This study examined the participation rates and performance results of students with emotional disturbance (ED) in a statewide reading assessment. Public school districts in Texas use the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test in assessing the reading performance of their students in grades 3 through 8 and in grade 10. Factors of gender, ethnicity, cognitive ability, school level socio-economic status and instructional setting in reading were examined. This study found that 58% of students with emotional disturbance enrolled in grades 3 through 8 and in grade 10 participated in the 2007 TAKS reading assessment. Implications include differences by sub grouping of students with ED. This study also found that 44 % of those students with emotional and behavioral disorders enrolled in the grades who took the test met proficiency standards on the TAKS reading assessment in 2007. Chi square analysis showed that there is a significant relationship between students’ instructional setting in reading and both their participation in and their performance on the TAKS Reading Assessment. Logistic regression analyses results showed that instructional setting in reading can be used as a predictor of both a student’s participation in and performance on the TAKS Reading Assessment.

<p>Emotional Disturbance (ED) is becoming more common in our society. The national estimates suggest that 1 in 10 youths in the United States suffer from a serious emotional disturbance (SED), a diagnoseable mental illness severe enough to cause impairments in the daily lives of students (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 2000 as cited in Williams 2009). This has become a challenge for teachers in the inclusive classrooms. The purpose of this study is to explore teacher’s strategies used within the classroom. Eighteen teachers from an urban public high school in the Midwest participated in an anonymous survey through Purdue Qualtrics. The results showed that all teachers have had experience working with students with ED and indicated that one-on-one support has been successful for them as a strategy. The results also indicated that 83% of teachers stated they need the most support for strategies for emotional support with 72% reporting additional strategies needed for behavioral support. </p>

Despite the federal mandate to identify and provide appropriate educational and related services to children and youth with serious emotional disturbance (SED), the national profile portrays exceptionally low rates of identification; unacceptably low rates of school completion; high rates of placement in segregated environments; evidence that economic and demographic factors substantially affect identification, placement, and school completion; and a mixed, although mostly discouraging picture of outcomes after leaving the educational system. Recent national leadership, comprised of strategic planning, research, and demonstration initiatives has attained considerable momentum and is intended to improve outcomes for children with SED. Significant changes are anticipated as a result of the upcoming reauthorization of the statute governing special education and related services. These changes reflect a 20 year perspective regarding the benefits and shortcomings of current eligibility criteria and discretionary initiatives for improving outcomes for children with disabilities. The manner in which these changes may affect prospects for better serving children with SED is discussed.

The current study examined preservice teachers’ expectations for student academic, behavior, and social, outcomes using the Prognostic Outlook Scale (Thelen, Burns, & Christiansen, 2003). A 2 x 2 x 2 MANOVA analysis was used to determine differences between label specificity (i.e., Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition diagnostic label versus the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act [IDEA] Emotional Disturbance [ED]) label, behavioral presentation (i.e., internalizing versus externalizing) and symptom severity (i.e., mild versus severe). The goal was to identify labels that elicit higher expectations for students with ED in order to inform the labeling practices within the school setting. Results suggested statistically significant differences for the behavioral presentation (p < .001) condition. Statistically significant interactions for behavioral presentation and label specificity (p = .043) and behavioral presentation and severity (p = .045) were also found. Implications and limitations of findings will be discussed.

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University / This is a study of thirteen families with an emotionally disturbed child, who reapplied to the Douglas A. Thom Clinic for Children after the termination of a treatment contact. The study explored (1) factors which might reflect that these parents will reapply; (2) factors existing at termination of the first contact which might relate to the bases on which these cases were reaccepted for further treatment, if this occurred; and (3) factors relating to the use of help when they reapplied.

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.

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No description available.

This study explored potential patterns of association among the demographic characteristics, identification practices, educational interventions, and educational outcomes for students with serious emotional disturbance (SED) as well as specifically investigated the impact of age at identification with SED and the presence of co-occurring disabilities. Data was gathered from the educational records of students with SED in seven rural to semi-rural districts in Texas. Demographic information included gender, ethnicity, age at identification with SED, and identification with co-occurring disabilities. Identification variables that were investigated include the five federal qualifying criteria for SED, IQ score, and BASC and/or CBCL scores. Intervention variables that were explored included placement setting, restrictiveness of placement setting, type of related services provided, parental attendance at multidisciplinary team meetings, number of multidisciplinary team meetings, and total time spent in special education as a student with SED. Outcome variables that were examined included achievement levels in reading and math, attendance, special education status, and grade retention. Results suggested that earlier identification with SED is related to placement in less restrictive settings, achievement within two years of grade level in reading, and lower average number of absences. The presence of co-occurring disabilities in addition to SED is associated with placement in more restrictive settings and with achievement that is two or more years below grade level in reading and math. Additional findings and implications for future research as well as for current practice are discussed.

The intent of this study was to determine whether implementation of the Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) model, that has proven successful in psychiatric settings, was equally effective in reducing restrictive practices in public school settings. Many peer-reviewed, published reports suggest that educators are poorly prepared to manage the extremely challenging behaviors of aggression and non-compliance, which are common in students classified with an emotional disturbance (ED). Too often educators rely on ineffective, potentially harmful interventions such as seclusion and restraint, which adversely impact students as well as staff. The nonrandom sample was comprised of students enrolled in two segregated special education schools located in large communities in northwestern Pennsylvania. The enrollment was 69 students in School A and 26 students in School B. The schools serve students, kindergarten through twelfth grade. All students were evaluated and classified as ED by their referring home school district as per Chapter 14 Regulations of the Pennsylvania Department of Education and received one-hundred percent of their special education program in this restrictive school-based environment. This study used a quasi-experimental, pre-test-post-test research design and used two separate existing electronic data sources to test for relationships between the implementation of the CPS model and identified variables (standardized measures of externalizing maladaptive behaviors, incidents of aggression, noncompliance, and disruption, as well as incidents and duration of seclusion and restraint). The analyses included frequency comparisons, a series of Wilcoxon Signed Rank Tests, a series of dependent samples T-tests, and two-way repeated measures analyses of variance. Implementation of the model reduced the incidents of aggression, noncompliance, and disruption, as well as incidents and duration of seclusion and restraint. However, only one of the schools in the study demonstrated a statistically significant reduction of aggression incidents and the use of restraint procedures. The results suggest that when implemented with fidelity, the research-based CPS model is a promising, preventative behavior approach for students classified with ED in a segregated special education school. / School of Education / Interdisciplinary Doctoral Program for Education Leaders (IDPEL) / EdD / Dissertation