Chapter 2 Themes and Dimensions of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

Abstract

Students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) are one of the most underserved populations in today's schools (Kauffman, Mock, & Simpson, 2011). Many of these students also have additional disabilities in conjunction with an EBD identification, such as Learning Disabilities (LD), Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), or Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD), among other psychiatric disorders (Henley, Ramsey, & Algozzine, 2009; Kauffman, 2005).

Because the identification of EBD examines behaviors that tend to be more subjective in nature than other disabilities and because these pervasive behaviors are manifested in a variety of forms, EBD is one of the most misidentified disability categories (Skiba, Poloni-Staudinger, Gallini, Simmons, & Feggins-Azziz, 2006). For students with EBD, the behavior(s) they exhibit contribute to learning difficulties in multiple academic and functional areas. This chapter provides in-depth information on the common characteristics and behavioral dimensions of this population. Additionally, the in-school performance and long-term outcomes of students with EBD are discussed.

Citation

Mustian, A.L. and Cuenca-Sanchez, Y. (2012), "Chapter 2 Themes and Dimensions of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders", Bakken, J.P., Obiakor, F.E. and Rotatori, A.F. (Ed.) Behavioral Disorders: Identification, Assessment, and Instruction of Students with EBD (Advances in Special Education, Vol. 22), Emerald Group Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 31-49. https://doi.org/10.1108/S0270-4013(2012)0000022005