Transcript Emotionally Impaired

The
Emotionally
Impaired
Student
Lisa Steiner
Ann Kezhaya
Emotional problems interfere
with learning
*Hint* Anger is an emotion!
This also covers, anxiety, fear,
and depression
Emotionally Impaired
A Team Approach
Students with emotional impairments
demonstrate behavioral problems over an
extended period of time that negatively affect
their ability to learn. Relationships are usually
poor and behavior or feelings are
inappropriate to the situation.
How can a classroom for emotionally
impaired children help a student?
 Teachers who work in the classroom for emotionally
impaired are trained in ways to help students cope with
emotional and behavioral difficulties. Their focus is to help
students through out the school day with the emotional and
or behavioral issues that may occur. Many teachers
provide direct instruction in order to address academic
needs.
 Teachers also help to teach, model and reinforce
appropriate behaviors and social skills. These skills are to
be used both inside and outside of the academic arena.
 Teachers and staff assigned to the program design and
implement plans to facilitate a child’s success in school by
addressing their very unique and varied needs.
What programming options are
available to students with emotional
impairments?
 Students with emotional impairments can receive
educational programming through a continuum of service,
from resource room consultation through full time self
contained placement in a categorical program. At an IEPT
meeting a student’s program is individually
determined. The amount of emotional, behavioral and
educational support required helps to determine the
amount of time spent with a special education teacher.
 School social workers and or psychologists work with
individual students, their families and teachers to help
students achieve success in schools.
The Kids Who are Different
By: Digby Wolfe
Here’s to the kids who are different,
The kids who don’t always get A’s,
The ones who have ears
Twice the size of their peers
And noses that go on for days.
Here’s to the kids who are different,
The ones they call crazy or dumb,
The kids who don’t fit
With the guts and the grit,
Who dance to a different drum.
Here’s to the kids who are different,
The ones with the mischievous streak,
For when they are grown
As history has shown,
It’s their difference that makes them unique.
What is it?
 Emotionally impaired students have trouble functioning
in a regular classroom.
 They display behavior problems that interfere with the
social and academic learning process.
 They are disruptive or they tend to withdraw from
others.
 They are unable to maintain satisfactory interpersonal
relationships in school.
 The behavior and the needs of the emotionally
impaired student are the same as those of other
youngsters but they display inappropriate behavior
more frequently and over a longer period of time.
Characteristics you might see in an E.I. student
 Tendency to develop physical symptoms (stomach ache,
headache, etc.) when faced with fears as they relate to
school and personal issues
 Instances of taunting, or verbal bullying of classroom
peers, incapable of working in groups
 States of pessimism, nervous habits, inability to maintain
eye contact with teacher or verbally express concerns to
teacher
 Sleeping in class, inability to focus on classroom instruction
or inability to productively utilize class time
 Disorganization, missing or late assignments, inability to
meet class deadlines, short attention span and
impulsiveness
Characteristics you might see in an E.I. student
continued
 Poor coping skills, frequently discouraged
when things don’t go their way
 Learning difficulties or academically
performing under grade level
 Tendency to misinterpret positive feedback
from teachers or easily offended by teacher
redirection
 Are irritating, disappointing and distressing
to others
Student Eligibility
 To receive services for an emotional impairment,
a multidisciplinary team must evaluate a student.
Such evaluation must include a report for a
psychologist or psychiatrist and a school social
worker.
Identification of the problem
A. A teacher/ staff member fills out a pre-referral from which:
1. Documents lack of academic achievement.
2. Describes observable behaviors which are suspected of negatively
impacting the student’s academic achievement.
3. Documents discussion of the problem behaviors with the parent and
student.
B. Building team members may include:
1. General Education teachers
2. Building administrator
3. School social worker, psychologist, counselor, behavior intervention
specialist
4. Parent/ guardian
5. Appropriate special education personnel
Accommodations for the E.I. Student
Accommodations are based on students individual needs such as:
Reminding the student of the rules
Assigning preferential seating
A behavior plan
Assigning a safe place to cool down or regroup when a student becomes
frustrated
Allowing extended time for exams and a quiet testing area (E.I. Room)
Allowing extended time on assignments
Allowing lectures to be tape recorded or having notes copied
Being flexible in attendance requirements
Assisting with time management and study skills
Giving a grade of incomplete or consenting to a late withdrawal in place of
course failure in the event of a prolonged illness
Needs of student might include a classroom assistant to accompany the
student to general education classrooms
Behavioral Disorders
Behaviors that may cause a student to be certified E.I.
Anxiety Disorders
 Young people who experience excessive
fear, worry or uneasiness may have an
anxiety disorder.
 These include:
Phobias, panic disorder, obsessivecompulsive disorder and post traumatic
stress disorder
Severe Depression
 Feelings of low selfesteem, inability to self
motivate, problems
sleeping, or change in
appetite, feelings of
hopelessness
Bipolar Disorder
 Demonstrate
exaggerated mood
swings that range from
extreme highs to
extreme lows.
Behaviors ranging
from talking non stop,
requiring little sleep,
using poor judgement
to experiencing severe
depression
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity
Disorder
 Unable to focus
attention and are
often impulsive
and easily
distracted
Learning Disorders
 Can show up as
problems with
spoken and
written
language,
coordination,
attention, or self
control
Conduct Disorder
 Usually have little concern for others
and repeatedly violate the basic rights
of others and the rules of society.
 Cause students to act out their feeling
in destructive ways such as lying, theft,
or aggression
Eating Disorders
 Students who are afraid
of gaining weight and
seek to gain control
through self-destructive
behaviors
Autism
 Have problems interacting and
communicating with others,
symptoms range from mild to
severe
Schizophrenia
 Have psychotic periods that
may involve hallucinations,
withdrawal from others and loss
of contact with reality
Socially Maladjusted
Why don’t these student qualify?
Socially maladjusted students typically display a persistent pattern of
willful refusal to meet even minimum standards of conduct. Their
behavior and values are often in conflict with society’s standards. They
exhibit a consistent pattern of antisocial behavior without genuine signs
of guilt, remorse, or concern for the feelings of others. These students
often engage in simulations of these behaviors but typically display them
only when there is an immediate consequence for the absence of such
displays. Their antisocial behavior is most frequently seen as resulting
from their tendency to place their own needs above those of all other
people and the immediate gratification that such behavior brings them.
These students are not in chronic distress (one of the criteria for
emotional disturbance under the law) although they can exhibit
situational anxiety, depression, or distress in response to certain isolated
events - particularly facing the consequences of their own actions. These
students do not typically respond to the same treatment interventions
that benefit emotionally disordered students.
If it is determined that a student is socially maladjusted and not
emotionally disturbed then the student is not eligible for special
education services. Research suggests that those programs that
provide a high degree of structure, clear limits, precise rules, and
immediate, meaningful and impartial implementation of
consequences present the greatest potential for long-term change
in the socially maladjusted student. Special education programs
are not designed to provide this kind of treatment. The presence
of the socially maladjusted student in the emotionally disturbed
classroom typically impedes the progress of the emotionally
disturbed students while failing to benefit the socially maladjusted
student. Socially maladjusted students are often seen as
predators with typical emotionally disturbed students viewed as
prey; placing these students in the same classrooms is a
nightmare for both the emotionally disturbed students and the
staff.
How General Education Teachers
Can Help
Progress reports and communication with the special ed teacher
Which includes assignment/ test schedule, behavior issues and
missing assignments.
Follow behavior plans: they are developed for a reason and by law
MUST be followed; no breaks
Consistency with the E.I. students is key to their success
Acknowledging to accommodations and modifications for each of
the E.I. students we share by e-mailing the special ed teacher after
receiving them
Helpful
Websites
 www.disciplinehelp.com
 http://specialed.about.com/od/teacherstrateg
ies/u/forteachers.htm