Teaching Students with Behavioral Disorders

Emotional & Behavioral Disorders (EBD)

Students whose behaviors reflect dysfunctional interactions between the student and one or more
elements of the environment (i.e., classroom, school, family, peers, and/or community). It is an
inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory or health factors.

The Changing Context for Emotional & Behavioral Disorders

Student emotional and behavioral exceptionalities are among the most challenging to manage in
classrooms. Emphasizing that student mental health and academic achievement go hand in hand. The
increasing awareness of mental health calls teachers to play a key role in implementing strategies to
provide support for students who may have a mental health problem or mental illness. For example, 1
in 5 students from K-12 experience some sort of mental health problem. As teachers, we have the
opportunity to positively impact the lives of these students through various intervention strategies
discussed below.

Mental Health vs Mental Illness

• Mental Health: refers to social, emotional, and behavioural well-being of children and
adolescents and is considered an integral part of healthy development.
• Mental Illness: refers to diagnosable mental disorders, mental health problems include: signs
and symptoms of insufficient intensity or duration to meet criteria for any mental disorder.

School-Based Mental Health Model

• Tier 1 (Health Promotion) - Intended to enhance strengths of all students through positive
strategies that foster healthy development, such as managing emotions, setting goals, and
maintaining positive relationships
• Tier 2 (Universal Prevention) - Intended to reduce risk factors for all students, such as
information programs about substance abuse
• Tier 3 (Selective Prevention) - Targets students who have been identified as sharing a
significant risk factor with preventative interventions to counter that risk. Involves the school
counsellor or individual counselling and other team member support.
• Tier 4 (Treatment Interventions) - Consists of treatment interventions for students
experiencing mental health problems or diagnosable disorders. Require assessment by
experts and clinical intervention

Students experiencing EBD

• Externalizing Students: often refuse to do homework, engage in loud verbal disagreements
with teachers, are disruptive in class, and may have a behavioural exceptionality.
• Internalizing Students: may internalize their anxiety and possibly depression; these students
are less likely to be identified, may have incomplete school work, be withdrawn, and have
poor attendance.
It is important for teachers to watch for student behaviour that varies markedly and chronically from
the norm and that may interfere with the students learning or the learning of others. Remember- All
behaviour is communicating something. A teacher should seek to discover: What is behind the
behaviour? And what is the underlying cause? Children at high risk for an EBD include: boys, lower
income families, and those who have or are experiencing traumatic events.

Main Challenges

• Executive Functioning
• Cognitive Functioning

Strategies

• Build rapport with the student

• Make personal connections
• Provide structure, predictability, & consistency
• Immediate, frequent, & specific feedback
• Find something to like about them & tell them
• Figure out how much space they need
• Avoid power struggles
• Use humor to diffuse a situation
• Show respect and flexibility
• Positive school-to-home support systems
• Teach self-management strategies
• Challenging and cognitively engaging activities (i.e., differentiation)
• Teach the skills necessary for desired behavior (i.e., prosocial behavior)
• Circle of Courage Activity (obtain from: resource section)

Takeaways
 Our challenge as educators is to create a classroom where students feel valued and have
positive experiences, leading to higher levels of engagement
 The need for prevention and Intervention within schools and classrooms
 Every behavior is communicating something
 Asking for help when you need it is a sign of strength, not weakness

Resources
1) The ABC’s of Mental Health
https://www.sickkidscmh.ca/ABC/Teacher-Resource/Behaviour-
Maps.aspx?fbclid=IwAR1QtnXRkcNuc3kRBU1yflvkAJa9ObKTF1ZnTI7wcXFNvApuwSj1
Jnj8OxI
2) Mental Illness vs Mental Health
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIswi_4yRaE
3) Circle of Courage Activity
http://www.behavioradvisor.com/CircleOfCourage.html