosed with ADD/ADHD. ADD/ADHD also is a secondary disability for many youth in other disability categories, including 63% of those with emotional disturbances. 3%-7% of school-aged children have ADHD. Boys (13.2%) were more likely than girls (5.6%) to have ever been diagnosed with ADHD. Rates of ADHD diagnosis increased at a greater rate among older teens as compared to younger children. Young (2008) estimates that up to two-thirds of ADHD children have one or more coexisting disorders. Boys predominate by about 3 to 1 among students with ADHD who receive special education services Among students with ADHD who receive special education services, 39% of 6- to 13-year-olds and 35% of 13- to 17-year-olds have low social skills, according to parents. Approximately 40% of students in both age groups do not live in two-parent households, and about 25% live in households with incomes below the federal poverty level.

COMMON DIAGNOSIS RELATED TO BD

CONDUCT DISORDER.IS NOT CONSIDERED A QUALIFYING DISABILITY UNDER IDEA. It is a long-term condition that impacts several areas of the students life. Students with CD may show some of these behaviors: cruelty & aggression to people and animals, bullying, fights, using a weapon to cause serious harm, theft while assulting, sexual assult, vandalism, arson, lying, truancy, staying out at night, violation of rules. More common for boys than girls It is estimated that 6 percent of all children have some form of conduct disorder. For some, delinquent behavior, however unlawful or unacceptable, provides them with both the status among peers and the opportunity for some reinforcement that they are unable to find at school. More and more, child and adolescent psychiatrists and other professionals are recognizing the role played by prior physical, sexual, and emotional abuse in the genesis of certain kinds of aggressive and inappropriate sexual behaviors. Girls with a conduct disorder are prone to running away from home and may become involved in prostitution. Conduct disorders are among the most frequently diagnosed childhood disorders in outpatient and inpatient mental health facilities. Many teenagers with conduct disorders have learning problems, especially in the area of verbal skills. Since many come from homes in which actions speak louder than words, however, lack of parental stimulation and modeling may account for these weaker verbal skills. Difficulties in reading and language contribute to academic difficulties, especially in the higher grades when understanding and using the written word is a crucial skill. Language deficits may also contribute to an inability to articulate feelings and attitudes, so a teenager might resort to physical expression out of frustration. In many instances, unrecognized and untreated learning disabilities and cognitive deficiencies create deep frustration for a youngster. Thus, the entire school experience gets filtered through defeat and humiliation. Recently, there seems to be a significant increase in such non-agressive aspects of conduct disorders as running away, truancy, and substance abuse.

COMMON DIAGNOSIS RELATED TO BD

OPPOSITIONAL DEFIANT DISORDER Similar to Conduct Disordera LITE version of CD so to speak. Similar symptoms to CD, but ODD is a common diagnosis when not meeting full criteria for CD. It has lower is without the extremes of CD in terms of pervasiveness and longevity. It is diagnosed when a child displays a persistent or consistent pattern of defiance, disobedience, and hostility toward various authority figures including parents, teachers, and other adults. Children with ODD may repeatedly lose their temper, argue with adults, deliberately refuse to comply with requests or rules of adults, blame others for their own mistakes, and be repeatedly angry and resentful. characterized by such problem behaviors as persistent fighting and arguing, being touchy or easily annoyed, and deliberately annoying or being spiteful or vindictive to other people. Stubbornness and testing of limits are common.

BEHAVIOR DISORDER COULD INCLUDE:

Harming or threatening themselves, other people or pets Damaging or destroying property Lying or stealing

Not doing well in school, skipping school

Early smoking, drinking or drug use Early sexual activity Frequent tantrums and arguments

Consistent hostility towards authority figures

(Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration)

COMMON RISK FACTORS TO KNOW CAN BE:

Child abuse Difficulty interpreting the actions or intent of others Family history of mental illness or substance abuse

Fetal exposure to tobacco or illicit drugs

Inconsistent, harsh discipline Lack of supervision Male gender

Parental substance abuse

Poor social skills Stressful home or school environment

BEHAVIOR DISORDERS IN THE SCHOOLS

#1 IDEA, NOT DSM, DEFINES WHO DOES AND DOES NOT QUALIFY FOR SPECIAL EDUCATION.

THUS
THOUGH DSM-IV-TR RELATED DIAGNOSIS MAY BECOME RELEVANT IN DURING ASSESSMENT, YOUR FOCUS IS ON THE IDEA CRITERIA, NOT DSM. NOT ALL STUDENTS WITH BEHAVIOR DISORDERS QUALIFY

IT IS SOMETIMES DIFFICULT TO DETERMINE WHO DOES AND DOES NOT QUALIFY

STUDENTS WITH SOCIAL MALADJUSTMENT ARE SPECIFICALLY MENTIONED AS DISQUALIFIED UNDER IDEA. CONFUSED? I WAS, SCHOOL COUNSELORS CAN BE.

THE EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE WEIRDNESS

BEHAVIOR DISORDERS IS A VERY BROAD CATEGORY NO SPECIFIC DIAGNOSIS FROM THE DSM-IV-TR AUTOMATICALLY QUALIFIES A STUDENT, THOUGH SYMPTOMS OF MANY DIAGNOSIS BECOME RELEVANT UNDER IDEA CRITERA. STUDENTS WHO FALL UNDER EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE IS BROAD IN OF ITSELF. A student with a behavior disorder could very fit into this category, once environmental factors and the other IDEA disability categories have been ruled out, in conjunction with another category.

IMPORTANCE OF EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE

Emotional disturbance means a condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child's educational performance: (A) An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or 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) A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression. (E) A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems. (http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/,root,regs,300,A,300%252E8,c,4,i,)

HISTORICAL CONTEXT OF ED:

In the 1960s, criteria for students who are determined to be emtionally handicapped were created. In the 1970s, this criteria influenced special education law, which now uses the same criteria for the emotionally disturbed criteria as you see above. Later, wording was added to exclude social maladjustment as a qualification. The idea was to eliminate students who had behavior problems on accord of their own will. However, social maladjustment and emotionally disturbed are so hard to distinguish, it creates plenty of confusion even now (Merrell & Walker, 2004).

SUMMARY:
You may see a student behaving poorly, and think that some good old-fashioned tough talk or discipline would straighten him or her out. You may perceive behavior disorders as something students use as a manipulative tool, or something that is reinforced by teachers or schools. It is important to remember that we have a legal, and ethical, responsibility to ensure we are meeting the needs of students. It is important we first ask WHY? a student behaves the way they do before we make judgments. Ultimately, schools do right by students with disabilities by giving withholding judgment and doing proper assessment. The result is many students who may have been dismissed otherwise are able to get the specific supports to help them succeed! Additionally, this is also an opportunity to address behavior problems that cannot legitimately be explained by a disability. Social maladjustment disorders do not qualify under IDEA, so poor behavior by choice only is not enough to qualify a student for Special Education services. As you could see from the history of the policy making, there is a clear intention of helping those students that have underlying causes for poor behavior beyond just having a bad day or choosing to be rebellious.