As with most disabilities, Emotional Behavioral Disorder (EBD) lacks a clear definition. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 1997 define EBD as an ailment exhibiting five characteristics that should not only be present for an extended duration but also be in a position to badly affect a child’s educational achievement. To qualify as an EBD, the child must show: an incapability to learn that cannot be accounted for using “intellectual, sensory, or health factors, an inability to form and withstand long lasting relationships with peers and teachers” (Heward, 2003). Other manifestations include behavior types that might be deemed inappropriate in normal situations, extended dispositions of gloom and depression, and the predisposition develop fears due to personal or school issues. On the other hand, the National Mental Health and Special Education Coalition defines EBD as “ a disability that exhibits behavioral or emotional reactions in school programs that contrast to age, cultural, or ethnic norms that adversely affect’s a child’s educational performance” (Heward, 2003). Both definitions identify EBD as having the potential to affect a child's educational performance negatively.
Manifestation of EBD
Emotional and behavioral disorder can manifest either as behavioral excesses or deficits. Behavioral excesses can also be referred to as externalizing behavior disorders or under controlled behavior and usually exhibits defiant, aggressive, disruptive, and non-compliant responses. Most teachers view behavioral excesses as intolerable since children who exhibit externalizing behavior not only challenge authority by interfering with instructions and disruption of class activities but also hurt their peers (Barber, 2003). On the other hand, behavioral deficits also referred to as internalizing behavior disorder or over controlled behavior characterized by inner- directed covert actions. Children with behavioral deficit are often shy, withdrawn, and even depressed. They may lack essential communication and social skills. Their limited language and problem-solving skills often lead to such children not attending school. Most teachers often fail to spot internalized behavior disorders, and when they do identify children with such disorders, it is not given priority since they are since as normal difficulties a child undergoes (Barber, 2003). However, both behavioral excesses and deficits carry the same consequences if left untreated.
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Causes of EBD
Despite the fact that research does not attribute a single factor as causal of emotional and behavioral disorder, existing theories on EBD in children attribute biological factors such as mental disorders, genetics, and temperament as well as environmental influences such as family, school, and culture as contributing to the development of emotional and behavioral disorders.
Biological Factors
Biological factors that cause emotional and behavioral disorder in individuals include mental disorders, genetics, and temperament. Most people with mental disorders suffer from EBD, but not all people with the emotional and behavioral disorder have a mental disorder. There is sufficient research on genetics that links schizophrenia and EBD (LeWine, 2013). Temperament refers to how an individual responds to a certain situation. The response can either be difficult or easy going. Children who exhibit easy going characteristics are less likely to develop emotional and behavioral disorders later in life.
Environmental Factors
The family, the community, the school, and culture provide a setting where a child can develop emotional and behavioral disorders (Barber, 2003). A child’s character growth and development are largely dependent on one’s family background. The relationship between a parent and child plays a significant role in nurturing and developing a child’s behavior. An adverse family environment often leads to emotional and behavioral disorders. Children coming from a family background where parents do not show affection, use harsh tactics and excessive force to manage behavior, or generally show limited interest in observing a child’s behavior tend to develop EBD (Barber, 2003). The society may also contribute to the development of emotional and behavioral disorder in a child through negative peer influences by engaging in activities such as gang relations, substance abuse, and deviant sexual behaviors. The school environment can also contribute to a child developing emotional and behavioral disorders due to the amount of time a child spends in school. Hewerd (2003), identifies negative schooling practices such as issuing instructions that are ineffective, formulating rules that are unclear on what constitutes acceptable behavior, discipline measures that are inconsistent, and failure to formulate instructions that can accommodate diverse learners as factors that can contribute to the development of EBD in a school environment.
Criteria to Use to Identify EBD Causal Factors
Most EBD causal factors can be identified early in a child’s life (Janzen, 2011). Medical tests can be used to identify disorders such as defective genes, chemical imbalances, or mineral deficiencies in a child. Moreover, most therapeutic models can be used to detect a weakness child’s mental and behavioral development when looking at disorders caused by environmental factors such as school, family, and culture.
Effects on Children with EBD
Academic performance is adversely affected amongst children suffering from emotional and behavioral disorders. EBD students perform poorly in contrast to other students within the disability category. According to Barber (2003), nearly one-half of EBD students have GPA's below 1.7. The most recent school year has seen one fail in at least one course. A majority fail their yearly grade-level competency examinations. Barber (2003) further attributes absenteeism as a possible factor leading to the poor performance amongst students with EBD, a rate that is higher as compared to the performance of other students within the disability bracket.
Mitigation of Causal Factors
Most of the emotional and behavioral disorders resemble normal childhood behaviors. However, trained medical personnel are likely to identify EBD through simple medical checkups. The Early screening will allow for identification and possible treatment of biological causal factors. Also, since the home is the first place a child learns character, parents should strive to ensure that the home environment is conducive for nurturing growth and development of positive character.
EBD affects an individual’s behavior or emotional responses in ways that are different from generally acceptable norms. Common characteristics of EBD include but are not limited to disruptive, antisocial, and aggressive tendencies, poor relationships with family, teachers, and peers, and limited attention and concentration. EBD can affect a child’s learning or that of peers. As a result, potential emotional difficulties or disturbances amongst EBD students might result in failure or refusal to utilize the available educational opportunities. However, early screening to identify biological and environmental causal factors is important to develop a conducive learning environment for EBD children.
References
Barber, S. (2003). The implications of emotional, behavioral disorder in the classroom. Retrieved from http://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1164&context=honors
Heward, W. L. (2003). Exceptional Children: An Introduction to Special Education (7th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Janzen, J. (2011). Parent and teacher involvement: Children with emotional and behavioral disorders. Retrieved from https://krex.k-state.edu/dspace/bitstream/handle/2097/17602/JessicaWhite2014.pdf?sequence=1
LeWine, H. (2013). Shared genes link depression, schizophrenia, and three other mental illnesses. Harvard Health Publications. Retrieved from http://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/shared-genes-link-depression-schizophrenia-and-three-other-mental-illnesses
