About thirteen percent of students have special needs that require them to get services which include getting pulled out of class. Sometimes these services include getting extra help in math or reading; sometimes students need help with social skills including problem solving skills In order to get these services, students need to be referred by someone that knows them, such as a parent, teacher, or counselor; and then the school needs to get permission from that student’s parents to get tested to determine if they have special needs (Turnball, Turnball & Wehmeyer, 2007).

According to behaviordisorder.org, “emotional behavior disorders are referred to when a child is experiencing emotional problems having behavioral issues ("Emotional and behavior," 2008). Students must be diagnosed with having an emotional behavior disorder before getting services from the school.

As a substitute, I have had the opportunity to work in various classroom settings including special education classrooms. Some classrooms are self-contained, which only has students with special needs, and some classes have students with special needs that are included in the classroom and pulled out at times to get the needs fulfilled from their IEP. From my experience as a substitute teacher and observing these classrooms, I became interested in researching students with emotional behavior disorders (EBD) and inclusion in the classroom.

The questions I have for this topic include:

To what extent are students with EBD in K-5 excluded from the general education classroom?

What are pros and cons of inclusion versus self-contained classrooms?

Are self-contained classrooms necessary for students with EBD?

Perspectives of this topic:

Parents concerns

-          Will the staff be prepared to help my child with his or her needs?

-          How will the staff be prepared to assist in the psychological needs of my child?

-          Will my child get the proper services at school that include counseling, treatment planning, social skills, behavior management, etc.?

-          Will my child be successful in a general education classroom?

-          Will my child be more successful in a self-contained classroom?

Student concerns

-          Will I be rejected by my peers from a general education setting?

-          Will I be teased or misunderstood by my peers?

-          Will I make friends with my classmates?

-          Will there be a place I can go to if I lose control?

-          Will my teacher understand me and help me be successful in class?

Teacher concerns:

-          What causes this student to lose control?

-          Can we have a signal to assure success before the student loses control?

-          How do I explain these behaviors to the class?

-          What will/should I expect from this student?

-          Is there training and/or support to help me with this student?

-          Will the students learn inappropriate classroom behaviors from this child?

-          Will instruction be interrupted by this child?

-          Will everyone be safe in the class if this child is present?

 

Emotional and behavior disorders. (2008). Retrieved from http://behaviordisorder.org/articles13.html

Hewitt, M. B. (n.d.). Meeting the challenge of inclusion for students with emotional disabilities. CHOICES, 2, 32-29.

Smith, D. D.(2007). Emotional or behavior disorders defined. Retrieved from http://www.education.com/reference/article/emotional-behavioral-disorders-defined/

Turnbull, A., Turnbull, R., & Wehmeyer, M. L. (2007). Exceptional lives special educaiton in today’s schools. (5th ed., pp. 156-177). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.