The Federal (IDEA) definition of emotional disturbance is 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 (ii) Emotional disturbance includes schizophrenia. The term does not apply to children who are socially maladjusted, unless it is determined that they have an emotional disturbance

Causes
There is no definitive answer to what causes emotional disturbance. However, many factors, including heredity, brain disorder, diet, stress, and family functioning, have been suggested and vigorously researched. Research continues, but to date, researchers have not found that any of these factors is the direct cause of emotional disturbance. Research on the cause of emotional disorders has shown that the way the brain receives and processes information is different for children with some types of disorders than for those who do not have those problems. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) mental illnesses can affect persons of any age, race, religion, or income. Mental illnesses are not the result of personal weakness, lack of character, or poor upbringing. According to NAMI, these disturbances may be treatable with medication and counseling. A child is said to have a specific diagnosis or disorder when his or her behaviors occur frequently and are severe. A diagnosis is based on a childs behaviors indicating that he or she has a specific mental health disorder and not just a problem that all children might have from time to time. phttp://nichcy.org/disability/specific/emotionaldisturbance

Characteristics
Emotional disturbance is a commonly used umbrella term for a number of different mental disorders including anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, conduct disorder, eating disorder, excessive-compulsive disorder, and psychotic disorders. A child is said to have a specific diagnosis or disorder when his or her behaviors occur frequently and are severe. http://cml.music.utexas.edu/online-resources/disabilities-information/emotional-disturbance/ Individuals with emotional disturbances can be affected in areas beyond the emotional. Depending on the specific mental disorder involved, a persons physical, social, or cognitive skills may also be affected. Characteristics of children who have an emotional disturbance include: Hyperactivity (short attention span, impulsiveness) Aggression or self-injurious behavior (acting out, fighting) Withdrawal (not interacting socially with others, excessive fear or anxiety) Immaturity (inappropriate crying, temper tantrums, poor coping skills) Learning difficulties (academically performing below grade level)

Characteristics of children with the most serious emotional disturbances may include distorted thinking, excessive anxiety, bizarre motor acts, and abnormal mood swings. Children who do not have emotional disturbance may display some of these same behaviors at various times during their development and in the classroom. However, when children have an emotional disturbance, these behaviors continue over long periods of time. It is clear that they are not coping with their environment or peers. phttp://nichcy.org/disability/specific/emotionaldisturbance managing beha A current trend in classroom behavior analysis is the exploration of self-management procedures. Few studies have used mentally retarded children. This investigation successfully demonstrates the selfmanagement on-task behavior of four mentally retarded/emotionally disturbed children. A series of verbal and gestural cues were used to teach self-assessment and self-reinforcement. The prompts were gradually faded until complete self-management was attained. In addition, the effect upon task performance, accuracy, and disruptive behavior was examined when on-task behavior was reinforced. Results of the study found performance and accuracy to increase for most subjects while disruptive behavior declined. Implications for future research are discussed.

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Students with emotional disturbances can exhibit behaviors that leave even the most seasoned educators feeling burned out. It can be frustrating for educators when they feel theyve lost control of the classroom. Tantrums, defiance, aggression, poor academic progress, poor social skills and passive noncompliance of requests (such as putting heads down on desks) can present a challenge. But educators can have success with children who have emotional disturbances if they get support from co-workers and consistently implement behavioral strategies and classroom management techniques. Get to know your students The first step is to become familiar with your students educational history. This includes information from parents, licensed specialists in school psychology, diagnosticians and teachers in the form of emotionally disturbed (ED) eligibility reports, functional behavioral assessment reports, behavioral IEPs and student Behavior Intervention Plans. Also review any proposed instructional interventions and educational strengths and weaknesses. All this information is available in students Special Education Audit Folders. When reviewing the documents note any triggers that have prompted inappropriate behaviors in the past. Also note which behaviors are characteristic of the student. Not all ED students are aggressive or act out. Seek out the opinions of the related service staff and previous teachers as to the frequency of the disruptive behaviors as well as past interventions that were or were not successful. It is the teachers legal obligation to implement any educational plan developed by a special education ARD committee. So when reviewing information on the student, ask questions regarding implementation of written behavioral plans. If you are unsure of the proper implementation, ask for clarification or training from the staff who developed the plan. Develop classroom rules Next, create your classroom rules. Good rules provide the structure for self-discipline that is imperative for ED students. Create only a few rules, but state them in the positive, be specific, and make sure the behaviors you describe are observable and measurable. Post the rules in a prominent place in the classroom before the first day of school. Students should be able to refer to the rules at all times, so you might post them in several places. Tie your rules to both positive and negative consequences; ED students need immediate consequences for negative behavior. During the first few weeks of school, read and discuss the rules, role-play, and explain the positive and negative consequences associated with the rules. Most importantly, consistently implement your rules. Watch out for triggers Instructional schedules, transitions between activities or classes, and physical environment all contribute to the factors that produce stress for ED students. To reduce their negative effects, seat the ED student next to a positive role model toward the front of the classroom in one of the aisle seats (preferably at the 10 or two oclock position) to ensure easy teacher access for support. Create classroom routines to ensure minimal unstructured free time, and provide ED students with copies of the classroom schedule. If you are aware of an upcoming change in the routine, prepare the student in advance. Also provide cues for transitions between activities. Music is a wonderful way to bridge transitions, but you might also provide the student with a visual cue such as a timer. When assigning the student an independent activity, check his mastery of the skill first. He should demonstrate a 95 percent mastery rate before engaging in independent work. Break down the assignments if need be and allow for a structured break. Be positive Use positive reinforcement to motivate the ED student. When a teacher gives positive feedback and reinforcement to the ED student it breaks the chain of negative behaviors. Classroom management strategies that focus on negative

forms of attention such as reprimanding and excessive prompting can help maintain inappropriate behaviors. So, use reinforcers that are intrinsically motivating for the student. Review with the student the rules for receiving positive reinforcement, and consistently implement the system. Lean on your team A team approach to providing academic, emotional and behavioral support is necessary. Plan staff meetings to facilitate program planning, behavioral consultation and open communication. Develop a teacher and student support plan for the times the student exhibits inappropriate classroom behaviors that escalate. Finally, maintain a positive attitude to set the stage for success.

http://www.atpe.org/resources/student&parentissues/emodisturb.asp teac..
Post a general class schedule that indicates what students should be expected to do as they enter your classroom, when homework is collected, etc. Before your students enter class, write on the board what will happen during that specific class period and how long each activity will take. Develop and maintain an active schedule with evenly intermixed direction instruction, individual seatwork, and cooperative learning activities. To prevent student frustration, intersperse more challenging, acquisition-oriented learning activities with review / maintenance-enhancing activities. Provide time for the student to catch up on missed work or to review concepts that they are struggling with. If the student enters your classroom just after lunch or physical education, it may be necessary to first engage them in a lively class discussion to appropriately channel excess distractibility or hyperactivity. Use self-monitoring checklists that the student can use to check off activities as completed. Break assignments into chunks to avoid overwhelming the student. Seat student in close proximity to teacher, towards front of the room. Provide additional review. Teach self-monitoring for attention. Use separate setting and/or extended time for exams and tests if needed. Explicitly teach test-taking strategies. Explicitly teach organizational skills (use of planners, notebooks, folders, checklists). Ask previous teachers about techniques that were effective with the student in the past. Anticipate classroom situations where the student's emotional state may be vulnerable. Be aware of how the student communicates. Keep instructions simple and very structured. Provide opportunities for group participation. Keep classroom organized. Serve as a model for the students. Provide structure in classroom with regard to physical features of the room, scheduling, routines, and rules of conduct. Clearly distinguish time, place, and expectations during unstructured activities. Let students know your expectations. Provide students with clearly stated learning objectives. Use visual supports to supplement verbally delivered instructions and information. Seek input from student about his / her strengths and weaknesses. Modify classroom activities to meet the learning needs of the student, while maintaining the same learning objectives. Be sensitive when pairing students together. Keep activity instructions simple but structured.

Acknowledge contributions of student. Be aware of student's socialization skills when asking for participation. Make a plan with student to replace inappropriate responses with appropriate responses. Work gradually toward group activities. Target and teach behaviors such as taking turns, working with partners, and following directions. Demonstrate and reward appropriate reading. Review and discuss with the student all of the steps involved in activity. Give clear examples of what the student should expect with an activity or project. Prepare alternative activities that the student can work on independently. Collect a portfolio of work samples from the student. Teach student how to attribute successes to effective strategy use and effort. Monitor student progress through informal assessment. Self-monitoring techniques can be used in the school setting. Self-monitoring of attention involves signals to the student to determine how much attention is being paid to a task. This can be done using a signal such as a random beep, timer, or cue provided by the teacher. The student then records on or off task behavior on a recording sheet. Self-monitoring techniques can be tied to rewards and accuracy checks.

http://www.do2learn.com/disabilities/CharacteristicsAndStrategies/EmotionalDisturbance_Strategies.h tml