Emotional disorders are common in people with brain damage. It is often difficult to determine whether such disorders are a result of a deficit in recognition, expression, or regulation of emotion due to brain damage per se, or if they are reactive to other functional limitations. The Victoria Emotion Recognition Test (VERT) was developed to provide a standardized tool for the assessment of deficits in the recognition of facial and tonal affect. The VERT was constructed on the basis of neurophysiological and behavioural theories of emotion and neuropsychological theories of agnosia. The VERT consists of three subtests in which four emotions (angry, sad, happy and afraid) are presented at three levels of intensity. The visual subtest presents photographs of faces; the auditory subtest, audiotaped voice clips; and the auditory/visual subtest, both photographs and voice clips. Psychometric results of the standardization studies suggest that the VERT measures an aspect of the recognition of facial and tonal emotion that is independent of more basic skills in face recognition and auditory nonverbal memory. The theoretical construct of recognition of emotion was investigated within the framework of an "affective agnosia". The results suggest that a broader concept of agnosia is necessary in order to include failures in recognition of emotion within this framework. / Graduate

Champions for Change Mentorship Program (CFCMP) was implemented to address the academic and social struggles of emotional behavior disorder (EBD) students. The problem was that although the passing of the California Assembly Bill 1729, called the Other Means of Correction law, had prompted a greater need for positive behavior intervention support at Tier 2 and Tier 3 levels, implementation of the CFCMP continued to generate serious concerns involving students with behavior issues. The conceptual framework for this study is Bandura's social learning theory which guided CFCMP to incorporate cognitive and observational learning to develop academically and socially sound students with EBD who can function appropriately in the educational setting. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the essence of the lived experiences of teachers in regard to the implementation of CFCMP as an effective behavioral strategy. The guiding research question explored the essence of the lived experience of elementary teachers who have implemented CFCMP. Using a qualitative phenomenological research design, data were gathered from face-to-face interviews and observations of 6 participants. Data analysis revealed 4 common themes including training, time management, communication, and lack of administrative support were used to identify commonalities and differences in the participants' lived experiences and perspectives on the needs of EBD students involved in CFCMP. Research findings showed a lack of organization of CFCMP and the need for intensive training for teachers. Positive social change will result from a 3-day professional development providing the study's findings and procedures teachers can use to assist EBD students in modifying behaviors to improve their educational achievement and that of their classmates.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2009. / Title from title screen (site viewed October 15, 2009). PDF text: viii, 181 p. : ill. ; 910 Kb. UMI publication number: AAT 3369407. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

The population of students with emotional and behavioral needs represent a significant proportion of the population of students in today's public schools. To help meet their needs, consultants from outside mental health agencies are often contracted to support school personnel who work with these students. There is little research, however, on this practice, its implementation, or its effectiveness. The purpose of this study was to describe the experience of consultation among teachers, counselors, and administrators. Data were collect through open-ended interviews. An analysis of these interviews reveal that members of a school community generally view the practice as a positive experience and a worthwhile investment. Differences between administrators and direct service providers (i.e., teachers, counselors) were identified. Administrators focused on operational or logistical elements of consultation and teachers and counselors spoke more to relational elements, such as personal characteristics of the consultant and the ability to develop a working relationship with the consultant. Further, school personnel with clinical training seemed to welcome the consultation as an opportunity for constructive feedback, but perhaps more importantly, the clinical supervision they would not otherwise receive.

Among all of the devastating effects that Parkinson’s disease (PD) has on an individual, sleep dysfunction is one that can have a profound effect on the entire family of the patient. The most potentially destructive of these sleep syndromes being that of Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD). This disorder not only causes sleep impairment to the patient, but can occasionally result in life-threatening injury to the individual or their bed partner. While this condition is manageable with medication, the current treatment of choice is a long-acting benzodiazepine, clonazepam. This drug, while effective in treating RBD, comes with a significant burden of side effects. Patients with neurodegenerative disorders, like PD, are at even higher risk of suffering the negative impacts of this treatment. One potential alternative treatment that has been considered is a supplement of exogenous melatonin, a hormone that plays a role in maintaining one’s circadian rhythm. Several small case studies have shown potential efficacy of this treatment, and with very few side effects. However, this efficacy has not yet been proven by randomized clinical trial. This proposed study will perform a double-blind randomized clinical trial of melatonin vs. placebo in a population of PD patients with RBD. Subjects will be analyzed via polysomnographic sleep study, where symptoms will be scored on the RBD Severity Scale (RBDSS) at baseline and after a treatment intervention. Statistical analysis will then ascertain whether or not a significant symptom reduction is seen following melatonin treatment, compared to a group receiving placebo. If melatonin proves to be efficacious in this patient population, this would give clinicians a new treatment option to consider to effectively manage symptoms of RBD with a much lower risk of potentially harmful side effects. Finding an effective method of managing this condition, the prevalence of which continues to rise worldwide, will have a great impact on improving the safety and quality of life of these patients.

The present study examined the effects of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) as a core behavior modification method on students with severe behavior disorders. A pre/posttest design was implemented and both control and treatment groups were exposed to testing measures. Students in the treatment group were exposed to ACT as well as contingency based classroom management, and a token economy in an attempt to increase grade point average (GPA), days in attendance, and psychological flexibility. Results are discussed regarding the increase in GPA and attendance, and levels of psychological flexibility are also elaborated upon. Limitations, implications, and future research are also discussed.

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The present study evaluated the effectiveness of an interdependent group contingency commonly referred to as the “good behavior game” (GBG) on reducing disruptive behaviors in a dedicated classroom for students with emotional behavioral disorder (EBD). The participants were four eighth-grade middle school students, with a primary diagnosis of EBD. The intervention targeted inappropriate and disruptive behaviors during two class periods (math and science), as well appropriate alternative behaviors. The class was divided into two teams, with the four participants divided evenly amongst both teams. If a team met the criterion for both inappropriate and appropriate behavior during experimental sessions, each team member received an edible reinforcer (candy). In addition, teams that met the weekly goal of winning the most games earned a trip to a classroom with younger peers to participate in a social activity (pizza party, movie and popcorn, etc.). The results indicated a decrease in inappropriate behaviors, as well as an increase in appropriate behaviors. The results suggested that the GBG is a beneficial group interdependent contingency that can be implemented in many classroom settings, including an alternative EBD middle school classroom. .

Students with emotional behavioral disorders (EBD) who have been removed from their regular schools into alternative educational settings (AES) have academic deficits that affect their success in school (Lehr, Tan, & Ysseldyke, 2009); however, few researchers have investigated what strategies work best for this population, especially in the area of math (Schwab, Johnson, Ansley, Houchins, & Varjas, 2016). Two important areas that students with EBD must master to graduate high school are fractions and algebra (Templeton, Neel, & Blood, 2008). Since the research on math interventions for students with EBD in these areas is limited, researchers have suggested examining the math literature for students with learning disabilities (LD) to find potential intervention components. The purpose of the first study was to synthesize the randomized control trials and quasi-experimental intervention research on instructional approaches that enhance the math achievement of students in grades 6-12 with LD. This study used meta-analytic techniques to synthesize the math literature for secondary students with LD. Findings indicated that strategy instruction had a higher effect size (Hedges g= .72) than alternate delivery systems (Hedges g= .23), and the number of Common Core State Standard math practices was a moderator for the effect size of math interventions. Since strategy instruction had a higher effect size, the purpose of the second study was to test the effects of a graphic organizer on the math performance for middle school students with EBD in an AES. This study used a one-group nonequivalent dependent variables design (Shadish, Cook, & Campbell, 2002) with multiple measures in multiple waves to assess the effects of the graphic organizer on the math skills of the students. A repeated measures ANOVA indicated that students significantly improved their math performance on both fractions and algebra using researcher developed measures. Fidelity data indicated that two teachers had low adherence, quality of instruction scores and had low percentages of student engagement. Social validity results indicated that teacher and students found the intervention to be an acceptable intervention.

The research investigation reported herein examined program outcomes of student problem behavior and social skills, based on teachers' perspectives, before and after early behavioral intervention services. The study targets students in kindergarten through grade five who are identified by the school system for being at-risk for being labeled with emotional and behavioral disorders. Students identified received early intervention services based on individualized positive behavioral supports (i.e., social skills training, functional behavioral assessment, and team collaboration). Teachers completed a teacher form of the Social Skills Rating System before and after the student received program services to determine differences in social skills and problematic behavior pre- and post- program early intervention services. An analysis was also made of the differences among gender, ethnicity, and grade according to the teachers' perspectives. Data indicated statistically significant results in the area of social skills and problem behavior. The results indicate early intervention services that teach social skills and use functional behavioral assessments to deal with problem behavior are beneficial to children displaying behavior challenges.