Part One Students with emotional, behavioral, and communication disorders have special needs that instructors can address in the classroom through best practice instructional strategies. Working with a strong, evidence-based definition of terms, instructors can also identify students with emotional, behavioral, and communication disorders by recognizing their core characteristics, even while acknowledging and appreciating their students’ individuality and unique self-expression.

Definitions of Terms

Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Emotional and behavioral disorders are defined differently at the state and federal level, with IDEA language referring to the term “emotional disturbance,” which is eschewed in most states (Taylor, Smiley & Richards, 2009, p. 167). The IDEA definition of emotional disturbance includes children with schizophrenia as well as those who exhibit an inability to learn or to develop social relationships for other reasons (Taylor, Smiley & Richards, 2009). Controversies and disagreements over the IDEA definition has led to new nomenclature to refer to students with emotional or behavioral disorder. The phrase “emotional or behavioral disorder,” or EBD, is defined by several components including adverse impacts on social, academic, or vocational performance that is unresponsive to standard interventions (Taylor, Smiley & Richards, 2009, p. 168). Like the IDEA definition of emotional disturbance, the definition of EBD also encompasses students who have been diagnosed with a psychiatric condition that is the cause of the issues.

Communication Disorders

Communication disorders refer to any type of struggle with language or speech. Both language processing and decoding may be issues for students with communication disorders. Speech and language impairments are relatively common communication disorders. Stuttering and other voice impairments are also communication disorders, because they can adversely affect student performance in school or socially (Taylor, Smiley & Richards, 2009). Both speech disorders and language disorders fall under the rubric of communications disorders, according to laws like IDEA and also to organizations like the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) (Taylor, Smiley & Richards, 2009). Speech disorders refer to articulation issues specifically, while language disorders refer to disorders related to the form, content, and function of language (Taylor, Smiley & Richards, 2009).

Characteristics

Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Although different for each individual, with some variations due to both age and gender, there are some distinguishing features of students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Characteristics of students with emotional and behavioral disorders can be classified as externalizing characteristics, or acting out, internalizing characteristics, or inwardly directed issues, and also intellectual and academic characteristics that impact performance in school and on assessments.

The externalizing characteristics exhibited by students with emotional and behavioral disorders are the ones that instructors, parents, and peers will be aware of first and most often. Aggressive behavior is a prime example of how a behavioral or emotional disorder might manifest. Hitting others or destroying property are types of externalizing behaviors. Some students with EBD may eventually be diagnosed with specific mood or conduct disorders after they see a psychologist. (Taylor, Smiley & Richards, 2009).

Internalizing characteristics of students with emotional and behavioral disorders are more challenging to recognize, even by parents or siblings. Anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders are perfect examples of internalizing states that adversely affect the quality of life and performance of students with EBD....

Only by noticing corresponding behaviors, such as lack of interest in activities the child once enjoyed, or being socially withdrawn, might a parent or teacher recognize that the student is expressing internalizing characteristics of an underlying emotional or behavioral disorder.
While EBD affects each student differently, there are some notable intellectual and academic characteristics teachers can notice. Students with EBD tend to score lower on IQ tests than their peers without EBD (Taylor, Smiley & Richards, 2009). In fact, the more severe the symptoms of EBD, the lower the student’s IQ score tends to be (Taylor, Smiley & Richards, 2009). Therefore, IQ tests can be considered when assessing a student for EBD. Language deficits are also more prevalent among students with EBD than without, but global academic performance in multiple subject areas will also be sub-par in relation to the same age peer group (Taylor, Smiley & Richards, 2009). Students with emotional and behavioral disorders also may have difficulties learning, acquiring, or processing information.

Communication Disorders

The primary characteristics of students with communication disorders will be evident in the child’s speech, or in the child’s performance in language-related tasks, such as when performance lags behind that of their peers. Educators may need to recognize specific manifestations of language disorders, such as phonological processing disorder, morphological disorder, semantics disorder, or pragmatics disorder (Taylor, Smiley & Richards, 2009). In fact, some communication disorders, and language disorders in particular, are secondary features of intellectual disability or emotional and behavioral disorders (Taylor, Smiley, & Richards, 2009). Characteristics of speech disorders may be evident in articulation, such as sound distortion during regular speech, or a fluency disorder that disrupts the natural flow of the student’s conversation (Taylor, Smiley & Richards, 2009).

Instructional Strategies

Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Best practice instructional strategies for students with emotional and behavioral disorders include “intensive educational programs” adapted to suit the individual child and the circumstances (Taylor, Smiley & Richards, 2009, p. 176). Students with EBD can access the general curriculum and instructional content, but with significant modifications, particularly when social interaction is part of the classroom design (Taylor, Smiley & Richards, 2009). Research shows that service-learning activities can be especially helpful for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (Taylor, Smiley & Richards, 2009). Teachers are also advised to focus firmly on academic instruction and student achievement, as student progress is likely to positively improve behavioral outcomes (Taylor, Smiley & Richards, 2009). Supporting the student with personalized, culturally appropriate, positive, and responsive interventions will help the student develop the self-efficacy and self-confidence that can mitigate many of the externalizing and internalizing behaviors (Taylor, Smiley & Richards, 2009). One study revealed positive results implementing a persuasive writing skills activity among students with EBD, specifically designed to improve self-efficacy and self-regulation (Ennis & Jolivette, 2014). Further research will reveal the specific instructional strategies that are warranted with specific student populations.

Teachers working with students with EBD also need to use instructional strategies that promote social skills development. Best practices in social skills development among the EBD cohort include both “sequencing and generalization,” through methods like Stop, Look, Ask, Make (SLAM) (Taylor, Smiley & Richards, 2009, p. 177). The SLAM method breaks down an incident…